Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead – Toronto After Dark 2014
Director Tommy Wirkola returns with the sequel to his 2009 Nazi zombie comedy. Beginning immediately following the first film’s conclusion, sole survivor Martin (Vegar Hoel) narrowly escapes the clutches of the Nazi zombie commander Herzog (Ørjan Gamst), however he finds himself charged with the deaths of his friends. To make matters worse, Herzog’s severed arm was attached to Martin’s body in hospital, giving him superhuman strength and an uncontrollable desire for violence. With Herzog creating new zombie forces to do his bidding, Martin recruits the American Zombie Squad of Daniel (Martin Starr), Monica (Jocelyn DeBoer), and Blake (Ingrid Haas) and puts forth a plan to stop Herzog, which includes reanimating an opposing army of Soviet soldiers. The original Dead Snow had an interesting premise, though I thought it was only a so-so film, save for a great final act. Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead improves greatly on the original, which includes properly capitalizing on the Nazi zombie premise, which includes Herzog stealing a tank from a WWII museum. The addition of the incredibly nerdy Zombie Squad adds some more mass appeal to the film, which equally features dialogue in both Norwegian and English. Dead Snow 2 features some brutally gory violence, including deaths to women and children, however it is also incredibly hilarious. Martin’s new uncontrollable zombie arm is the source of much violent comedy, in the vein of Evil Dead 2 or Idle Hands. Martin also now has the power to create zombie servants, including a sidekick who keeps coming back to life, despite dying in increasingly violent ways. I also have to say that Dead Snow 2 has one hell of an ending, involving a certain pop song. Altogether, Dead Snow 2 builds upon the original to become an incredibly gory, entertaining, and overall fun film. 9 | REALLY LIKED IT
