Michael Ledo
In 1590 Spanish conquistadors using LED lamps discover a cave filled with gold, only to be killed by the malnourished dead. Centuries later John Barnes (Ross Kelly) is celebrating his birthday by driving a VW buggy in the desert and sleeping in a tent, kicking out his former girlfriend (Audrey Anderson) who I thought was hotter than his wife (Stefani Marchesi with a zit). Needless to say someone in the group arouses the underfed third world dead and they never think about running the bones over with their vehicles. The gold and boulders seemed Hollywood light. I really couldn't imagine that girl lifting that huge rock over her head that easily.The film was low budget and SyFy quality with badly written characters who were uninteresting.Guide: No sex or nudity. Brief language, some blood splatter.
joeymarkgraf
Good: The story could be interesting. Bad: The dialog is terrible, the filming is terrible, the CG is way beyond bad.(Poor use of it, not the quality.)It's like they had a free pass to not give a care about what they put together because it was cheap. I honestly believe that it was shot, and edited in two days, then hours later slipped in the redbox that I rented it from. To top it off, I didn't even pay for it and yet I'm still offended that I wasted my rental on this. I think that they didn't even read the scrip before they shot it, then didn't watch it before they released it. There is more directing and editing talent in an adult films than in this film.Unless you enjoy amateur films, and I mean REALLY amateur films, don't waste your time.
sparktom
This movie is just plain bad. Save your money.Every cheap trick known to film-making is used in lame attempts to build tension and drama, they don't work. For instance, there is a main character who's a knowledgeable professor and ends up being a bad guy. Speaking of shallow characters, there's the drunk girl who is seldom seen without a bottle of hootch and hoping to share. Plot wise, it's more painful than that. College types seeking lost treasure guarded by the dead should be a formula movie that could have been good, even with a meager budget. It's not. The writing is bad, the casting is bad, the direction is bad.About casting... who's idea was it to make the film's "sweet, nice, pretty girl" a rather plain looking gal with a mole between her eyes that can only be described as distracting. Sometimes it's hidden by makeup and other times, it's as hard to ignore as John-Boy's cheek melanoma, and I just thank God it didn't have hair.The movie becomes predictable and tired before the first 20 minutes have gone by. A katana for a birthday gift around the campfire? Come on, like that wasn't going to be used. Turns out it's one that's 400 years old or so. Like college cronies can come up with one of those for a drinking buddy. The end tries to make the hero into something of a McIver (sp?) type genius who lays the legions of undead to waste with his daring-do, and smarts. Too bad, it's as poorly conceived as the rest of the picture.Skip this one.
slayrrr666
"Army of the Dead" is a rather fun and enjoyable take on the zombie film.**SPOILERS**Going to Mexico, John Barnes, (Ross Kelly) and his wife Amy, (Stephanie Marchese) meet up with Professor Kittridge, (Vic Browder) and students Kristen McKnew, (Jocelyn Tucker) Jenny Crane, (Audrey Anderson) Tobias Schuler, (Malcolm Madera) and Alicia Williamson, (Casey Messer) for his birthday present. Heading into the desert, they decide to pass the time by telling stories to each other, and they manage to bring up the legend that haunts the area about a lost civilization that left a vast fortune of hidden gold in the area, and that all who sought it out have perished or disappeared. Figuring that time is available, they head off from their trip to go find it, and manage to stumble upon the gold cache hidden in the mountains. While trying to take the gold away, they unleash the guardian forces behind the gold, an army of the skeletons of those who have also sought the treasure, and must flee back before they also become the gold's undead protectors.The Good News: This was a really fun and quite enjoyable zombie film. One of the best features is that it uses the familiar zombie trappings without having the usual zombies in here. From the back-story, which is one of the best of the genre, that's a mere substitute from the multitude of Nazi-Zombie films that came out earlier to the skeletons being taken exactly like zombies, this one here feels so close in tone and spirit to a zombie film that it has a fresh, original take without doing much with here. The zombies are replaced by an army of reanimated skeletons, and the sight of them walking around holding weapons and being as active as they are makes for some good cheesy fun. They're behavior would also classify them to be like zombies, gathering in swarms and attacking in waves, with the fear being that defeating one of them allows the others to sneak up and finish the job, is played out so similar to zombies that it feels so close to one without being a zombie film. They're also involved in a lot of action around here, as the first assault on the explorers in the caves at the beginning, which has the awesome regeneration scene to start off with as the skeletons rise in unison as shadows against the wall lit by their torches, and the bloody mayhem and action that ensues is glorious. The campfire one is just as good, with the start done with the flaming arrows appearing out of nowhere with a large mass raining down everywhere, forcing them into defensive positions as the soldiers attack on foot, swords and weapons draw to a fantastic confrontation that is so much fun to see. That is the undisputed highlight of the film, for it's packed with fiery action, several moments of suspense and much more, leaving it feeling really fun and interesting. The last fight is also pretty good, as it's a one-on-one sword fight with a skeleton that leaves a great impression overall. There's even a chase with a blood-red skeleton that was stripped of it's skin beforehand to include, and the method of finally defeating them is pretty neat and inventive. The last real good part here is the blood and gore, which may be CGI but it's still a pretty bloody film. That the majority of the bloodshed comes from the skeleton's weaponry in combat, it's still pretty loaded. There's a graphic slit throat, a couple get their skin peeled off, another is impaled in the stomach and stabbed with knives, a multitude of gunshots and more, including what happens to the creatures as well. Coupled together with the film's really great pace and very few flaws, this one here is a pretty good entry.The Bad News: This one here doesn't have many flaws, and there's really only one at that. That's the fact that there's way too much CGI in here. From the skeletons and their actions, both individually and as a group, to the film's bloodshed, this one contains a lot of that and it ruins the scene. The slit throat would work if a sea of computerized red goo never flew at the screen, the explosions would have a lot more power and impact had they not done with CGI, and the film is overall haunted by this flaw. It's pretty much the only thing wrong with the film, and for some, it could be old hat to be able to see a film witness that sort of action.The Final Verdict: A perfectly fun film, ruined only by sub-par CGI, which for some isn't so much of a flaw but rather something that comes with the genre. Those who can take are advised to give this one a shot, as well as zombie film fans, while those who can't stand the CGI are urged to seek caution.Rated R: Graphic Violence and Graphic Language
