Can we be honest? No matter what you think about Justice League – I refuse to call it ‘Zach Snyder’s Justice League‘ though that’s the simplest way to tell it apart from the movie that Joss Whedon directed after Snyder left the project – Zach Snyder is just not a very good director.

He has a great visual sense, in that his movies look great – though curiously Army of the Dead is a lot of things, though it isn’t always particularly attractive, never mind the subject matter – though the man can’t tell a cohesive, engaging story to save his life.

And Army of the Dead is no different.

It’s just not a very good movie. It’s certainly watchable, and despite Snyder’s prior sins – he’s spent way too much time and energy desecrating the zombie movie (zombies don’t do cardio. They’re metaphors for the inexorable, creeping nature of our own avarice and greed. That they’re slow and lumbering is entirely the point because they’re inevitable).

Snyder doesn’t get this, so he makes his zombies Gymkata extras because faster means more scary (it really doesn’t. Not at all. In fact, it makes them genuinely more boring).

Army of the Dead is a litany of missed opportunities and since the story the movie comes from is based on was written by Snyder, having not read the screenplay I assume that a lot of the blame rests with him.

There’re no people to speak of – sure, there are actors playing roles with names, but they’re less people than outlines of people with stereotypical problems.

I recall reading somewhere that Dave Bautista was glad to work with Zach Snyder – and he may be a great director to work with – but Bautista for the most part just sleepwalks through his role (he’s certainly present though his acting muscles are being engaged the least).

It’s just not a very impressive movie by most metrics you choose to apply though it’s certainly watchable though as soon as it’s over, you’ve likely forgotten what you’ve seen it in the first place.