I have a vague
recollection of enjoying Dead Snow, but little about the actual film stands out
in my mind. The main problem is the cookie-cutter co-ed characters and set-up
that resembled numerous other horror movies. The familiarity of this set-up was
only off-set by the creativity and tone of the film’s violence, though the
first act forces the audience to spend far too much time with a predictable
premise and disposable characters. This problem is immediately resolved in the
sequel, which begins where the first film ended, with solitary survivor Martin
(Vegar Hoel) battling zombies after accidentally killing his girlfriend and
sawing his own arm off. This fast-paced beginning only lets up for moments, but
once again filmmaker Tommy Wirkola’s strength lies in the creatively gory
action.
The problem of blandly
written characters has also been resolved, with outlandish and campy storylines
allowing new ones to be inserted in place of Martin’s dead friends. Integrating
English speaking actors into the storyline, Martin is joined by a trio of geeky
zombie fighter (led by Martin Starr). Martin is also changed by the events of
the first film, both mentally and physically. After watching (and contributing)
to the death of his friends, Martin is determined to seek revenge against the
zombie Colonel Herzog (Ǿrjan Gamst), and this goal is helped along by super
powers given to him after the doctors accidentally re-attach a zombie arm in
replacement of the one he cut off.
In my review of
the first film, I remarked that “Wirkola seems to be invoking early Peter
Jackson films.” This means comically over-the-top gore and dark narratives
approached with the lightness of a Tim Burton film, and all of that is back
tenfold for the sequel. Horror elements left even further in the background
when Martin and Colonel Herzog each create a zombie army to battle each other.
Action takes over, though all is done with a grotesque but campy sense of
humor.
The Collector’s
Edition Blu-ray release includes the international version of the film, with an
optional commentary track with Wirkola. Also included is the short film
“Armen,” a special effects featurette, the digital Dead Snow comic book, and a
trailer.
Entertainment Value:
9/10
Quality of Filmmaking:
8/10
Historical
Significance: 7/10
Special Features: 7/10
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