Review of Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead (2014) by Quincytheodore — 21 Feb 2015

Sometimes a movie is so absurdly fun, it can get away with almost anything, Dead Snow 2 is almost that kind of movie. The premise is ridiculous, it involves an army of Nazi zombies running amok in Norway. Focus of this movie hinges entirely of how fun the gore can be, and to its credit, with tongue-in-cheek script it's pretty enjoyable. However, there are a few segments that diminish the amusement, most notably the contrast on dark scenes.

Martin had a bad experience, he's awakened Nazi zombies by taking their gold on a snowy mountain. After losing his friends and lover, he manages to escape and finds refuge. Little did he know that the Nazi zombies have a knack to invade people. The acting isn't superior, but the actors do well on producing more comical effect. Characters are few and they are introduced with over-the-top personality quite effectively.

The movie knows the genre and its demography well, producing more mayhem and a dash more imagination than most zombie movies. It has good sense of humor, rather dark and a bit desensitizing, although strangely fitting for the concept. It doesn't possesses elegance not does it try to, there's barely any five minutes where blood isn't displayed gloriously.

The carnage is made with practical effects, they look convincingly brutal and will please the fans of the genre. Make-up and costume department did their job well as the zombies do look unique. As far as the deaths go, Dead Snow 2 has a few creative ones. Unfortunately, there's a bit of inconsistency in plot where the characters pop-up, survive miraculously or act in very stupid manner. Admittedly, they are minor things since the movie already suspends the viewer disbelief.

Its main setback is it’s uncomfortably dark when it doesn't need to be. The cinematography is good at outdoor as well as in daylight, however it becomes too blurry at night scenes or those in relatively dark area, which a good portion of the movie occurs at. This inevitably dulls the experience.

Dead Snow 2 confidently boasts exaggerated theme with mortifying amount of blood and self-aware humor, and despite having a few faults, it will most likely entertain fans of horror genre.