Watching Zack Snyder's Army of the Dead is a rip-roaring good time,
but there's even more to this film than first meets the eye. And viewer beware: spoilers
ahead! Army of the Dead has plenty of small details to sink your teeth into. From cinematic
tributes to subtle Easter eggs to heartbreaking moments you might've missed, place your bets
now as to whether you managed to catch all of these fun, hidden treats in Army of the Dead.
Army of the Dead was filmed before Zack Snyder's cut of Justice League got the green light,
but fans had been demanding to see his version of the DC superhero spectacular for years.
So, since the director didn't know if anyone would ever actually get to see the mythical Snyder Cut,
the writer-director decided to pay homage to their passion by
hiding the Snyder Cut reels in Army of the Dead's nigh-impregnable vault.
Other winks to Snyder's DC connection include the golden machine guns in the vault, which resemble
those sported by Jared Leto's Joker, and an Omega tattoo on Vanderohe's chest that may
reference the "Justice League" villain Darkseid, who derives his power from the Omega Effect.
That's not the only nod to Snyder's other work that can be found in Army of the Dead, either.
The movie also winks at Dawn of the Dead, Snyder's excellent 2004 re-imagining of
the George A. Romero classic of the same name. The moment when Mikey Guzman shoots
Chambers' gas canister is a nice callback to the propane tank explosion in Dawn of the Dead.
And if you look closely at Scott's truck, you can see that he and his fellow mercenaries have
replaced the menu with a kill-point system for all of their zombie-slaying adventures, just as
the heroes in Dawn of the Dead made a little game out of taking out celebrity shamblers at the mall.
"Burt Reynolds. Tell him to get Burt Reynolds."
In the opening credits montage, we're introduced to several of the story's
heroes. But there's also a heartbreaking storyline you might not have noticed.
The woman who transforms from a pearl-wearing soccer mom into a zombie-killing badass
has a story arc that's absolutely gutting, and it plays out wordlessly.
When we first meet this character, she rescues a little girl who's facing down a whole neighborhood
of shamblers. The girl is wearing a pink hooded sweatshirt that obscures her hair and face.
In the woman's family photo, her daughter sports a similar outfit.
Chances are, our unnamed hero rushed to this girl's aid not out of the goodness
of her heart, but because she hoped she might have found her own kid.
Later, the woman seems crestfallen when she rifles through a pile of discarded
clothes and finds another pink sweatshirt. Finally, however, she does find her child,
and it seems like all of her hard work has finally paid off -- until, of course,
the woman is overwhelmed by the undead at the Vegas border. Even worse, as the zombies attack,
the woman's daughter refuses to leave her mother behind. The last time we see the couple,
they're hugging while being eaten alive -- and then they're both squished by one of
the shipping crates that walls Las Vegas off from the rest of the world. Just looking back
on how much effort their hard-won reunion took makes the whole thing even more devastating.
That final run through the border wall also contains an intriguing clue about
the fate of Vanderohe. Before the final piece of the wall drops,
Vanderohe manages to escort one last survivor through the gate: an airline pilot.
See, at the end of Army of the Dead,
Vanderohe emerges as one of the casino heist's only survivors, and unlike the
others in his party, he had the good sense to grab some cash on his way out of dodge.
Unfortunately for him, though, he didn't emerge unscathed.
After chartering his own personal plane, Vanderohe's all-new life of luxury is cut
short when he discovers an errant bite mark, indicating that his days are numbered.
The rest of the plane's occupants are probably doomed, too. In other words,
Vanderohe might have saved one pilot, but it looks like he's ultimately doomed another one.
"To the ironic twists of the unknown. Bottoms up."
"Cheers."
An undercurrent of political satire runs strong throughout Army of the Dead,
beginning with the very reason that the outbreak begins in the first place.
Were it not for a frisky pair of newlyweds forgetting to watch the road, the soldiers'
caravan might've made its way to its destination, leaving its horrible payload intact to become...
well, something awful. A biological weapon of war? A well-studied specimen from outer
space? We don't quite know yet, but if you listen closely to the soldiers' conversation
about their mysterious mission, this creature is definitely coming straight out of Area 51.
"How about the lunar lander that was supposedly left on the moon?"
"Yeah, I like the thematic extraterrestrial reference,
seeing as we're just coming from, uh, well you know."
To say that the zombie king,
Zeus, is a highly sensitive government asset would be an extreme understatement.
So, perhaps it isn't too terribly surprising when Tanaka's elaborate heist turns out to
be nothing more than cover for Martin to steal the zombie queen's head before the
city is blown to smithereens. If you didn't see that twist coming,
though, take a look back at one of Tanaka's earliest scenes in the film.
When Scott calls and accepts Tanaka's offer, look closely at the company the casino mogul keeps.
Judging by their uniforms, it looks like Tanaka is surrounded by military leaders,
most of whom are probably very happy that they've found someone to do their dirty work.
"What's in this bag is worth ten times what's in that vault."
In addition to all of the cinematic tributes sprinkled throughout Army of the Dead,
there are also a few other Easter eggs audiences will want to watch out for. One is a nod to the
history of the zombie tiger, Valentine, whose show is advertised on a sign for the Mirage. Another
sign that can be seen during the Vegas fly-over scenes is an ironic ad for a zombie-killing
virtual reality game at the MGM Grand that reads, "Had a few drinks, killed a few zombies."
Another prominent sign advertises Larry Fong's magic show. Although Snyder served as
the director of photography for Army of the Dead, Fong was Snyder's cinematographer on
many of his other movies, including 300, Sucker Punch, and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
Perhaps the tastiest little Easter egg, though, is in Scott's family portrait: There,
he's wearing a Christmas sweater covered in tacos, a nod to his pre-apocalyptic food truck life.
One thing you can't help but notice in Army of the Dead is the fact that
some of the zombies are absolutely not like the others. It all depends who's doing the biting.
"My theory: This started with one of them. An original.
So whoever that is, I think if he bites you…"
"Then you become an alpha."
"Exactly."
Lower down the tier, anyone who is bitten by the alphas
or the other shamblers becomes a brainless biter.
One thing you might not have noticed, though, is that there are also some zombies scattered
throughout the film who may not actually be zombies at all. Some of them might even be robots.
Take it from Snyder himself: There's a lot more going on with these things than meets the eye.
"When it comes to zombies, an easter egg might be if you can identify some of the
zombies that might not be completely dead. You'll know what I mean when you see them."
Chances are, we'll find out much more about these new additions
to the zombie mythos as the Army of the Dead world continues to expand.
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