brando647 I've never had the chance to see the original DEAD SNOW but I was lucky enough to stumble on its sequel, RED VS. DEAD, and jumped on it. I mean, Nazi zombies…why not? Zombie movies are a dime a dozen anymore and Nazis are popping up more and more as the go-to baddies in genre films (IRON SKY, great flick) but I'd heard good things about these movies and wanted to check it out. DEAD SNOW has gained cult popularity similar to DOG SOLDIERS (another one I want to see) so it's probably worth a watch. The second film, apparently, begins right where the original film left off. Martin (Vegar Hoel) has narrowly escaped with his life following the encounter with Nazi zombies that left his friends dead and cost him his right arm. The cursed Nazi gold hoard has been returned and there is hope the monsters will return to their resting place. No such luck. The zombies, under the command of the evil Herzog (Ørjan Gamst), are determined to complete their original mission from the war: an attack on the coastal Norwegian village of Talvik. With the zombies on the move and adding to their undead ranks every step of the way, Martin realizes he'll need help to stop them. But with local police believing him responsible for the murders of the first film, where can he turn? A chance encounter leads Martin into contact with the trio of amateur zombie hunters from the United States ready and eager for their chance to shine: the Zombie Squad.DEAD SNOW 2 is fun but it's got its issues. It's really good and moves along at a strong pace until about halfway through the movie. There's a good mix of dark humor and visceral violence. Despite the whole Nazi zombie and bloody dismemberments, this is definitely more a comedy than a horror film. The filmmakers know the whole premise is insane and their goal is to go wild and have fun. The violence is so over the top that it's practically cartoonish. There's a running gag playing off the fact that at the start of the film, due to bizarre circumstances, Herzog's arm has been grafted onto Martin and this arm has given him a shared power with the Nazi commander to reanimate the dead. There's one poor zombie that can't help but die over and over again as Martin continues to reanimate him as his own loyal zombie lapdog. Babies are exploded, little old ladies have their heads caved in…no one is safe. Director Tommy Wirkola is obviously trying to see how far he can take it and it's all done in good fun. The movie is a haven for gorehounds. The zombie attacks are awesome, which is why it was disappointing in the last act of the movie when it went from comedy/horror to a large-scale action scene for the final battle. The final battle goes on longer than necessary and ruins the momentum, stumbling at the film's finish line.The Zombie Squad brings some cheese to the movie. The trio is the usual over- excited zombie enthusiasts that operate out of their parents' attics/basements and have gleaned their "skills" from zombie movie marathons. The head of the Squad, Daniel (Martin Starr of HBO's "Silicon Valley"), sees this as a chance for their team to gain some notoriety. His two beautiful associates Monica and Blake (Jocelyn DeBoer and Ingrid Haas) are sort of comic relief, if an onslaught of Star Wars references is enough for a chuckle. Mostly, the Squad exists to provide exposition through Daniel's expertise. Outside of Martin and Daniel, the rest of the characters aren't overly developed. This becomes a problem when the movie detours away from Martin and Daniel's story to give us an action sequence with the girls and the unfortunate Glenn Kenneth (Stig Frode Henriksen). Glenn is a one-note joke; the audience is expected to laugh at the idea that he's apparently a closeted homosexual that won't own up to it. The joke doesn't fly as well as it might've a decade ago, unless Norway isn't as progressive and that sort of thing is still a gag over there. Glenn is the worst example of the lack of characterization in DEAD SNOW 2. Each person in the film (with the exception of Martin and Daniel) is just a personality quirk with a name. Unfortunately, any humor to be mined from that runs out pretty fast. DEAD SNOW 2 is at its best when zombies are eviscerating terrorized masses and, when it stops doing that, it falters.

Brett Samazing Everything in zombie movies has been done to death (see what I did there?). And yet, here comes a movie that actually adds to the genre whilst simultaneously disgusting me and making me belly laugh. And not one of those infectious belly laughs. You know, when you are in a theatre and something mildly amusing on-screen sends a ripple through the crowd which grows; mostly because the girl down the front has a weird cackling laugh that morphs into a full-on snort fest, and that just sets everyone else off. Yeah, well, it's not like that.I was on my own. And I laughed out loud multiple times. I genuinely LOLed. That's as rare as rocking horse faeces. Dead Snow 1 was a revelation; a brilliant twist on the genre. Dead Snow 2 adds again. The comedy elements are ratcheted up as is the budget. A budget wisely spent on special effects and sheer scale. If you are after genuine chills and insights into the human condition, Dead Snow 2 will leave you cold (see what I did there too?). But if your appetite runs to comedic gore in the vein of Peter Jackson's 'Brain Dead', you will love this one.

shuddhadev OK let me start by saying that this movie is 100 mins of pure non sense and has no relevance to anything. But having said that this movie has its own charm and is a definite watch for all Z movie addicts.If your expecting a pure WWZ apocalypse, then this one does complete justice to the title, since eventually an all out war breaks off between the NAZI zombies and the SOVIET zombies and there is chaos in a comical way haha. Even in the middle of all the brutality , there is a sense of comedy which will surely make the viewers burst out into unstoppable laughter.Coming back to the gore element...this is a pure slasher with limbs and heads flying off everywhere, intestines being devoured by the undead and faces being chewed off like chewing gum. There is a good amount of nostalgia as well associated in this movie (you will understand if your a WWII movie fan) , as it redirects to the horror of the Nazis during the WWII in a very comical way...(and I mean really comical). Imagine a German tank, together with hordes of blood thirsty zombies brutally slaughtering and crushing all the women and children and the police or the army does not care at all.The setting is beautiful as the movie has been filmed in Norway, and it does good amount of justice to the movie as a whole. The cast does a good job, even though it doesn't consist of much familiar faces, but the ZOMBIE SQUAD totally rules!!! Hence I would conclude by saying..that if your looking for a well sought out Z flick, then look no further, DEAD SNOW 2 is what definitely you should be watching.As for me, this movie totally sorted out my weekend.

quincytheodore 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.