Shaun and Martin vs. the Dead

'Shaun of the Dead (2004)' is one of those movies that you don't dare criticize or contrast pleasantly without risk of incurring the wrath of its avid 'cult-base'. Despite being a lampoon of various zombie adventures, and especially George A. Romero's zombie adventures, it adeptly straddles the fence of appreciation and satire with such grace that zombie fans treasure it. Even George A. Romero approved of it. Where do you go after that to find your un-dead fix mixed with spot-on mocking? The obvious answer is to suggest the other 2 films in Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright's so-called Cornetto Trilogy ('Hot Fuzz' and 'The World's End"), but both of those parody other genres. If you are sticking to strictly reanimated corpses, then I would like you to consider the merits of 2014's 'Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead'.

I know you might have issues with jumping into a movie series starting with the 2nd chapter. Normally, I would decry the notion of skipping the first film on grounds of continuation and order, however the brief recap at the beginning of the sequel pretty much gives you all you need to know. DS 2 picks up where DS1 left off with Martin having barely survived his weekend with friends at a remote Norwegian cabin, due to being attacked by Nazi Zombies. All his friends are dead, Martin lost a limb, and the Nazi Zombies have all their gold back...because un-dead German soldiers are highly motivated by stolen treasure? See, the plot is superfluous.

As I mentioned, Martin lost his arm. He amputated it himself, using a chainsaw, after being bitten by an Axis ghoul. When he wakes up in the hospital, an arm has been attached to him, but it happens to be the arm of Standartenführer Herzog, commander of the Nazi vermin. Malpractice! Getting the wrong parts surgically sewed on would be horrible on its own, but this horrific appendage belonged to the commander and it retains its owner's lust for blood. Naturally, Herzog wants his limb back, and while he's at it, he would also like the last piece of zombie treasure returned, which Martin was just unlucky enough to also have on his person. The mismatched arm goes on a rogue killing spree and Martin is forced to find help in the form of a trio of nerds from America.

But wait, there's more. When Martin and the zombie squad are hopelessly in over their heads (and other body parts), they raise an army of previously lifeless Russians. It just gets weird from there.

Martin is as seemingly unremarkable as electronics store worker, Shaun. He is your typical 20-something, directionless nobody who must rise up to a cause greater than himself. Martin doesn't have quite the stakes Shaun does since his girlfriend and other amigos got dead and stayed dead in the first tale. He has to settle for being motivated by his own need to survive and saving the greater Scandinavian area from a fate worse than...other fates.

Like 'Shaun of the Dead' director Edgar Wright, director Tommy Wirkola has an eye for gore-laden site gags and hilariously bonkers scenarios. One of the best things about the former is that it doesn't skimp on the horror elements just because they are played for laughs. If you love that, you shall not be disappointed by this hybrid military/afterlife epic dramedy. There are not as many memorable lines of dialogue as the former, but it is available in both English and Norwegian so there's that. It is the perfect way to follow up your love for all things Shaun and dead, and it is inclusive for our Norwegian film buddies as well.