★★★★
Jovan Adepo is the star of this film, proving that no matter the horror, the fear or the heartache that comes with war, you can still stay human.
By Katerina Flynn: @KaterinaFlynn1 | Image: © Paramount Pictures
Director: Julius Avery
Run Time: 1 hour 50 minutes
Cast: Jovan Adepo, Wyatt Russell, Mathilde Ollivier
Having never been a fan of war films, I had to ensure I kept an open mind. I found myself being pleasantly surprised by Overlord. From beginning to end this film entertained me, the humor within the first ten minutes of the film made the characters seem more relatable, more human. Gallows humor is something that British people have always been adept at, which really shows within the film.
Jovan Adepo’s character Boyce, is by far the most heroic, sane character of the film: disobeying orders to save a single life, refusing to allow innocents to be hurt for the sake of the mission, spurning war’s tendency to turn men into monsters.
The fact that this film featured more practical effects rather than the standard CGI effects is one of the many things that make this film interesting to watch. This was done to create a more authentic reaction from the cast during scenes where something gruesome would happen. It is very apparent throughout the film, the expressions of shock and horror on the actors faces, could not have been as genuine were the effects just generic CGI.
“There are no metaphorical monsters in this film”
Pilou Asbaek is another notable actor within the film, his ability to play the sickeningly twisted character Wafner so convincingly is proof of his tremendous ability as an actor. There are few who could portray such a character so accurately. There were definitely no metaphorical monsters on this film.
Aside from the skill and dedication of the actors, what makes this film so great is how Julius Avery has taken the already horrific events of WWII and incorporated the concept of super soldiers and what could have happened if this had been real during the war.
This is done with great attention paid to the detail and complexity of this particular story line, there are so few other films who have tried to portray this and have failed miserably.
Neon Nottingham 