‘Masterpiece’ alternative history WW2 film just added to Netflix | Films | Entertainment

A “masterpiece” alternative history action horror film set during World War 2 is streaming now in the UK. Overlord (2018) tells the fictional story of American soldiers in a plane that is shot down during a mission on the eve of D-Day.

They land in a Nazi-occupied French village which is being used by the regime for “grisly supernatural experiments”, the teaser blurb explains. The film is one of many revisionist movies about the conflict, blending zombie horror and traditional war film tropes, and was hit with an 18 certificate due to some brutal sequences. The film stars Jovan Adepo, Wyatt Russell, Mathilde Ollivier, John Magaro, Gianny Taufer, Pilou Asbæk, Bokeem Woodbine and Iain De Caestecker.

It was directed by Julius Avery from a screenplay by Billy Ray and Mark L. Smith, a co-produced by J.J. Abrams.

Fans have taken to Rotten Tomatoes to heap praise on the film, with one writing: “Overlord has it all! Action, fighting, gore and zombies.”

Another said: “Great war scenes on par with any WW2 movie, but the zombie plot was the icing on top. Just plain great action with great acting.”

A third added: “Action packed horror/sci-fi. Highly entertaining if you’re into this genre. Some gross scenes and comedy thrown makes this film worth a watch.”

A fourth chimed in, calling it “Band of Brothers meets John Carpenter’s The Thing”. “This film is riveting from start to finish, walking the tightrope between action and horror.

“The character development is a little cliche, but it works well enough; and the cast also did a fantastic job acting their roles.”

The film has a 68% Popcornmeter score based on audience reviews, but has a stronger rating based on the responses of critics approved by the site (82%, based on 225 reviews).

One fan writing on IMDb after seeing the 4DX version in a theatre said: “If you can appreciate B movie that full of blood and somehow funny gore scenes, this is one masterpiece you would love.

“The beginning scene is probably the most immersive experience I’ve ever had, better that Pan Pacific,” they added.

The film contains strong bloody violence, and gory images – so viewer discretion is advised.

Overlord was added to Netflix in the UK on Friday, July 24.