WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Army of the Dead, now in theaters and streaming on Netflix.
Zack Snyder's Army of the Dead is deceptive in portraying the film as nothing more than a shoot em' up zombie action film, but the movie actually features moments that allude to a fast, greater universe ready to unfold after the credits roll. One example of this is seen in the film's closing scene, which tastefully borrows a page from another classic zombie film, 28 Weeks Later.
28 Weeks Later follows a brother and sister who, with the help of a US Army Sergeant, brave hordes of infected to escape the UK. However, just as they are about to leave the country, the younger brother is bitten by a zombie. Since their genetic makeup renders them symptom-free, the helicopter pilot takes them away and is unaware of the boy's wound, so they make their way to Paris.
The film cuts to black with a title reading "28 days later," followed by a scene of the crashed helicopter that carried the siblings. The implication is the infection may have taken over the brother while in flight, leading to a crash in France. The following shot is of a group of infected individuals running into the streets toward the Eiffel Tower. For most of the film, the infection was contained in the UK, but by reaching Paris, it can be assumed that the infection will become a worldwide pandemic.
In Army of the Dead's climax, the team sent into the quarantined Las Vegas to retrieve $200 million is cornered by hordes of the undead. One of the teammates, Vanderohe, tries to save the money and buy everyone time to escape by taking on the superhuman zombie leader, Zeus. Standing no chance against him, another teammate, the safecracker Dieter, sacrifices himself and locks Vanderohe in the safe.
The film concludes with Las Vegas being destroyed by a nuke, but Vanderohe survives with the money and travels cross country, renting a private jet. Feeling dizzy, he walks into the restroom and discovers he was bitten and will presumably change into the new undead leader. Much like 28 Weeks Later, the film closes with a grim allusion to the fate that will befall the country.
The similarities between the endings of the two films are impossible to ignore. 28 Weeks Later shows how the smallest instances led to the fall of society in two countries. Army of the Dead alludes to how the country's desire for power and money will lead to its downfall through the lens of Vanderohe. Opting to take more money rather than escape is ultimately what leads to his bite, but if 28 Weeks Later is proof of anything, Vanderohe's bite will most likely be the beginning of the end for the USA and perhaps the world.
Directed and co-written by Zack Snyder, Army of the Dead stars Dave Bautista, Garret Dillahunt, Ella Purnell, Omari Hardwick, Raul Castillo, Tig Notaro, Theo Rossi and Ana de la Reguera. The film is now in theaters and is streaming on Netflix.
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