Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead | 2014
"Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead" is an action-comedy horror film directed by Tommy Wirkola, released in 2014. It is a sequel to Wirkola's 2009 film "Dead Snow," premiering in Norway on February 12 and in the United States on October 10. Vegar Hoel reprises his role as Martin, the sole survivor of a Nazi zombie attack. The film was shot in Iceland.
In the previous story, Martin and his friends unwittingly take gold that attracts the wrath of Nazi zombies. After being bitten on the arm, Martin amputates the infected limb with a chainsaw and returns the gold to the zombies, only to realize he has forgotten one coin. The zombies pursue him, and their commander, Herzog, clings to Martin's car. An oncoming truck severs Herzog's arm, which remains attached to Martin's vehicle.
Martin passes out while driving, crashes, and wakes up in a hospital. The police do not believe his outrageous story about zombies and charge him with the murder of his friends. During surgery, Martin discovers Herzog's arm has been attached to his own, horrified. The zombie arm goes on a rampage, attacking those around him. Martin inadvertently kills several people and ends up sedated and tied to his bed. Meanwhile, Herzog replaces his lost arm and begins resurrecting freshly dead locals to recruit a larger zombie army.
An American tourist named Bobby hears rumors of the zombie attacks and sneaks into Martin's room. Impressed by Martin's zombie arm, Bobby rescues him and talks about the Zombie Squad, zombie hunters. Before Bobby can contact them, the zombie arm throws him out the window. Martin attempts CPR, but the zombie arm accidentally crushes Bobby's chest, killing him. Martin escapes from the police and contacts the Zombie Squad, consisting of three quirky friends: Daniel, Monica, and Blake. They promise to come to Norway to help but instruct Martin to find out what Herzog wants.
At a war museum, Martin meets souvenir shop clerk Glenn Kenneth. When the zombie arm threatens him, Glenn takes Martin to the museum to read about Herzog's history. Herzog was originally sent to eliminate Talvik on Hitler's orders. Martin realizes Herzog intends to carry out his orders and witnesses Herzog and his Nazi zombies attacking tourists. After arming themselves with old weapons from the museum, Martin and Glenn hide among the mannequins to avoid death. Martin accidentally discovers that his zombie arm can raise and control the dead. When Daniel arrives, he kills the zombie Martin resurrected. Martin demonstrates his new ability by raising the zombie again.
Martin, Daniel, and the zombie sidekick set out to find the burial site of Russian POWs executed by Herzog during the war. Monica, Blake, and Glenn work together to stop Herzog. Monica and Blake use Glenn as bait to lure zombies into a local swamp, where they destroy them with pipe bombs they created. Herzog believes they are dead and continues his advance. Meanwhile, Martin and his friends find the burial site, and Martin raises a loyal Russian zombie army. Everyone gathers in town, and Martin confronts Herzog. Martin points out that the townspeople have evacuated, but Herzog attacks regardless.
The battle initially goes well, but the Nazi zombies overwhelm Martin's Russian zombies. When Herzog kills the Russian commander Stavarin, Monica tells Martin to kill Herzog. Daniel tries to control a Nazi zombie tank while the rest of the friends fight Herzog's remaining zombies. Glenn is decapitated by a Nazi zombie's sword, and Monica and Blake are on the verge of being overwhelmed. Daniel fires the tank's cannon at Herzog, and Martin fights to distract him. Herzog is decapitated, and his army collapses.
After they celebrate, the police witness the zombie battle, and Martin is exonerated of murder charges. Martin goes to the grave of Hanna (his girlfriend who died in the first film) and digs up her corpse to resurrect her as a zombie. The two kiss and have sex while the sidekick zombie watches from a distance.
In a post-credits scene, a Nazi doctor is seen reattaching Herzog's severed head, and his eyes open.
"Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead" premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 19, 2014, and was released in Norway on February 12. The film screened at the Stanley Film Festival on April 25, 2014, and was released online on October 7, followed by a limited theatrical release in the U.S. on October 10. It was later released on home video in the U.S. by Well Go USA on December 9, and on DVD and Blu-ray in the UK through Entertainment One on January 12, 2015.
According to Rotten Tomatoes, 81% of 32 critics gave the film a positive review, with an average rating of 6.6/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead boasts an expanded scale without losing the original's fun, making it a worthy sequel for fans of the first film." On Metacritic, it has a score of 59/100 based on 10 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews."
Variety's Dennis Harvey criticized the film's Troma-style tone, describing the addition of American characters as targeting international audiences. The Hollywood Reporter's Boyd van Hoeij called it "a somewhat lowbrow but enjoyable film that combines cartoonish violence, action, gore, and humor." The New York Times' Jeannette Catsoulis noted that while the film's harsh treatment of physically uncomfortable characters may be off-putting, it offers sharp cinematography, excessively grotesque special effects, and frequently witty dialogue. Los Angeles Times' Robert Abele described "Dead Snow 2" as "the most wildly distinctive among bad-taste splatter comedies, focusing more on enjoying the absurdity of the genre than on gore." Entertainment Weekly's Clark Collis gave it a B grade, calling it "a wildly enjoyable film."
Bloody Disgusting's Ryan Daley rated the film 4 out of 5, stating it is "a prime example of a talented director using extreme violence as a cathartic safety valve." Dread Central's Brad McHargue also rated it 4 out of 5, writing that "Dead Snow 2 is a film that is not serious at all, well-made because it revels in its absurdity."
