MovieChat Forums > Død snø (2009) Discussion > Don't believe the hype (SPOILERS)

Don't believe the hype (SPOILERS)

posted 14 years ago by silvursurfer
19 replies | jump to latest

As a big fan of zombie flicks, as well as "Dead Alive"-style slapstick violence, I had high hopes for this movie after reading the buzz when it was released in the U.S. It's very mediocre its genre, unfortunately. A bad movie, and not a good bad movie.

***SPOILERS BELOW***

It could have been a very good film with very little tweaking, and some (pun intended) BRAINS. Simply put, the scene with the travelling hiker was horribly wasted.
The whole point of the hiker is to explain the set-up (or origin of the menace) to the kids and the audience. Given the history of the Third Reich's obsession with human experimentation and the occult, it would have been interesting for the hiker to recount the legend of how the Nazis became zombies in the first place. Instead, we get zilch.
Secondly, what the hell is a lone hiker, who knows something is amiss in them thar hills, doing up there? If he came out of concern, he didn't do a good job of showing it.
Last and most important...If all the zombie Nazis wanted was their loot, what was keeping them from it (nevermind what they'd do with it...go to a butcher?) The hiker could have explained this with some simple exposition (cabin built on hallowed ground or something).
To sum up, too much dumb ruins even a movie that supposed to be sort of dumb.

[–] agent_85 14 years ago

Because then it would be a very boring film. Just stop thinking and enjoy the film. You can't apply logic to movies, don't you think it's a little unrealistic how batman has a completely bullet proof set of armor? I mean that's just stupid amirite?

They could have just called some help when their friend went missing/the first time they got attacked and lied and said something else was after them/happened. Why didn't they? Cause then there wouldn't be a movie, yet it's the most logical thing to do

[–] l-j-s14 13 years ago

Just stop thinking and enjoy the film.it wasn't enjoyable it was *beep* dull

[–] Nephilim-6 14 years ago

It wasn't totally bad but it wasn't very good either.

Did you ever notice that people who believe in creationism look really un-evolved? - Bill Hicks

[–] ubergossen 14 years ago

I disagree. Not completely disagree, sure the movie could have been smarter, but it didn't really need to be. Turn your brain off completely and enjoy the movie. I like smart movies as well but I watch them differently. I actually think about the movie when I watch them. Sometimes some idiotic entertainment is good.

[–] omisan771 14 years ago

My biggest problem with the movie is how it keeps shifting genres.

Sometimes it's a typical American style horror movie with dumb young people getting killed one by one and who think that splitting up is a good idea.

Then it suddenly becomes a wacky Shaun of the Dead/Braindead/Planet Terror movie where regular guys who were acting like pussies earlier are suddenly capable of fighting dozens of fast zombies with garden tools while their friend comes speeding with a MG42 attached to his snowmobile. WTF.

The zombies were also inconsistent, sometimes they act like regular dumb and slow zombies, and sometimes they seem to be able to move as fast as the Flash.

[–] McNools 14 years ago

That's what I liked about it. Have you ever watched the Evil Dead-trilogy? It felt alot like a homage to it (and was full of references to it aswell), going from horror to comedy. I found it hilarious all the way through.

[–] fred-889 13 years ago

A point about the men fighting zombies, if you remember the first scene in the car, they did talk about doing National Service. They were all soldiers before becoming students, at least the long haired one was, who found the MG42 in the cave. So they weren't pussies.

[–] UberNoodle 14 years ago

Why do poeple, when they don't enjoy a film, try to stop others from seeing it? Worse yet, why do they act like they are 'saving' us from something? Geez!

[–] 14 years ago

[deleted]

[–] peytonplace1 14 years ago

Consider that done, Jahoosafat.

[–] insanebasura 14 years ago

There's all kinds of gaps in logic going on. Eventually it does grate on you and degrade your opinion of the movie. The biggest problem I had with it is that it didn't feel like the tone was particularly consistent. Or the characters. Or anything really. When nothing makes sense you kind of stop caring. Wish it would've been fully silly and over the top. The battlefield scene was fantastic.

Also there were several scenes ripe for a "Sally fachklahc...sally forth!" moment. Such a waste. Curse whoever chose to not exploit the opportunity.

[–] Simplythebest79424 9 years ago

When nothing makes sense you kind of stop caring. Wish it would've been fully silly and over the top. The battlefield scene was fantastic.

I agree. If a movie doesn't make sense,then I lose interest in a movie too because it's hard to understand; thereby, defeating the purpose of the movie. I prefer movies that are linear because they make sense. This movie was easy to understand. I think the sequel was far better.

[–] Shimobe 14 years ago

It took me a bit of thinking to figure out some of those plot "holes." This is what I came up with. The woman who dies first was clearly AT the cabin before the others show up. Her pack was there. She obviously found the box and took or messed with the gold. Whatever she did pissed off the zombies and woke up the Oberst, who summoned more zombies to go after her. The dream that her boyfriend has shows her leaving the trapdoor and going outside, so I suspect that's what that was all about. The old hiker was killed just because the zombies found him and they're evil, and they hadn't calmed down yet. Or maybe it's because he was just in the same room with the gold. I dunno. What it seems like is that the zombies were drawn to the people, not to the cursed gold itself. Once, a zombie picks up a coin fallen on the ground, but I suspect it was being drawn primarily to the people in the area.

I kinda like that it's not over-explained. It lets me come up with my own reasons.

[insert cleverness here]

[–] thebaptismofhypocryts 14 years ago

your just looking for reasons to hate on this movie.
dead alive was a good movie. ill give you that but other then that you seem to have poor taste, and to sum it up, well your dumb

[–] Megaton_A 13 years ago

His dumb what?

[–] A_Dance_with_Charles 13 years ago

Simply put, the scene with the travelling hiker was horribly wasted.
The whole point of the hiker is to explain the set-up (or origin of the menace) to the kids and the audience. Given the history of the Third Reich's obsession with human experimentation and the occult, it would have been interesting for the hiker to recount the legend of how the Nazis became zombies in the first place. Instead, we get zilch.
Secondly, what the hell is a lone hiker, who knows something is amiss in them thar hills, doing up there? If he came out of concern, he didn't do a good job of showing it.

Maybe the hiker didn't know how they became zombies? Maybe he didn't even know there were zombies? He obviously didn't seem to know what was going on before he got attacked.

You said yourself: the point of the hiker is to give the backstory behind the zombies and set up the overall conflict. That's it. This movie is extremely tongue-in-cheek and arguably self-aware. There were plenty of zombie/horror movie cliches that were exploited, and the "old man showing up for no reason just to set up the plot" was one of them. It's like that episode of South Park where Butters fakes his death, and that crazy old man showed up at the Stotch's house immediately saying "DON'T GO THE CEMETERY!!!!" The guy served his purpose and was promptly torn to shreds. What more did you want?

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Look at me I have an intelligent quote about life and society from an overrated movie.