Overlord early reactions give the film high praise

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The JJ Abrams-produced Overlord (opens in new tab) made a splash with its debut trailer, giving us the tease of a film that was equal parts Call of Duty Zombies and Band of Brothers. But how does the final product hold up? According to those who saw the movie at Fantastic Fest over the weekend, pretty dang well.

While official reviews won’t hit until closer to Overlord’s wide release on November 9, we can still get an idea of the movie’s tone and quality from those lucky enough to get sneak peek. Freelance writer Scott Weinberg kicks things off by reiterating what many of us thought: despite not actually being based on a video game, Overlord kind of gives off that vibe:

Overlord is one of the best video game movies I’ve ever seen. Oh it’s not based on Castle Wolfenstein? Really? #fantasticFestSeptember 23, 2018

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Matt Donato, another freelance critic, references a few genre classics (and cult favorites) like The Thing and Re-Animator as heaps on the praise, calling it “massive, MASSIVE fun”.

OVERLORD is everything I wanted from a WWII Nazi zombie movie. Shades of THE THING, RE-ANIMATOR, and hardcore horror influence amidst grunts-and-grit military warfare. Explosive action, gruesome sci-fi experimentation. Massive, MASSIVE fun. #FantasticFestSeptember 23, 2018

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Heather Wixson, managing editor for horror news site Daily Dead, was one of the few to put any kind of caveat on her acclaim, saying the movie might not be to everyone’s taste (which, yeah, seems fair) – even so, it seems like she enjoyed it a great deal.

OVERLORD isn’t for everyone but holy hell is it precisely 100 percent my jam. RESIDENT EVIL meets WOLFENSTEIN & I loved every ridiculously gory second of it. #FantasticFestSeptember 23, 2018

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Eric Vespe from Rooster Teeth was simultaneously amused and in awe that such an “unapologetically exploitation-y” movie was getting a wide release.

It’s amazing that something as gory and unapologetically exploitation-y as Overlord is being released wide. Filmed as an A-picture, taken seriously by all involved which makes the insanity that follows grounded enough to not be silly. Very happy with this one.September 23, 2018

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It wasn’t just critics who got to check out the film early, though – Rob Liefeld, creator of Deadpool, was also at this particular screening, and he couldn’t get the movie off his mind:

Still got OVERLORD on the brain. Great direction, fresh cast, slick FX. Perfect sci-fi war movie horror mash up! Wyatt Russell gives his best performance to date, channels his Dad’s appeal and swagger. Top film from Bad Robot!September 23, 2018

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Last but not least, C.Robert Cargill, co-writer of Doctor Strange (opens in new tab), encourages everyone to see the movie “big and loud” when it comes to a theater near you.

There are a surprising number of nazi zombie movies. OVERLORD is by far the best and most fun. Part WWII man on a mission movie, part Frankenstein zombie movie, all fun. See this one big and loud when you get the chance. pic.twitter.com/CpG5LP3hcCSeptember 23, 2018

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On the one hand, man I’m glad to hear the movie that looked like tons of fun is going to be tons of fun. On the other hand, why isn’t this coming out in time for Halloween?!

Overlord isn’t the only scary film coming out this year. If you’re the jump scares and gore-loving type, check out our list of upcoming horror movies (opens in new tab) and get excited. Or if you need a break from the blood and guts, we’ve also got a list of the most anticipated upcoming movies (opens in new tab) of 2018 and beyond.