HORROR DVD/BLU-RAY REVIEWS

An evil Nazi scientist creates an army of Nazi zombies during the end of WW2. A whole bunch of time passes, and we get to the present day, where NATO task force member Helena is on the hunt for a war criminal and they run into those wacky undead zombies. She teams up with a special forces unit to try to stop 'em.

I vaguely remember seeing the first Outpost film when it was released a few years ago. I don't remember a whole lot about it, but thought it was decent enough at the time. This sequel attempts to expand on that original story and brings it into the present day, which is just fine.

So, we've got an investigator and a researcher who are trying to figure out where this fourth reich (cute) technology came from, and they're on a hunt through Europe to get their answer. They hook up with an army battalion, and run into a bunch of the evil zombies as they try to figure out the big picture. If you want the jist of it, they're after Klausener, a war criminal who activated a Unified Field machine (whatever that is) that keeps the evil nazi soldiers invisible while they stay in a certain area..and the area is growing rapidly, which keeps the zombie horde growing.

If there's anything to really note about Outpost: Black Sun, it's that it remains fairly unremarkable. It's not particularly filled with war history, strategy or tactics. It isn't overly gory, and the acting is pretty okay. I guess the main criticism here is that there just isn't a lot of "oomph" to sink your teeth into. If I'm strapping in for a Nazi zombie movie, there had better be some nasty, over-the-top action. This isn't to say that you won't have a few cool moments (Nice to see Michael Byrne as an evil nazi zombie, and the evil leader Johnny Meres is fun), but I guess I just wanted the scenery chewed a bit more.

With that being said, this is a movie that gets a bang out of its limited buck as it looks really great. The production value is really quite excellent, and the claustrophobic atmosphere is used quite well to good effect. The zombies look pretty great, but if you're looking for a lot of nasty gore, you should look elsewhere. I noticed that the zombies seem to become less of a monstrous threat as the movie goes on as well, they seem to go from flesh-hungry to gun-toting and that's a bit of a head scratcher.

Ultimately, there just isn't enough zombie stuff, nor enough war stuff to make this movie feel like a complete thought. There's just not enough character to make the film really memorable or distinguishable. Plus, there are quite a few subplots to weigh things down. There are definitely some really cool moments in the film (I loved all the goofy stuff in Klausener's lab..that's what I'm talking about), but it just isn't enough to make an awesome movie.

Video comes in 2.40:1 widescreen and looks pretty great, although the film tends to be quite dark.

Audio is presented in a DTS 5.1 HD master track, and is also mixed quite well. Impressive stuff once the guns start going off.

Not a lot of meat here, but things start off with a brief Making Of that runs about 5 minutes long and interviews the cast and crew. At only 5 minutes, this is all fluff and no substance.

The only other thing is the trailer for this flick.

I'm a little torn on this one. It looks good and the cast and effects are decent for the most part, but there's just nothing standing out to make this awesome. It's easily watchable, but mostly forgettable. If you're a fan of the first, I'd certainly recommend it, and keep your eyes open for a third entry coming soon.