“Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.” That’s right, Dorothy, this is Army of the Dead, which takes place in Las Vegas, a town hard to recognize because of massive zombie attacks. Yes, there are iconic images still standing, but don’t venture into the quarantined area where a new brand of zombies who can think and feel and eat are too dangerous to normal human beings.

Despite this perilous situation, a group of mercenaries risk their lives by agreeing “to pull off the greatest heist ever attempted.” It’s a motley crew with each member signing on because of the large amount of money they will get if they succeed in carrying out this mission. Each one harbors a personal reason for joining Scott (Dave Bautista/Avengers: Endgame), who was recruited by a casino VIP (Hiroyuki Sanada/Mortal Kombat) with knowledge about millions of dollars in a certain vault. But to Scott’s dismay, his estranged daughter Kate (Ella Purnell/Wildlike) insists on going along to find her friend, which complicates his plans considerably.                      

Zombies, zombies everywhere!

Watch them carefully if you dare.

Alphas and Shamblers new to screen

are zombies like you’ve never seen.

Audacious filming is non-stop.

Scenes of horror cause eyes to pop.

Heist in Las Vegas, town war-torn.

Amid all this a star is born.

Zombie Tiger, not zombie horse,

catches attention by visual force.

Army of the Dead violence

proceeds without a lot of sense.

But zombie fans will clap and cheer.

      Some might crown it film of the year.      

Director, co-writer, cinematographer Zack Snyder (Dawn of the Dead, Watchmen, 300) made sure all the zombies look horribly terrific in this Netflix offering. Costumes, hair, make-up and body motions deserve high praise. And there’s something intriguing going on in many scenes, but much of the film seems repetitive. However, I desperately wanted to see more of the incredible Zombie Tiger. His brutal destruction of one of the suspicious mercenaries (Garret Dillahunt/Widows) is a CGI wonder.

My favorite characters in Army of the Dead are Kate and Scott. Their scenes together project the right emotional push and pull of a father/daughter estranged relationship.         

As for the rest of the characters, I think there are too many of them. And the film runs way too long at 2 ½ hours. Also, the ending disappointed me.

SPOILER WARNING

There was a perfect place to stop this film, but it goes on anyway -- maybe because it’s intended as a set-up for a sequel starring one of the mercenaries played with gusto by Omari Hardwick (Sorry To Bother You).

Still, those zombies are so watchable!

(Released by Neftlix and rated “R” for strong gore and language throughout, some sexual content and brief nudity/graphic nudity.)