I reviewed this film for Magills Cinema Annual last year and remarked that it seemed a little been there done that for ll of us who've been waiting for the first really, truly great Nazi Zombie flick. There are only a few of them and the best, Shock Wave (1977) still falls short of being more than an atmospheric exploiter. Dead Snow gives a group of young people ding all the dumb things young people do when they go out alone in groups in horror movies and relies too much on its kills to feel like anything except a standard if energetic and often well written horror film. Understand I'm giving the film a B+ here. This is head and shoulders above the shuffling undead competition in it's ability to elicit groans and ewwws but it only plays with the specter of the nazi zombie which has always begged to be exploited in a deeper way. A battlefield charge that has the students mowing the undead down in a snowy field set to the strains of Bethovens Ode To Joy comes close but really only underscores the irony. Dead Snows idea of cinematic joy is pretty limited. That said I've seen the film several times, loan it out constantly and will cling to it the way the Nazi zombies cling to their now useless treasure- it's that fun.
Tons of featurettes and an outtakes reel make up for the lack of a director commentary but Wirkola won't be forgiven if he continues to deny us that pleasure. This guy is clearer too in love with genre not to dish on it in a solid commentary track
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