The prequel to Zack Snyder’s Army of the Dead which came out earlier this year, Army of Thieves follows Sebastian (Matthias Schweighöfer), or more commonly known as Ludwig Dieter, your average every day banker who just happens to have a knack for cracking safes. Bored of the regular nine to five life, Dieter hopes for something more. Then one day, he is approached by infamous jewellery theif Gwendoline (Nathalie Emmanuel) to join in on a top secret heist during the beginning of the zombie apocalypse.

I was one of the few people who actually really liked Army of the Dead. When I heard the universe was being expanded, I couldn’t wait, especially when the next instalment would be about my favorite character Dieter. I instantly fell for his charm and nerdy ways and so to have the opportunity to learn more about him was awesome. He was the perfect protagonist to lead this film. It was also impressive to discover that in addition to starring in the movie, he also produced and directed it.

The other characters were a lot of fun to get to know too. They each brought something to the table and I wouldn’t be surprised if they popped up somewhere down the line as there is still so much we don’t know about them. Super hacker Korina (Ruby O. Fee) was sassy and oozed girl power, meathead Brad (Stuart Martin) while wonderful to look at was kind of a dud and sandwich loving getaway driver Rolph (Guz Khan) was severely underused.

Being transported inside the safes was really cool. In fact, the way in which the film as a whole was filmed felt like it belonged in a comic book. The character introductions, location names, music choices and fight sequences sucked me in and made me feel like I was in another dimension.

While the film was full of entertainment, the storyline itself was more on the predictable side. It was easy to tell what was going to happen next and there weren’t many surprises along the way. I also felt that what was going on outside of the heist didn’t do much to advance the plot. I guess I expected a lot more action considering the original movie, but I was wrong.

Still, for an origin story, Army of Thieves was an enjoyable caper that left me pretty satisfied. The various Easter eggs bridging the two movies together was done well and I cannot wait to see what happens next in this franchise.

Rating: ♥♥♥.5