S.O.Z: Soldados o Zombies

First, this series is a mixture of El Chapo and 28 Days later. It's a non pretentious low budget one.

Second, don't expect anything remarkable.

I recommend this show only for genre fans that want a zombies series with Mexican flavour.

Last, I think it's quite enjoyable keeping the expectactions in the right place. Quite enjoyable.

As "S. O. Z: Soldiers Or Zombies" (2021 release from Mexico; 8 episodes of about 30 min. Each) opens with Episode 1 "The Outbreak", we are in "Hidalgo County, New Mexico, USA", and a Mexican migrant turns on the rest of the group to steal whatever cash they have. Alas, he is noticed by what he thinks is a border guard, but in reality turns out to be a zombie, and he is killed. We then go to "Two Days Earlier", where someone in a US military lab is experimenting on piglets to turn them into "fighting machines". Finally, we go to a maximum security prison in Mexico, where Alonso Marroquin, the "Da Vinci of crime", is about to be extradited to the US... At this point we are less than 10 min. Into Episode 1.

Couple of comments: I literally knew nothing about this series, and simply took a flier on it when I was surfing on Amazon Prime for something to watch. Turns out that this is a fast-paced horror-action series with a surprisingly entertaining take on the zombie genre. It takes the full initial 2 episodes to get into the zombie action scene, but when it finally gets, it's really on! There are several other parallel story lines (Marroquin's relationship with his 9 yr. Old son; a Mexican TV reporter who goes undercover to get an exclusive interview with Marroquin; the eventual involvement of the US military in all of this), but again, it's all happening so fast that there is not a moment to waste. Not sure why the episodes are presented as 30 min. Episodes (as opposed to, say, 60 min. Episodes), but either way, once you start watching, chances are that you will skip from one episode into another (as I have done through the initial 3 episodes so far).

"S. O. Z.: Soldiers or Zombies" premiered on Amazon Prime a few weeks ago, and I watched the first 3 episodes just yesterday, and I will catch the rest of the episodes later today and the next few days. If you like a good zombie horror-action series, I'd readily suggest you check this out, and draw your own conclusion.

This series is just fun, brainless (no pun intended) fun. This movie revolves around a scientist that wants to create the perfect soldier, but that does not go according to plan. The acting is not bad, but the effects are really great and let's not forget the amount of humor.

Want a daily 30 minutes of mindless entertainment? Then this series is the right one for you.

This was the working man's version of what had been done with Zack Snyder's, Army of the Dead 2021, whose debut predated S. O. Z. But whose production had actually wrapped up long after theirs did. One can only speculate as to why the Mexicans hadn't launched sooner. Within, there were some very familiar features echoed in Snyder's more polished rendition - enough to suggest that this movie with it's meager budget by comparison might have actually served as a template.

The only noteworthy difference is that 35% to 40% of this film is shot in Spanish (with subtitles of course). This was indeed a pleasing deviation from the norm. And because it was done so gracefully, non-Spanish speakers will hardly notice. Other than that, one might be inclined to think that it was a carbon-copy of the more familiar Army of the Dead until one recalls that it was put together well before. Zack and his crew spoofed a good deal of the look and feel off it too: 1-Zombies in military fatigues; 2-the arid desserts of Las Vegas (as opposed to the parched lands along the Mexican border); 3 The love affair between the alpha male and female of the undead legions.

It will seem a little stale and some of the acting is cheesy -if not a bit overblown-but hey! It's a zombie flick!

Zombies are pretty boring but I enjoyed this version.