Although it's drawn somewhat mediocre reviews thus far, Zack Snyder's action-packed zombie epic Army of the Dead has no shortage of ultra-violent death scenes. The opening credit sequence alone is rife with cartoonish hyper-violence that establishes the peril the main characters face as they attempt to steal $50 million from The Olympus casino in Las Vegas during a zombie apocalypse.
Of course, not all deaths are created equal. While some stand out for their visceral goriness and aesthetic creativity, others hold extra emotional weight when the main characters are killed during the course of the movie.
Lily's Impalement
Lily, aka The Coyote (Nora Arnezeder), makes such a valiant effort at the end of the film by stealing The Queen's (Athena Perample) head from Martin (Garret Dillahunt) and helping Scott (Dave Bautista) make a rooftop escape that her ultimate demise is as heartbreaking as it is breathtaking.
After stealing the head and making her way to the roof, Lilly is confronted by the Alpha zombie Zeus (Richard Centrone). After managing to safely board Scott and Kate (Ella Purnell) on the chopper, Zeus grabs a large metal rod and fires it like a spear directly into Lily's right breastplate. The rod impales Lily and pins her to the side of the building as she holds out The Queen's severed head.
Guzman's Double Headshot
While Guzman's ultimate grenade sacrifice is a worthy contender, the way he amassed viral fame as an intrepid zombie hunter stands out even more. Scott recruits him to the team after seeing a YouTube video in which he's seen gaining points like a video game for killing shamblers.
In the move that made him a viral sensation, Guzman shoots two zombies standing in a single file, with the bullet going plum through both of the zombies' desiccated heads. The double headshot is celebrated as a masterful piece of marksmanship, setting Guzman's character up as the team's ace sharpshooter.
Burt's Feast
When the smarmy and abusive security guard Burt Cummings (Theo Rossi) is first introduced, seasoned horror fans instinctively knew that he would die in glorious fashion. Little did they know he'd die twice.
Burt's initial death is a masterful example of tension and suspense. Upon being captured by The Queen, Burt is dragged into the Olympus casino and tossed in a filthy pit for shamblers to feast on. Out of the shadows comes Zeus for the first time, who slowly descends into the pit and accosts Burt. Later, when Burt has turned into a shambler, Kate gets revenge for the way he mistreated her by killing him again.
Jacuzzi Massacre
Although it has no emotional impact whatsoever, from a sheer visceral standpoint, the jacuzzi massacre during the opening credit sequence is quite a sight to behold. The attack is so gory and over-the-top violent that it induces more laughter than genuine terror.
About 30 seconds into the title sequence, a trio of zombified showgirls storm into a Penthouse suite and brutally slaughter a shocked patron by tackling him into a lavish jacuzzi. As soapy bubbles fly, geysers of gore erupt from the man's torso and paint the walls of the hotel as the topless zombies gouge into his body.
Scott's Mercy Killing
Due to the shocking emotional weight of losing the main character, Kate's mercy killing of her own father Scott has to be included. The moral bind Kate finds herself in as she weighs the pros and cons of killing Scott before he turns into a shambler is a gut-wrenching affair.
In the end, Scott implores Kate to do the right thing. While she pulls the trigger, it's Scott who actually sacrifices himself for the greater good of what's left of society. As the primary hero of the film, his death is both sad and prideful.
Chambers' Explosion
What makes Chambers' (Samantha Win) incendiary death scene so memorable is the tremendous heart she demonstrates while fighting off a swarm of shamblers before losing her life.
After Martin deliberately sends her in the wrong direction, Chambers comes face to face with a legion of undead ghouls inside a hotel corridor. Chambers blasts her way through a throng of shamblers in badass fashion until she's swarmed by a rabid horde. Unwilling to let his friend go out like that, Guzman fires a bullet into the gas can on Chambers' back and detonates the pile of bodies to smithereens.
Vanderohe's Circular Saw
Another standout death scene from the opening credit sequence is the gnarly way in which Vanderohe (Omari Hardwick) wields his oversized circular saw to shred a shambler's head to gory ribbons.
Our introduction to Vanderohe comes when he's shown gorily eviscerating a throng of shamblers in the heart of the quarantine zone. With a giant industrial circular saw, Vanderohe carves, slices, slashes, and gashes his way through a zombie attack. The saw is simply the best weapon in the entire film.
Maria's Neck Snap
Given the sudden shock and concomitant carnage, Maria Cruz's (Ana de la Reguera) abrupt elevator evisceration is a Top 3 death scene in the film. Moreover, Maria's demise comes moments after she bears her soul to Scott and expresses her pent-up emotions.
Viewers' sympathies for Maria are quickly met with shock-and-awe when an elevator in the casino opens up and a horde of alphas emerge. In one fell swoop, an alpha grabs Maria's head and twists her neck 180 degrees until she makes eye contact with a mortified Scott before a bullet of blood explodes toward the camera.
The Queen's Decapitation
When The Queen first notices Martin's presence inside the kingdom, he appeared to be in grave danger as she began to close in on him. However, in a stunning turn of events, Martin reveals his true motives in one of the most vicious death scenes in the film.
After shooting The Queen with a rope gun, Martin pulls out a wire and proceeds to engage in elaborate strangulation of the female zombie. He saws away at her neckline for a while until her head pops up and a fountain of goo wells up into the air.
Martin's Zombie Tiger Attack
Without a doubt, the most brutal death scene in Army of the Dead comes when Martin has his face chewed off by Valentine, the zombified tiger who roams the premises on behalf of Zeus and The Queen.
What makes the death so satisfying is how much the odious Martin deserves it. There's also a running gag in the film in which Martin is continually terrified of the zombie tiger, so there's something extra poetic about facing his biggest fear and losing his life in such a brutal fashion.