Army of Thieves is a very different beast to Army of the Dead — and here's why. Released in May 2021, Zack Snyder's Army of the Dead brought to Netflix a zombie heist spectacle set in Las Vegas. Army of the Dead has since become one of the platform's biggest original movies and has opened the door for several confirmed sequels and spinoffs in various genres and formats. Before the release of the anime prequel Army of the Dead: Lost Vegas and the direct sequel to the original movie, Planet of the Dead, Army of Thieves follows Sebastian Schlencht-Wohnert aka Ludwig Deiter, the master safecracker who opens the Götterdämmerung vault and barely saves Vanderohe from Zeus and his kin.
But despite taking place in the same universe and sharing one protagonist, Army of Thieves and Army of the Dead look and feel quite different from each other. Aside from Dieter, the cast of Army of Thieves is entirely new, with the beginning of the zombie apocalypse used only as loose context for the instability of the world. The spinoff's tone is also much lighter, the European locations are a far cry from the bleakness of a post-apocalyptic Las Vegas, and elements of romance are woven throughout the plot. There may be little connecting Army of Thieves to Army of the Dead, but there is a good reason the prequel feels so distinct from its predecessor.
Army of Thieves: The Backstory For Each Safe Explained
Firstly, there's a different director on board. Zack Snyder's style has continued to be unmistakable across very different movies. From 300 to Watchmen to Army of the Dead, Snyder's signature use of gritty yet over-the-top cinematography, slow-mo, and camera movements have attracted scores of fans and critics. For Army of the Dead, Snyder's dual role as director and cinematographer has only emphasized this polarizing visual style. Snyder used special lenses with shallow depth of field, which means that very few things could be in focus, giving Army of the Dead a 'dreamlike" quality that Army of Thieves doesn't have. Matthias Schweighöfer, who also plays Ludwig Deiter in both movies, sits behind the camera for Army of Thieves, and this naturally brings a different visual style to proceedings. Obviously, Snyder's influence still shines through (he remains a producer on the spinoff), but there's a metallic, muted palette in Army of Thieves that is absent from Snyder's work.
The "Army Of" Franchise Is Deliberately Keeping The Tones Of Its Movies Different
In terms of the tonal change, it's important to realize Army of Thieves is telling a completely different story, in which zombies are merely a peripheral element. Army of the Dead blended zombie horror with classic heist capers. Army of Thieves retains the heist theme but swerves the undead to focus mainly on the heists. In the absence of horror, the prequel dials up the comedy (as would be expected with Deiter as the sole focus) and introduces a dash of romance between Dieter and Gwendoline — something missing entirely from Army of the Dead, unless Zeus and his Queen were to be theoretically counted. This is an unavoidable consequence of the zombie outbreak happening in Vegas and staying in Vegas. Were the infection worldwide (as in The Walking Dead, for example), Army of Thieves would feel much more in sync with Army of the Dead, but since the incident is isolated to one place and time, stories set elsewhere must compensate by delving into other genres.
Ludwig Dieter himself is the comedic relief in the film, which has a tone more similar to Ocean's Eleven than Army of the Dead. This makes sense, considering the latter's focus on zombies and the life or death situation the characters were in during their own heist. However, Army of Thieves also includes foreboding nightmare sequences, which are suggested to be part of Dieter's possible Army of the Dead time loop and tease a closer connection with the events of Army of the Dead. Depending on how future sequels and spinoffs choose to solve this mysterious time loop, Army of Thieves could eventually feel more like a crucial part of the zombie apocalypse despite its independent story and unique tone.
Army of the Dead successfully made the most of its limited Las Vegas setting, but with Army of Thieves based around the escapades of the team's German safe-opener, there's a natural inclination to go globe-trotting in the spinoff. This is something Schweighöfer has taken full advantage of, with Army of Thieves making good use of the heist genre's trope of visiting multiple locales, including Paris and Poland. There's no denying that Army of the Dead and Army of Thieves are worlds apart, but branching out into other tones, genres and styles could be an effective way to keep the Army of the Dead franchise fresh. So far, we've got the zombie heist main movie, a crime adventure spinoff, and an upcoming anime (Lost Vegas), ensuring fans aren't lacking for variety when taking a bite into Snyder's new movie universe.
The Army Of The Dead Sequel Will Change The Visuals Even More
Army of the Dead will be receiving a sequel film, titled Planet of the Dead — and based on the next movie's promised content, it will also look entirely different from the original. Plans for the upcoming feature film and latest installment to the franchise were revealed to the public back in 2021 by Zack Snyder himself. Reportedly, he created the story alongside Shay Hatten. The plot will follow up after the events of Army of the Dead. Omari Hardwick's Vanderohe will be the new alpha zombie, and the consequences of the outbreak in Mexico will be explored. Snyder also made some bonkers promises about the new movie, claiming that it will include everything from robot zombies to breeding undead to time loops. With all of these new elements, Planet of the Dead is bound to take on a different look than Army of the Dead or Army of Thieves. The great thing about Army of Thieves is that even though it looks so different than Army of the Dead, it still doesn't feel like it's from another franchise. Planet of the Dead will most likely follow suit in its look and feel, which overall keeps the movie series feeling fresh.