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Here's a look at the new releases I saw this week.

Army of the Dead (Netflix)
Starring: Dave Bautista, Ella Purnell, Omari Hardwick, Ana de la Reguera, Tig Notaro, and Garret Dillahunt
Synopsis: Zack Snyder is a polarizing filmmaker. He has delivered some popular and interesting films, but they don't always land. Some love his work. Some hate it. I have loved some of his films, including his cut of The Justice League released earlier this year. But some have failed to land. Army of the Dead, his latest film, falls into that latter category. It's set in Las Vegas, after a military experiment gone wrong wreaks havoc on the city, turning it into a zombified wasteland. As America prepares to wipe it from the map, a group of raiders enter the city to take one last shot at getting a fortune. Things don't go as planned. This film, which is a high-profile swing for Netflix, features all the hallmarks of Snyder, for the good and the bad. The opening is clever, and the opening credits song is well crafted. Snyder has a gift for telling a visual story over impactful music, and that happens with this one. But when you're past the introduction and it's time to dig into characters and a story, the film spirals a bit. It feels way too long, clocking in at two and a half hours. It's violent and a lot to take in as well. I had some high hopes for this one, but it falls flat.
Rating: R for strong bloody violence, gore and language throughout, some sexual content and brief nudity/graphic nudity.
Verdict: One star out of four

Shadow in the Cloud (Hulu)
Starring: Chloe Grace Moretz, Nick Robinson, and Taylor John Smith
Synopsis: Set in World War II, this one focuses on a young woman (Moretz) who boards a B-17 heading to the South Pacific on a secret mission with a secret package. While on board, a monster appears and things go off the rails. That description is accurate for the plot and the production and story of this film, which is ridiculous. The script comes from Max Landis and Roseanne Liang, who serves as the director. Moretz is a fine actress, and I'll give credit that this was a unique concept, but yikes. The story is weird and the plot turns are wholly unbelievable most of the time. This is a big miss for me.
Rating: R for language throughout, sexual references and violence.
Verdict: One star out of four

Wild Mountain Thyme (Hulu)
Starring: Jamie Dornan, Emily Blunt, and Christopher Walken
Synopsis: I love John Patrick Shanley as a writer. He's a gifted playwright and his adaptation of his play Doubt is one of my all-time favorite films. Here he adapts another of his plays, Outside Mullingar. This one is set in Ireland and is a quirky family drama and romance between two lifelong neighbors (Dornan and Blunt). And the set up at time works here. Dornan and Blunt are gifted actors who have some decent chemistry together. Walken does a nice job framing the story in an opening and closing narration, and is a fun addition to the cast. And Shanley is a good writer with some good dialogue. The film builds toward an epic climax and reveal and when that climax comes, well, it doesn't work. I was left scratching my head, and likely you will be too. I like the cast, crew and idea, but the final product isn't what you're expecting.
Rating: PG-13 for some thematic elements and suggestive comments.
Verdict: One star out of four