There’s nothing new under the sun, but Netflix sure makes it feel like it. The industry disruptor released the apocalyptic, zombie pic Army of the Dead on May 21, and now there’s a live virtual reality experience of the film making its rounds.
Zack Snyder, who directed and wrote the pic’s screenplay, alongside Shay Hatten, and Joby Harold, delved headfirst into the popular action-horror genre, with actors Dave Bautista, Ella Purnell, Ana de la Reguera, Omari Hardwick, Theo Rossi, and Hiroyuki Sanada filling out the cast. With just a 32-hour window before the government nukes a zombie-infested Las Vegas, Scott Ward (Bautista) and his team of zombie killing cohorts must go into Sin City to retrieve $200 million per the order of casino hotshot Bly Tanaka (Sanada). Sounds like a good time, right? Well, imagine having the chance to experience the movie in virtual reality form.
Buying The Ticket
The MouthSoap had a chance to visit Netflix’s Army of the Dead Viva Las Vengeance VR Experience at the Westfield Century City mall. Co-sponsored by Pure Imagination Studios, Fever, and The Stone Quarry, ticket prices start at $24 per person for a half-hour of entertainment. There were several time slots to choose from beginning around noon on the weekday — we went on a Thursday. We chose to attend the 7 pm time slot, which was right before dusk and definitely aided the nervous anticipation we were already feeling.
Entering the Experience
The attraction was set up on the rooftop of the shopping center located just off of Santa Monica Blvd, near Beverly Hills. After parking on the first floor, we took the elevators up to the fifth floor and the doors opened to a set up similar to those laser tag or escape room entry lobbies. The friendly representatives led us to another section where we checked in on unmovable iPads using the QR code we received after we purchased our tickets. Meanwhile, we were surrounded by displays of artillery and combat gear lined on the walls. Just beyond the area was a dark hall lined by those swaying, flickering lights that are often seen in horror films. The deco was a pretty exhilarating aesthetic that definitely ignited excitement as we waited for our turn.
Wait, we did. In fact, we waited for about 15 minutes before we started the experience. Apparently, only one group could be taken in at a time, possibly because the reps were busy sanitizing the area that was just vacated by the previous group. When it was finally our turn, we went into a small room with a television screen and some high-tech VR handsets on a table. An intro video was played featuring actors from the Netflix film, followed by instructions from a rep. From there, we walked into a pretty basic room with a truck and lockers for personal property. From the looks of things, it didn’t look like much. But, boy did we not know what we were in for.
Playing the Game
Each person was put into their own space — some standing, others sitting — and given access to adjustable VR headsets and handheld gamer guns. Once we put on those headsets, it was over! We were in gamer heaven as we were immersed in an entirely different world. The zombies started coming out of the woodworks on every side. We totally forgot that this was just a game and proceeded to scream, yell, and hold the triggers on our guns ever so tightly that we were all kind of sore afterward. Throughout the experience, characters from the film made up-and-close cameos, while the team was propositioned to defeat two strong opponents.
The End of the Experience
When we finally finished our “mission,” the group exited to a scoreboard where we got a chance to see how good we fared. The board showed the total number of kills, headshots, accuracy, and total score for each player. Once we got over who “won” and who sucked, we walked over to a dining area where zombie-themed “Sin City Tacos” and happy hour drinks were being sold with prices ranging from $3.50 to $12. Just beyond the sitting area were two photo opportunities — the first one being free and consisting of a statute of one of the ops in the film that you can take aa photo in front of as long as you don’t touch anything, and the second, a green screen version with landscape options that requires payment.
Do we recommend?
In its entirety, the experience was so fun and worth it that we didn’t want it to end. We definitely give the VR setup five stars. The only gripes are that ticket prices are higher on weekends and are not offered on Monday and Tuesday, parking prices start at $4 and it didn’t appear that the venue validates parking, and lastly, the experience was not the full 30 minutes! It felt like the entire experience from start to finish was about 30 to 45 minutes, but the actual VR game itself was more like 15 minutes. For $24, we would’ve liked the game to be at least 24 minutes.
Despite this, we highly recommend this experience, especially for gamers, date nights, group bonding, special occasions, and fans of the movie! The Viva Las Vengeance VR Experience will be at the Westfield Century City Rooftop throughout August and September with time slots available on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 12 pm to 7:30 pm, and Fridays and Sundays from 11 am to 9:30 pm.
It’s Not Over
As far as the movie, Army of the Dead created such a buzz that an anime television series has already been ordered with a release intended for 2022. Army of the Dead: Lost Vegas will follow Scott Ward and his courageous team as they navigate life in Vegas during the initial stages of the zombie crisis. A prequel directed by Matthias Schweighöfer and written by Snyder and Hatten titled Army of Thieves will also be available to viewers Oct. 29 on Netflix. The prequel will focus on the character Ludwig Dieter and a group of ambitious thieves as they try to pull off a top secret heist during the beginning phases of the zombie apocalypse that fully maturates in Army of the Dead.
