Outpost: Rise of the Spetsnaz (2013) User Reviews

still no fan of the franchise but much better then Black Sun

[trashgang · 6/10 · 14 October 2013]

The original Outpost (2007) spawned a new era full of Nazi zombie flicks let be so far Dead Snow (2009) be the best one. I was never really into the Outpost franchise and the second entry Outpost Black Sun (2012) was for me almost a reason to leave the franchise. But seen the trailer of this prequel I thought that it could deliver something new.

Kieran Parker makes his directorial debut here but he of course new the stuff because he was producer and even story writer of the franchise so far. So we go back in time but still the Nazi's are mixing elements of the supernatural and the techniques of the day to create a new super soldier. But this time they are hunted down by the red army. But things go wrong and some Russians are being captured for experiment. From there on we meet the typical zombies again. It isn't that gory at all although it has some bloody shots here and there. This time it's more of an escape from prison flick. But it do deliver for the fans of the Nazi zombie genre.

The acting was rather good this time especially by Bryan Larkin (Dolokhov) and Michael McKell (Strasser) but the grey overtone in the colours doesn't add to the viewing. By making the zombies some kind of super soldiers it also of course will make horror buffs move away from the Outpost franchise.

You can easily watch it as a stand alone a thing you couldn't do with the boring Black Sun. I'm more looking forward to the next installment of Dead Snow then Outpost. Not that it was bad but I'm missing something.

Gore 1/5 Nudity 0/5 Effects 3/5 Story 3/5 Comedy 0/5

Faith in sequels restored!

[Patient444 · 5/10 · 17 October 2013]

OK, so lets talk about this series a little: Outpost: loved it! Black sun: So-so; Rise of Spetsnaz: not your average zombie movie.

Part three was better than two, at least in my opinion. Sure, the beginning is slow, cause there is a German general who talks for like 20 minutes into the movie and he gets quite annoying at times. But luckily for us they shut him up and let the action roll. The movie is violent, quite gorish, not for them stomach weak people, some much loved kill shots, very few moments when the characters act dumb, as they usually do in horrors, so overall, an entertaining movie.

It's dark, it's sinister, well the main character puts it best: "f*cking crazy Nazis!" So, let me tell you, if you're a fan of them first 2 parts, you gonna love this. Jut bare in mind, try to get over the first 25 minutes, they kinda suck, but after those dull moments, you'll get plenty of blood, action, zombies and death!

2013 is a good year for parts 3 apparently, both Hatched 3 and Outpost managed to stand quite tall for number 2 sequels. So, there is hope after all, who knows what we're going to be looking in next, important thing is: I'm dying to see more!!

IF YOU ARE AFRAID OF WOLVES. DON'T GO INTO THE WOODS

[nogodnomasters · 4/10 · 22 April 2018]

In this episode the Red Guard encounter the remote location for the Nazi "Lazarus Project" where they create Nazi zombie soldiers. I have seen so many Nazi Zombie films, at one point I started to pull for them. The first half of the film is the capture and experimentation with the Russian (and one American) soldiers as victims for the Nazi body building zombies. The second half consists of the formulaic escape attempt.

The Nazi commander smokes his cigarette in a annoying cliche manner.

There are "humor" attempts. "Some call it a blasphemous type of alchemy. I call it messy work with lots of mistakes." The color during the prison segment was pretty well washed out apparently by design to give the film a dark and gloomy feel. I felt it just looked cheap.

While there are worse Nazi zombie films out there, this one didn't make the grade. Will work as a rental if you are a fan of the series.

Parental Guide: F-bomb. No sex or nudity.

Just a bad movie

[tekoppar · 1/10 · 10 February 2018]

I just rewatched the first one and the second one but had never heard about this one so I decided to watch it. While the first movie is a decent low budget horror movie, the second one is an action/horror movie and this one. This one is a pure russian wank fantasy that has nothing to do with the first movies. So if you enjoyed the first one and kinda liked the second one but wanted more? Well this movie contains nothing about what you liked from the first two, so just ignore this one. If they had called this movie just Rise of the Spetsnaz instead of Outpost and removed the whole "zombie" element it might have been a decent low budget war movie. But as it stands I'm judging the movie as a trilogy and as such it's an awful one.

Nothing you won't have seen done many times before

[Leofwine_draca · 4/10 · 17 September 2018]

RISE OF THE SPETSNAZ is the third and thankfully final of the OUTPOST trilogy, which started off so well before descending into B-movie tedium. This one's set in a murky underground bunker throughout, where some Russian soldiers arrive only to discover that evil Nazi officers and scientists have been working together to create some superhuman zombies with a taste for human flesh. It's dull and predictable stuff to sit through, violent and graphic for sure, but without a single likeable character. The photography is okay but a bit too digital for my liking, while the antics that play out are overly familiar and nothing you won't have seen done many, many times before.

Thumbs down

[bayleyrw · 3/10 · 19 April 2014]

I like science fiction, horror, thriller, I dislike bad science fiction, horror, thriller - and I hate being cheated by reviews and hype. I bought Outpost III having read some good reviews. Hopefully this review will stop you making the same mistake. I should have learned my lesson with Outpost I, low budget, bad script, bad acting, bad direction. I skipped Outpost II and tripped up on III. The review I read said that it was a definite boost to the franchise, fine acting, fine camera work, script, etc., etc. In my opinion all of those do not apply. Imagine Outpost I and effectively you have Outpost III. This is lazy film-making. When a Nazi quotes Shakespeare expect the worst and you will not be disappointed. When someone says Bryan Larkin puts in a fine performance ask - in which scene? When Nazi soldiers attack like retards and start filling up the corridors with their stupid dead bodies and you think - is this it, is this the movie? Answer yes and find something else to do. I am generous giving this 3 stars out of 10.

Enjoyable

[hobgoblinlol · 7/10 · 2 November 2013]

Honestly, don't know why it got 4.2 in my opinion the movie at least deserves 5.0-6.0 yes it is a cheesy sci-fi plot, but I think it is well executed. The thing I love about Outpost movies is the atmosphere and even though I think that the film took an odd turn by going back to WW2 to have an origin story it was still well done. But we can all see that the budget of the movie isn't completely as good as the first Outpost. The acting is decent and the action is good. Plot and the story maybe little bit too cheesy, but it's a Nazi zombie sci-fi flick so what do you expect? god father? I'm actually surprised with the stern treatment Outpost movies receive. Not to mention when people call ''Dead Snow'' good it's just eerie. Even Frankenstein's army has 5.0 than this considering the fact that it is not as good. War of the dead has 4.0 even though it's not an awful disaster. This one actually had some cameos and references from the previous films including the Beethoven song that starts randomly playing once in a while in all three films (very good touch in my opinion) as far as I am concerned the movie is definitely a 5.0 - 6.0/10. It wouldn't hurt to let the logic fly out and enjoy a cheesy flick that can grant you certain entertainment.

IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes logic: if it's not a masterpiece, it's bad. Even though IMDb is a saint compared to Rotten Tomatoes. Hopefully, when more people vote it'll at least get the rating of 5.0

DONT WASTE YOUR TIME RUBBISH

[Thepoltergeist44 · 1/10 · 24 October 2020]

I will keep this review short Bad acting bad story and very very boring Even the film poster art work looks like a cartoon joke

It does the job (just)

[bowmanblue · 6/10 · 17 May 2014]

The first 'Outpost' film was a classic (well... a classic in the B-movie horror genre). However, the second part was totally unnecessary and not even worth trying to watch. Here we have the third instalment of the franchise. And it's a prequel/origins movie. But don't worry if you haven't seen parts 1 or 2. It also works as a stand-alone affair.

It's set in 1944 on the 'Eastern Front' where Russian commandos are raiding German bases. While doing so, they only go and discover that those dastardly Nazis are trying to resurrect the dead and turn them into 'super soldiers.' Naturally, the Nazis don't plan on letting this little secret get out and capture our Vodka-swigging heroes, leaving them to escape from the undead-ridden facility.

Okay, so the plot isn't going to blow your mind, but then the film isn't either. It's average. There's not much else to say, but, if you need reasons, I'll mention that the you won't care too much for the characters. The Russian heroes are tough, grunting macho men with no real depth, therefore you can hardly really relate to them. The Nazi commander of the base is a little too campy for the role. It's a gritty and serious film and he comes across like a cackling Bond villain.

Nothing much happens in the first twenty-five minutes, but, if you stick with it, at least you're rewarded with some violence and zombie-killing fun. Its strengths are that it's suitably violent and well-shot so as to make the most of the bleak and gloomy setting. And it's not that long either, so, once the twenty-five minutes are over, it moves swiftly for the rest of the duration.

But, ultimately, it's nothing new. And that's its major flaw. You've probably seen plenty of zombie movies. And many of them are better. Therefore, do you really need to watch another one? If you think the 'Nazi element' may make it different, just stick to Outpost (1) which is head and shoulders more fun than this. Or, if you can put up with subtitles and a lighter tone, try Dead Snow for a really gory and light-hearted approach to killing dead Nazis. Outpost 3 is just too little too late. You probably won't hate it, but you probably won't remember it by this time next week.

http://thewrongtreemoviereviews.blogspot.co.uk/

Violence galore

[Stevieboy666 · 5/10 · 16 September 2018]

Some Russian special forces are captured by the Germans in World War 2 and imprisoned in a large underground bunker where the Nazis are conducting experiments on reanimating dead soldiers. Not quite as good as the first two Outpost movies but if you want 87 minutes of relentless bloody violence then look no further, as this certainly delivers.

Cracking Good Fun - Best of the Trilogy

[leeandfong · 9/10 · 3 November 2013]

The Outpost series of films is Movie-Marmite. It's about undead zombie Nazi's, which means you either love films like this or you don't. But if you love that crazy yet serious tone of early John Carpenter pics, or enjoy the balls-out wartime action of Where Eagles Dare, then you're going to have a blast with this film

In Rise of the Spetsnaz, a bunch of Russian special forces in WWII ambush a Nazi convoy and discover a secret base. They're captured, locked up and must escape, especially once they discover the Nazi's plan to experiment on them.

The origin story is simple, straight forward and told very well. Unlike the first Outpost, or the sequel, their are no ghost-zombies or extraneous sci-fi devices to absorb because the Nazis in 'Spetsnaz' haven't invented it yet. The more outrageous quantum-physics tech used in the other movies is still a future dream of the Nazis and is what they're striving to create; so rather than this being a man against science/supernatural film, it's more a balls-to-the-wall WWII action thriller.

Like the other films, the actors and film makers are taking this all deadly seriously. The acting (especially for this kind of film) is superb. Bryan Larkin channels Gerard Buttler and looks like a major action hero in waiting whilst uber-Nazi Michael McKell has the gravitas of the best Bond villains.

All in all, Rise of the Spetsnaz is the best popcorn actioner I've seen in a long time. It's great fun, suspenseful and the most accessible installment to the Outpost universe.

Just what you might expect and nothing more

[851222 · 6/10 · 10 February 2015]

Greetings from Lithuania.

"Outpost: Rise of the Spetsnaz" (2013) is just what you might expect and nothing more. It gives you exactly what it promises - a gory blood fest with some zombies and specnaz. That's it. Acting is OK for this material, just didn't understood why these zombies always entered to fight like they were professional wrestlers. And how did American, Russian and German communicated? In what language would have they speak and perfectly understand each other? But you don't ask questions like these in a movie called "Outpost: Rise of the Spetsnaz" - you just go with it.

Overall, if you a hard fan of the first part (which in my opinion was very cool low-budget B horror / sci-fi / action flick), you might actually enjoy a bit of this installment, and if you have a very boring evening, this flick can do the justice for one time.

Is there going to be a fourth one?

[Terrorantula · 5/10 · 8 February 2022]

I thought it wasnt bad.. better than the second, not as good as the first, but definitely made me want there to be a fourth one. Theres still alot they could do and id watch it.

Excellent if violent different take on the formula

[broomfieldboy · 9 May 2014]

This was marketed as the "origin" prequel to the premise outlined in the first two films. Personally it serves very well as both prequel and a stand alone WW2 action horror in its own right.

I have the Dutch blu ray and the film is gory and violent as befits the subject, if your for this film you know what to expect! The lead actor is excellent as Dholokov leading his "Russian dogs" as Klassner puts it, the film has several stand out scenes bookended by a very familiar old Russian man!

The colour palette has a muted look to enhance atmosphere and the Nazi testing bed for the zombie super soldier is very well realised.

Best kill in the film is Dholokov and the Nazi radio operator very well done.

Try to rent this film excellent unrelenting authentic violence and action you certainly feel and realise that the Rusdians were perhaps the toughest soldiers of all.

More Outposts

[kosmasp · 5/10 · 22 November 2013]

I guess there were a lot of Outposts back in World War 2! Obviously this is not based on a "true story" or whatever. Even if the Nazis where famous for experimenting on people, this is (as the previous installments) just an exaggeration of what is known to people. For entertainment purposes, this is solid. Not really great (there have been way better zombie movies), but not bad either.

We get a new story with a new villain, which means you don't really have to be aware of the other "Outpost" (movies). You have to dig those movies otherwise don't even rent it. Even if you are into Horror action movies, this doesn't mean you'll like this, especially because it's mostly dry (a bit more humor would've helped).

Nazi zombies vs. Russian mercenaries. Hmm, who shall we root for?

[Coventry · 5/10 · 4 July 2023]

The original "Outpost", released in 2008, was a modestly successful hit, but the sequels are - like often the case, sadly - passable and inferior. At least "Rise of the Spetsnaz" is a vast improvement over "Black Sun", which I only watched a couple of months ago and already can't remember anything about. The third reaches the same level of nauseating warfare violence as the first but lacks the element of surprise and the good cast.

During the last months of WWII, a squad of the notorious Russian mercenary group known as the Spetsnaz stumbles upon a remote and uncharted Nazi lair where seemingly mysterious experiments take place. Although the Spetsnaz are lot tougher than any other opponents, they're not prepared to battle against outrageous and unstoppable soldiers that were brought back from the dead.

"Rise of the Spetsnaz" sneakily copies the exact same elements that made the original "Outpost" worthwhile, namely the isolated setting, a cast full of "heroes" that are already and difficult to sympathize with, showing the Nazi zombies as little and as late as possible in the film, and depicting the Nazi superiors as short-sized but loathsome and arrogant little cowards. What's new here, maybe, is that the Nazis don't restrict their experimental zombie army to former soldiers alone. There's a memorable sequence recognizable by the quote "bring in the child murderer!", and it features a creep who looks exactly like Madman Marz from "Madman" or Buddy Bacon from "Slaugherhouse". In any case, "Outpost III" is full enough of extreme violence and bloodshed to remain enjoyable, but not much more than that.

The prequel so much better than the sequel.

[face-819-933726 · 6/10 · 29 October 2013]

I would like this one if it was not the 3rd of it's line. I would like this one if it was not simply the end of an almost endless loop that they can mess with when ever they want to go back, and make a cheap movie. I would like this one if it was a stand alone story.

I don't like Outpost 1, or 2. The first 2 movies tried really hard, but were too dark, and working on such small budgets that you could only expect what you got. They were not all that great though, the first being just a retelling of the old Zombie bunker unsealed after 50 + years, and the second one tried to take that one further even though the original team had pretty much ended it.

So now we have the 3rd of this series which if it were on it's own merits would be an alright late 90's early 00's army movie with too much back story, and narration, so it is too bad those first two movies ever happened. Though as is more the case than would be expected these days you would not have this half decent pile of crap if it had not been for the fully steaming piles that proceeded it, and have still not gone back up.

If you have watched the first 2 then this movie will be as fun to you as Lobsterman from Mars once was, otherwise pass on by this film.

The end of the Outpost series?

[parry_na · 7/10 · 17 August 2023]

Kieran Parker, the producer of the two previous 'Outpost' films, here directs the third and, it seems, the final part of the story. A prequel, this is more of an action/horror than previous instalments, a mix of 'Saw' and 2011's relentless 'The Raid' - with more than a smattering of Nazis and an uprising of the living dead battling the Russian Spetsnaz.

The cast is fine, although the character development comes a distant second to the often very effective set pieces. The locations have a heavily washed-out look which can sometimes prove to be dull visually, often coming across as virtually monochrome. The contrast between action inside the clammy, sweaty underground bunker and the cold and frosty-looking woodland above is very effective, however.

A fast-moving, brutal horror, this is a powerful end - if it really is the end - to the Outpost series. It's ended on a high. My score is 7 out of 10.

Outstanding action horror

[roland_juhasz · 9/10 · 7 September 2021]

Really liked this movie. A great turn to see some proper badass heroes. The violence is raw and fitting, the pace is good, the cast all do a really good job, and I love seeing a turn where the good guys aren't just poor fodder but actually fight back in a truly menacing fashion. Well done, and highly recommended!

Delivers

[dworldeater · 7/10 · 15 March 2022]

I am familiar with the 1st film in the series and enjoyed it. I had no idea that they made more . Rise Of The Spetsnaz is the third film in the series and is a prequel. This is set in WW2 and has captured Russian Special Forces soldiers fighting zombies in an underground Nazi facility. If you are familiar with the Nazi zombie subgenre of films, it's nothing you haven't seen before. However, I think this was done well enough that I found this to be entertaining. There is a whole lot of good gore and action to be had here , plus the acting and f/x are more than decent. That's pretty much good enough for me.

"Commies vs. Nazis". Why didn't they just call it that?

[fedor8 · 4 April 2022]

"Outpost 3: Commies vs. Nazis" has such a great ring to it, doesn't it? Stalin's boys taking on Hitler's gang.

I can't quite figure out whether the makers of this third entry were aiming for us to root for the Roosskies or not. If they were, they've got a screw loose. Any half-way historically/politically aware person (of which there are very few, admittedly, especially amongst regular movie-goers) knows that Stalin's Red Army was just as vicious and butcher-happy as Hitler's, and that Stalin's USSR was perhaps even more vile than Nazi Germany. The idea that three Russian specialists should have the viewer's support is hence baffling, to put it very diplomatically.

Not to mention the fact that any half-way intelligent viewer (again: so few of those; just look at any comments section) will realize that if the Russians get out of the zombie hive they will bring the secrets of resurrection straight back to Stalin. Duh.

Still, aside from this - and the decidedly ugly mono-colour look of the movie - O3 isn't bad: solid action scenes, a decent time-waster.

But for horror fans only.