Norwegian director Tommy Wirkola first burst into the genre with the zombedy Dead Snow in 2009--a film which I personally found a bit overhyped and problematic, offering nothing we haven't already seen. Years later Tommy would go on to do the fun action-horror-comedy Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters, which must've taught the filmmaker a thing or two, because this turned out to be a huge improvement over its predecessor in basically every aspect.

While the first film was like a half-assed Leprechaun-ripoff about an army of gold hungry zombies killing anyone who touched their precious treasure, this sequel actually has more of a story: immediately following the events of the first, where Martin (lone survivor from the first) wakes up in the hospital with a new arm (he sawed it off, remember!?). It turns out that his new arm is courtesy of the Nazi zombie leader Herzog, which unfortunately also seems to have a mind of its own at times, resulting in some fairly amusing scenes.

However that's not all his new arm can do, as it's soon revealed that it also grants Martin some abnormal strength and the ability to bring the dead back to life to do his bidding (sweet!). Enlisting the help of a group of overzealous young Americans known as the "Zombie Squad" (lead by actor Martin Starr), Martin, his new foreign friends, and his powerful new limb must attempt to resurrect their own undead army in hopes of battling and stopping Herzog and his soldiers from conquering the remaining Norwegian countryside!

As I stated above, this is a huge improvement over the first; offering way more blood and gore, better characters, a tighter script, and even jokes that actually work; yay! On top of an obviously bigger budget, these are all the elements I found lacking in its predecessor, so I'm happy to see that the filmmakers have managed to remedy all the issues. Actually, not only did they remedy them, but they've also managed to deliver one of the more entertaining and creative zombie flicks I've seen in years. I'm looking forward to catching the next installment and anything else Tommy Wirkola has in mind for the genre.

Not only is Dead Snow 2 a major improvement over its predecessor in every aspect, but it's also one of more entertaining and creative zombie films I've seen in years. A high 7-rating from me; check this baby out!