Dir: Zack Snyder
Cast: Sarah Polley, Jake Weber, Ving Rhames,
Michael Kelly
Unrated, Approx: 110 Minutes (99 Min. R rated Cut)
Universal DVD
Room In Hell...The Dead
Will Walk The Earth."
update of George Romero's
masterpiece.
to be a real triumph of filmmaking by many (as well as one of the most treasured horror films of all time), the original
film (under the skilled hand of director George Romero) was a thinly veiled allegorical look at the American consumer
culture disguised as a gory zombie film. There aren’t many films I would say I like better than Romero’s Dawn of the
Dead and I’m the first to say that this remake is just about the most unnecessary thing ever (after Gus Van Sant’s
bombastic Psycho). It was with great trepidation that I went to see this and when it was over, nobody was more
surprised than I when it wasn’t all that bad.
the new Dawn of the Dead is exactly what one may expect from a big budget horror film, lots of empty shocks and
scares at the expense of depth and character development. What may come as a surprise to some viewers however
is that at times it actually works.
entertained moviegoers back in the late 70’s with gruesome
splatter, or satirical social commentary. It’s clear that the
filmmakers behind this remake had no intention of doing so
and perhaps that’s the greatest compliment to the original
film. Director Zack Snyder knows he’s no George Romero
and thankfully, doesn’t try to be. Instead, Snyder
concentrates on the action and scares delivering as best
he can. It may sound like faint praise giving this film a pat
on the back for being an empty action film, but I appreciate
the fact that this film does not try to be anything more than
it is. It bares such a little resemblance to the original film
aside from the mall setting, that you can actually put it out
of your mind after the title card rolls by. The differences
are that large.
shelter at a local shopping mall after a devastating plague is unleashed across the world turning millions of people
into infected cannibals. Reasons for the outbreak are never given though in the scheme of things, it’s not that
important. This movie is about survival and the audience is forced along for the ride as we watch people from various
walks of life struggle to stay alive. There are some quarrels amongst the characters which lead to a number of
actions (including death) that advance the plot in several ways, though everything culminates in a desperate attempt
to flee the city.
modern audiences. One can only wonder how much better this film could’ve been had the audience had time to
identify with these people (as it is, the 15+ characters are way too many for a film barely over 90 minutes). They are
given little more that snippets of dialogue which are vague at best in defining who they are. The most genuine
moments of drama are the bond formed between one of our heroes and the owner of a gun shop across the street.
The men are separated by a sea of zombies and communicate only by written signs. It’s an original idea that is
arguably the film’s most inspired. Unfortunately, some of the lesser characters are given so little screen time that it’s
tough to remember who some of them are when they’re killed. With that said however, it is a credit to the leads of
Sarah Polley, Ving Rhames and Jake Weber for rising above the lack of material and creating characters for whom to
root for.
To be more accurate, most of the “scares” are crafted from the old clichés of things jumping out unexpectedly, and
while others are surprisingly bloody and gory (especially for a modern horror film) nothing here is going to give
anybody a lasting impression.
climaxes with a stunning escape through city streets (now a post-apocalyptic wasteland brought to life through dim
lighting and disturbingly realistic set design), the viewer is so enthralled thanks to Snyder’s abrasive style that he
leaves you no choice but to care about the outcome. To enhance the proceedings there’s even some show-stopping
camera work (particularly in the pre-credits sequence where all hell breaks loose), including a dizzying tracking shot
of a car speeding down the street with a zombie in toe only to have the creature suddenly tackle a pedestrian on the
side of the road as the car takes a corner. It certainly shows that the director got his start in music videos (even the
opening credits offer a startling “end of the word” montage to the tune of Johnny Cash’s “The Man Comes Around”)
but more surprising than anything is the fact that it all somehow works.
the genuine surprise that this thing was acceptable at all. I went in expecting something even worse than the Texas
Chainsaw Massacre update and wound up with an overly pointless if mildly enjoyable time waster.
produced package that I’m still surprised that it was
any good at all. I’m not suggesting that slick movies
can’t be good movies, but with this pedigree I
expected something stilted and far more lifeless than
what I got. With such a good cast it can be
frustrating that we don't get to spend more time
watching them lick their acting chops, but this is
better than expected regardless. It’s clear that the
filmmakers were only aiming to take audiences on a
hellish roller coaster ride, and in doing so, they
succeeded wonderfully.
runs about twelve minutes longer. The changes aren’t terribly exciting but there is more gore peppered throughout
the movie (and a little bit of nudity too). Other additions give viewers more character development, but it only really
works to hinder the pace. As is the case with most new films, the audio/video presentation is excellent. The DVD
offers some fluffy bits of bonus material, but it’s of the forgettable sort.
* * * out of 5
Reviewed by Matt Serafini 12/05/2004
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