Dawn of the Dead: Director's Cut (2004)
3/4
Starring: Sarah Polley, Jake Weber, Ving Rhames, Michael Kelly, Kevin Zegers, Mekhi Phifer, Lindy Booth, Inna Korobkina, Michael Barry, Jayne Eastwood, Boyd Banks, R.D. Reid, Kim Poirier, Matt Frewer, Bruce Bohne
The version being reviewed is unrated. For the record, the theatrical cut is rated R for Pervasive Strong Horror Violence and Gore, Language and Sexuality
I love a good zombie movie. I mean, what is scarier than a bunch of undead ghouls chasing after you like an army of ants? Kill one, and there are a dozen more behind them. Even worse, if they bite you, you become one of them. But for the most part, we can expect three things from them ("Warm Bodies" being the exception): lots of action, gore in copious quantities, and some good scares. Zack Snyder's remake of George A. Romero's classic (unseen by me) provides all three. And a bit more.
It's a normal day for Ana (Polley) in Wisconsin. She's late getting off work at the hospital, and she makes plans to go rollerblading the next day with her young neighbor Vivian (Hannah Lochner). She snuggles next to her husband and goes to sleep. When she wakes up, things appear to be normal. They are not. Vivian is standing in her doorway with her mouth chewed off and looking very gray. The little girl attacks her husband, who dies shortly thereafter, and pretty soon they're both after poor Ana. When she gets outside, things are even worse: zombies are running from house to house attacking people, and the whole city has gone to hell.
Eventually, our resourceful heroine ends up at the mall with a few other people (most of whom are on hand to die gruesome deaths at some point). Included in the ragtag group are Best Buy worker Michael (Weber), cop Kenneth (Rhames), and expecting couple Andre (Phifer) and Luda (Korobkina). There, they have to deal with the dumb but arrogant security guard CJ (Kelly) and his two cronies Bart (Barry) and Terry (Zegers). Showing up later are tough talking trucker Norma (Eastwood), father and daughter duo Frank (Frewer) and Nicole (Booth), gay organist Tucker (Banks) and redneck Glen (Reid). Together, they have to figure out one thing: how to stay alive until help comes (if it comes at all).
Zack Snyder's remake isn't particularly ambitious. It has simple goals, but it achieves all of them. There's plenty of action, gobs of gore, and some decent shocks and scares. Unlike the cliched zombie, which is slow and lumbering, these guys take after the "new" zombie as established in Danny Boyle's overrated cult hit "28 Days Later:" they're fast and strong. Much more lethal.
Unlike most horror movies, the acting is surprisingly strong. There isn't a weak performance to be found, although James Gunn's script doesn't allow much in the way of depth. But he gives them enough to work with that they can create people with personalities. It's a refreshing change from movies these days where everyone seems to be a carbon copy of the person next to them.
If there is a criticism, it's that the cinematography is a little too dark. It is entirely possible to create a scary movie without every frame seeming like it was filmed under a cloudy overcast.
Nevertheless, every zombie movie lover should check this one out. It's a blast!
Starring: Sarah Polley, Jake Weber, Ving Rhames, Michael Kelly, Kevin Zegers, Mekhi Phifer, Lindy Booth, Inna Korobkina, Michael Barry, Jayne Eastwood, Boyd Banks, R.D. Reid, Kim Poirier, Matt Frewer, Bruce Bohne
The version being reviewed is unrated. For the record, the theatrical cut is rated R for Pervasive Strong Horror Violence and Gore, Language and Sexuality
I love a good zombie movie. I mean, what is scarier than a bunch of undead ghouls chasing after you like an army of ants? Kill one, and there are a dozen more behind them. Even worse, if they bite you, you become one of them. But for the most part, we can expect three things from them ("Warm Bodies" being the exception): lots of action, gore in copious quantities, and some good scares. Zack Snyder's remake of George A. Romero's classic (unseen by me) provides all three. And a bit more.
It's a normal day for Ana (Polley) in Wisconsin. She's late getting off work at the hospital, and she makes plans to go rollerblading the next day with her young neighbor Vivian (Hannah Lochner). She snuggles next to her husband and goes to sleep. When she wakes up, things appear to be normal. They are not. Vivian is standing in her doorway with her mouth chewed off and looking very gray. The little girl attacks her husband, who dies shortly thereafter, and pretty soon they're both after poor Ana. When she gets outside, things are even worse: zombies are running from house to house attacking people, and the whole city has gone to hell.
Eventually, our resourceful heroine ends up at the mall with a few other people (most of whom are on hand to die gruesome deaths at some point). Included in the ragtag group are Best Buy worker Michael (Weber), cop Kenneth (Rhames), and expecting couple Andre (Phifer) and Luda (Korobkina). There, they have to deal with the dumb but arrogant security guard CJ (Kelly) and his two cronies Bart (Barry) and Terry (Zegers). Showing up later are tough talking trucker Norma (Eastwood), father and daughter duo Frank (Frewer) and Nicole (Booth), gay organist Tucker (Banks) and redneck Glen (Reid). Together, they have to figure out one thing: how to stay alive until help comes (if it comes at all).
Zack Snyder's remake isn't particularly ambitious. It has simple goals, but it achieves all of them. There's plenty of action, gobs of gore, and some decent shocks and scares. Unlike the cliched zombie, which is slow and lumbering, these guys take after the "new" zombie as established in Danny Boyle's overrated cult hit "28 Days Later:" they're fast and strong. Much more lethal.
Unlike most horror movies, the acting is surprisingly strong. There isn't a weak performance to be found, although James Gunn's script doesn't allow much in the way of depth. But he gives them enough to work with that they can create people with personalities. It's a refreshing change from movies these days where everyone seems to be a carbon copy of the person next to them.
If there is a criticism, it's that the cinematography is a little too dark. It is entirely possible to create a scary movie without every frame seeming like it was filmed under a cloudy overcast.
Nevertheless, every zombie movie lover should check this one out. It's a blast!
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