In my review for the original Romero Dawn of the Dead I deemed it the Godfather of horror films. If that is truly the case then this film is the godson; hip to all the jive of the young folk.
This really is an amped up version of the beloved classic. It features more athletic and ferocious zombies that howl and spit instead of moan and stumble, brilliantly mixing action, comedy, adventure, and horror into one, tight-knit, homage that can and does stand well on its own.
Just as in the original of the same name, Dawn of the Dead takes us on a journey into a world gone to shit… even more so than it already has. Ana (played by Sarah Polley) is a normal young woman who works hard during the day and loves her man at night. She wakes up and finds that the recently dead have gotten up and started to attack the living. Fleeing her warzone of a suburb, she meets up with a police man (played by Ving Rhames) and a young married couple. Together they find temporary shelter in a local shopping mall.
I guess we missed the sale.
Their situation gets more severe as the hordes of zombies outside the malls door grows larger, essentially blocking their only way out.
This film really throws you right into the action straight away and doesn’t let up throughout. When you aren’t feeling the tension of waiting for something to jump out you are panicking and hopeful that the characters can outrun what is chasing them.
The music doesn’t help either. There is some great music in this film. The original soundtrack by Tyler Bates can only be described as nail-biting. And, whomever chose the tracks that are featured in this film has a very awesome sense of humor. From an instrumental version of “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” playing when they first get to the mall to the manly voice of Johnny Cash’s “The Man Comes Around” during the main credits, it’s simply a joy to listen to.
At least I ain't bein' eaten by one of them black ones.
Another plus to this film are the blood and gore effects. They are the right mix of computer made and otherwise. Very believable and disgusting.
Zack Snyder really did an amazing job taking a film that was already so good and revamping it for a new audience. He applied his own stylistic vision and essentially left his fingerprint on the history of horror films. Horror movies that are really scary are very few and far between these days, and when I saw this film in the theater, I was genuinely glad that this was made.
Side note: It was a really nice touch featuring Tom Savini and Ken Foree who were both in the original.
I give it 4 and ½ out of 5 stars.
13 Comments
I, too, remember seeing this in theaters (with a certain pretty girl I hadn’t seen in years…) and people jumping and screaming in a way I’ve seen very few times since. I also loved the casting – you don’t see many survival films with two black leads, and Ving Rhames is just a great actor anyway (I loved him in the Green Mile! oh wait, wrong Big Black Guy).
Anyway, great review Josh, and I agree with all of it!
Rhames was in the “Mission Impossible” films, “Pulp Fiction”, “Con Air”, “Out of Sight”, a short lived series called “Gravity”, “Day of the Dead”, and “Piranha 3D”. And I loved him in “Uncle Buck”!
Thanks man. Also I forgot to mention I love the big sign they paint on the roof. ALIVE INSIDE – DUAL MEANINGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Also, who is this girl? I can’t remember
sarah polley?
Wait. What dual meanings are you talking about?
no no no… liv tah figh anoder day
He’s talking about Christina.
What I remember about seeing that in the theaters is sitting in the back row and laughing at things I shouldn’t have been laughing at. But you were all laughing too, so I guess it’s cool. Like when that birds-eye view shot of the car driving, getting hit by a tractor-trailer truck, sliding into a gas station, and exploding. All the while, Sarah Polly is just tooling down the road in the midst of it all. It was just so quiet when it happened. Unforgettable
Come on Joe… the dual meaning is there are people alive in the mall and they themselves are alive on the inside unlike the zombies.
Love, love, LOVE this movie.
Between Shaun of the Dead, Rec., 28 Days Later, and Snyder’s Romero reboot, the aughts were pretty good for zombies.
I’ll tell you, the beginning of this flick is unparalleled in modern horror. It’s a bolt of adrenaline to the neck, beautifully dove-tailing into Johnny Cash crooning apocalypto. Easily the best horror opening of the last ten years (though honestly Saw 2 gives it a run for its money…I’m not a Saw fan, but the beginning of the second film is a pretty fine piece of pop torture chic…if that exists)
Anyway, good stuff!
Yeah the opening was pretty effin’ sweet, but I’d say the opening of “28 Weeks Later” rivals – if not surpasses – it. You should watch it Michael!
I was also going to say “28 Weeks Later” has the most frightening opening scene I’ve ever watched. I was still freaked out and talking about it when I left the theater.
Damn, I’ll have to check that out! Actually never saw the sequel, and I probably should (especially before making such bold proclamations about Dawn of the Dead having “the best opening to a horror flick in ten years”!) I know the original Danny Boyle movie ruled.
Also, I just watched Zombieland for the first time, and I really liked it! Zombies might be the most over-exposed staple in modern horror, but they really do make for good moves.