Genre: Action, Thriller, Drama, Horror, Zombie, Cannibals, Monsters, Vampires, Gore, Police
Tagline: When there's no more room in hell, the dead will walk the earth.
Plot: Why it started…where it started—NOT KNOWN.Whatever happened, however it started, overnight, the world has become a living nightmare of surreal proportions, with the planet’s population hit by an inexplicable, unfathomable and lethal plague—and the dead aren’t staying dead. Corpses yearning for their next meal are now stalking the few remaining survivors, driven by their insatiable hunger to feed upon the flesh of the living. After a terrifying escape from her suburban Wisconsin home on the morning after, Ana Clark (SARAH POLLEY) runs into a small group of the still-living, including: a stoic police officer, Kenneth (VING RHAMES); Michael, an unassuming electronics salesman (JAKE WEBER); a street- rough Andre (MEKHI PHIFER) and his pregnant wife. This ragtag group seeks refuge in a fortress of the late 20th Century—an abandoned, upscale suburban mall. As the world outside grows more hellish, as the ever-increasing army of decomposing zombies tirelessly strive to infiltrate the mall, the survivors battle the undead, each other and their own fears and suspicions. Sealed off from the rest of what used to be the world, the mall’s inhabitants—now one of the last bastions of humanity— must learn to co-exist with each other and use every available resource in their fight to remain
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 The creatures in this film move a lot more quickly than those in the original, whose slow, staggering gait was ripe for parody. Here, their swiftness proves to be the undoing of more than one character. As zombie films go, this one is a small step beneath Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later, which was darker and creepier, but it's still a respectable effort.  --James Berardinelli (ReelViews)
So, yes, "Dawn of the Dead" works and it delivers just about what you expect when you buy your ticket. My only complaint is that its plot flatlines compared to the 1979 version, which was trickier, wittier and smarter. Romero was not above finding parallels between zombies and mall shoppers; in the new version, the mall is just a useful location, although at least there are still a few jokes about the Muzak. --ROGER EBERT (Chicago Sun-Times)
Much less thematically ambitious than either Romero's more overtly satirical original or Danny Boyle's moody semi-art-house smash "28 Days Later," the new "Dawn" nonetheless manages to work on its own, more conventional terms. A likable acting ensemble and generous helpings of post-9/11 self-sacrificing heroism keep a surprisingly strong human element going despite the grisly nature of the proceedings.  --Michael Tunison (Boxoffice Magazine)
The script is particularly weak (and considering the whole point is to get to the gore, that's saying a lot). There are two particularly gruesome killings of zombies that are truly stomach turning for the uninitiated, both of which had us wishing we had passed on the screening.
For aficionados only--Chuck Schwartz (The Cranky Critic)
Could this be a zombie movie with real braaains? Not on your life. But it is a gross-out great time when the basic '70s thriller is remade with modern flare. B+-- (E! Online)
While the re-envisioned Dawn of the Dead is not as clever as director George Romero's 1978 cult hit, its suspenseful storytelling, bloodthirsty zombies and notable performances make it a masterful horror pic nonetheless. -- (Hollywood.com)
It also boasts a much higher level of acting than the genre norm, or that in Romero's film for that matter. ... There are more silly horror movie conventions in the remake but also some clever new gross-out gags. Snyder and company even top the last resurrection of a '70s horror classic, "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre," at its own game. -- (L.A. Daily News)
It is, in other words, a paradigm of its genre: bloody (and bloody scary), stylish, smart, audacious and edgy, darkly pessimistic yet inflected with touches of deliciously sick humor. Yes, it's essentially a remake of a sequel, albeit a sequel that happens to be one of the greatest horror movies ever made, but it more than surpasses the original.--Michael O'Sullivan (Washington Post)
Although first-time director Zack Snyder apes the agitated, grainy-video spirit of Danny Boyle's post-apocalyptic thriller of last year, "28 Days Later," a little too closely, he does have an appropriately macabre sense of humor... And this may be the only flick in movie history in which audiences applaud the point-blank execution of a snarling human infant.--Desson Thomson (Washington Post)
Well, it's not a horror movie. It is an action movie - just set to the backdrop of a zombie apocalypse. And it's a pretty fun ride, too, beyond some truly stupid "horror movie cliche" character beats here and there... Does it hold a candle to George Romero's vaunted original? No, but it doesn't really seem to want to. 7/10-- (CHUD.com)
Overall though, the film didn't really bring much innovativeness to the genre, didn't feature enough killings and action (in my humble opinion) and spent too much time with the losers in the mall and not enough with the man-eating freaks outside. 5/10-- (JoBlo.com)
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| Directed by |
Zack Snyder
The Lost Tape: Andy's Terrifying Last Days Revealed, Day of the Dead, Rainbow Six |
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| Written by |
George A. Romero
Night of the Living Dead, Creepshow 2, Tales from the Darkside: The Movie |
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| Cast |
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 | Ving Rhames
Pulp Fiction, Mission: Impossible II, Mission: Impossible |
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 | Mekhi Phifer
8 Mile, I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, O |
 | Ty Burrell
Evolution, In Good Company, Friends with Money | Michael Kelly
Unbreakable, Carlito's Way: Rise to Power, Loggerheads | | |
[more] |
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| Music By |
Tree Adams
Poor White Trash, The Breaks, 2003 ABC World Stunt Awards | Tyler Bates
The Devil's Rejects, You Got Served, Get Carter |
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| There was no burning need for a remake, but this one is respectful of its predecessor. It incorporates the technology and acquisitiveness of the intervening quarter century since Romero's vision. It even features a metrosexual, something unheard of in 1978. --Jami Bernard (New York Daily News)
In a world flooded with remakes (nearly 40 of them coming out or ending production in this year alone), how does Dawn of the Dead stack up? It's a good one. Maybe it's not a great, classic piece of horror, but it certainly won this non-zombie fan and doubter over.--Staci Layne Wilson (Horror.com)
It's been pumped up with steroid-enhanced direction, but this zombie horror remake's got no soul.--Michael Rechtshaffen (Hollywod Reporter)
This 2004 remake by first-time director Zack Snyder takes away a lot of the social message, and fills it instead with plenty of head-blasting zombie-killing mayhem and a surprisingly unpredictable storyline that—while far from perfect—is a lot of fun to watch.  --Annette Cardwell (FilmCritic.com)
Dawn of the Dead is surprisingly decent, especially compared to another recent horror remake (Texas Chainsaw Massacre, anyone?)  --David Nusair (Reel Film Reviews)
...a surprisingly entertaining update of the 1975 classic that mixes dark humor and action to create a mostly satisfying film. --Gareth Von Kallenbach (MovieWeb)
This is a popcorn movie at it's best, folks, and one that you shouldn't miss...even if you are from Wisconsin.  --Brian Gallagher (MovieWeb)
When there's no more imagination in Hollywood, the spacky, minge-like remake will walk the EARTH!  --B. Alan Orange with Imperial Man (MovieWeb)
Fiercely funny and utterly horrifying, Dawn Of The Dead is a killer zombie movie.  --Nev Pierce (BBC Films)
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