Dawn of the Dead (2004)

Dawn of the Dead

Rating: ***1/2 (out of ****)

A film review by Matt Noller

Zack Snyder's re-imagining of George A. Romero's classic Dawn of the Dead is

a no-holds-barred, balls-to-the-wall, horror movie. It lacks the sharp

satire or inter-human conflicts that the Romero picture had, but makes up

for it by being better acted, scarier, and more thrilling.

I use the phrase re-imagining above because remake isn't really accurate.

The basic plot details of Romero's film and this one are the same, as is the

setting, but specific events differ significantly. You don't have to be

familiar with the 1978 version to enjoy Dawn of the Dead, nor will knowledge

of the older title give anything away. The ending especially has been

altered: be sure to sit through the credits to get the real conclusion.

Ana (Sarah Polley) is having a bad couple of days. She is forced to work for

an hour overtime without pay before heading home, and when she wakes up her

boyfriend is having his neck chewed on by the cute little neighbor girl. He

dies before Ana can get help, but then he wakes up again and tries to attack

her. She runs to her car and manages to get away, but her neighborhood is in

ruin. Undead beasts are rampaging, attacking and killing anybody they can

find. Ana panics and runs into a tree.

This is just the pre-credits sequence, and it manages to pack more tension

and excitement into fifteen minutes than many films can fit into their

entire running lenghths. Amazingly, Snyder manages to keep this pace up

throughout the rest of the film. Ana is rescued by Kenneth (Ving Rhames), a

cop who has managed to survive the attacks. They run to the local mall,

where they meet up with Michael (Jake Weber), Andre (Mekhi Phifer) and

Andre's pregnant wife, Luda (Inna Korobkina). By watching local newscasts,

it is learned that a virus has broken out. No one knows how it's spread, but

those infected die and are reborn as undead monsters. While scouting out the

mall, the group encounters a trio of security guards (Michael Kelly, Kevin

Zegers, Michael Barry), who grudgingly agree to help them.

Later on, more people join the group, including smart-ass Steve (Ty Burell),

slutty Monica (Kim Poirier), a father and daughter, Frank (Matt Frewer) and

Nicole (Lindy Booth), Norma (Jayne Eastwood) and Tucker (Boyd Banks). Of

course, with a cast this big and a 100-minute running time, not all of these

characters are fully fleshed out. Some of them we care about (Ana, Kenneth,

Michael and Nicole stand out) and some them we don't, but there's still a

personal aspect to the film. Character relationships are handled with a deft

touch, and they are all resolved strongly, so I can overlook some of the

unimportant characters being undeveloped.

But where Dawn of the Dead should shine is in scares and thrills, and shine

it does. A large level of tension is maintained throughout the entire

production, whether anything is happening or not. Snyder, in his debut,

creates a claustrophobic, bleak atmosphere. The action sequences are

fast-paced and suspenseful, easily superior to ninety-five percent of the

action movies out there. No characters are safe, and we are constantly

unsure about their fates. There are plenty of blood and guts too, for people

who desire that kind of thing.

Does Dawn of the Dead have problems? Sure; there's the aforementioned

character issues, and some of the dialogue is a little weak - but in this

case who cares? I also wish the orgin of the virus had been expounded upon a

little more - but hey, Romero's film had that problem too. I wouldn't

recommend this film to young children or the squeamish, but Dawn of the Dead

is a dark, scary horror film that ranks up there with the recent best. It

might just be the most thrilling movie you see all year.

See more of my reviews at www.uhmovies.co.nr and please e-mail me with your

thoughts/criticisms at imgiphted@bellsouth.net.

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X-Language: en
X-RT-ReviewID: 1269463
X-RT-TitleID: 1130898
X-RT-AuthorID: 9896
X-RT-RatingText: 3.5/4