Review of Dawn of the Dead (2004) by Ryan M — 05 Oct 2011

7.8/10.

As much as I love the original source material, Zack Snyder's 2004 remake of "Dawn of the Dead", a George Romero zombie horror classic, is actually a pretty respectable movie. Unlike most horror remakes these days, it follows its own path; and comes out its own movie, which was nice. This is the only kind of remake of Romero's film that I could have ever enjoyed. It's not as good as the 1978 film that inspired its existence, but in its own little way, it gives us exactly what we expect out of it, and that's enough reason to see it. Technically, it's a work of pure craftsmanship; I'd expect no less from Snyder, who works best when making use of stories not originally told by him. He can take images and put them onto the screen and have fun with it. He's a visual artist, but not necessarily a storyteller. Here, his screenwriter is James Gunn; a man who went on to direct "Slither" and has a peculiarly twisted sense of humor. His script fits Snyder's direction like a glove. I can't say it's perfect and I can't say it's very intelligent, but it provides a silly, gory, good time. And that's good enough for me.

If you don't recall, Romero's original was a conceptual sequel to his just-as-classic, and all-around revolutionary low-budget horror flick "Night of the Living Dead". It was a film in which the dead could rise and walk the earth once again; they had their flesh, their blood, and most importantly, their teeth. What they lacked was their brains - or at least, their brains to use. They were slow but not ponderous. They had one goal and one goal only; to feast upon warm, much more...ALIVE flesh. Romero aimed for both political and social satire; and his film was a winner. This version of the film has its share of commentary too, yet it doesn't seem to be going quite as deep. I was fine with that, though; considering that it was what it was, and what it was...was a pretty satisfying movie. It's a wild ride, nothing more, nothing less. It's what you come for; and it simply delivers.

So since you know that the dead are coming back to life and attacking the living, often in large crowds, I suppose it's time to move on to the fact that there are still some strong-willed survivors. The film doesn't take much time to introduce these people to us, but the first person that we truly meet is Ana (Sarah Poley), a nurse residing in suburbia. She wakes up one morning to a nasty surprise; the world has gone to hell, and the zombie outbreak has been set loose on America. After crashing her car - an event which is followed-up by a truly kick-ass opening titles sequence - she comes in contact with a Cop who goes by the name of Kenneth (Ving Rhames). Then, the two come across three other survivors to accompany them on their journey; which eventually leads them to a nearly-abandoned mall. I say "nearly-abandoned" because the undead still occupy much space in the parking lots and even certain parts of the inside stores, although not nearly as much as they did in the original film.

Much of the film takes place in this very mall, which is very close to the one featured in the Romero film. The mall itself is pretty much a welcome character in itself; one that is much more likable than most of the ones actually presented in human form. "Dawn of the Dead" doesn't seem to care much for a good half of its characters, as some of them are good and well-presented, while a few are hilariously dull and unlikable. I enjoyed Rhames' cop character; and a particularly douchey character, portrayed by Ty Burrell, was entertaining to watch. Because...you know; a douche is fun to watch as long as we can laugh both with him and at him (on-screen, not in reality. Nobody likes an authentic douche).

The mall floors run red with blood in this remake, which is full of gory goodies. I am a supporter of a common belief that all zombie films should have a good amount of gore whether they aim for satire or true horror. Romero's "Dawn of the Dead" was gruesome, and at the time, quite repulsive to most. But it was art. Zack Snyder's "Dawn of the Dead" is even more splatter-friendly, with scenes involving zombie babies, mass chainsaw deaths, and plenty of flesh-ripping. The biggest difference here is that Snyder's film, unlike Romero's, is not art. It is entertainment. Whether you agree with me or not, there is a fine difference between the two. But even though it isn't art, it still makes time for fun and even humor; the kind you expect from the talents involved. There's even some fun little cameos from a few stars who were in the original film, as well as the legendary make-up artist Tom Savini, who appears as a Sherriff here, given only a news-broadcast's time. If this sounds fun, then it probably is. Stop avoiding "Dawn of the Dead". It's better than what you'd expect. I love zombies, even when the movies they are in feel more like hyper-active video games than works of cinema. This film does not disappoint. I had such a good time watching it that I may even revisit it again. It can't beat the original though; I don't think anything can. But that's just how things are, and in the world we live in, good remakes are a solid find. "Dawn of the Dead" is quite a steal.