Review of Diary of the Dead (2007) by Doyle S — 07 Dec 2009

I reasonably enjoyed this modern take on the zombie apocalypse. News here spreads through an "underground" but modern method using the web (on YouTube, blogs, etc) while the mainstream media mostly tries to marginalize the truth. This movie is obviously Romero's platform to pound his fist on why slow zombies make more sense (and are scarier) The true lesson after 4 of his 5 main movies I have learned is: slow zombies are only a danger to the stupid and weak, and not necessarily weak of body, but of mind. It's the same theme of the individual vs the conformists, vs the zombies...of whom the latter are growing their ranks mostly by the failures of conformists to think for themselves and not act stupidly. It's clear to me where Romero thinks the majority of humanity stands on the scale, as time and time again most of society falls to the shambling, biting wrath of his slow zombies.

Still, Romero wants to hammer out the zombie rules most of which he invented, yet I see him breaking some of them himself (like the rich kid turning within minutes, even seconds of dying). Some of the acting could have been better...wasn't crazy about the professor though he was pretty kick-ass (almost too kick-ass) and his overly-proper accent and haughty aloofness was annoying without more backstory on him. I will say the deaf Amish zombie-hunter Samuel was freakin awesome though! What a badass, all the way to the end!