Review of Land of the Dead (2005) by Shaun B — 17 Apr 2013

This appears to be the final "good" film by the once invincible George A. Romero, the man who helped give birth to the modern day zombie with his trilogy of films: NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, DAWN OF THE DEAD, and DAY OF THE DEAD.

These were all impressive films and ambitious not only in how low budget movies could be better than "so bad it's good" into an actual art form....for zombie horror movies! It was brilliant! The social satire that dripped forth from his two sequels and the added gore factor all helped to cement him as the godfather of zombie folklore.

Now it seems that he has run out of ideas or is content to be cashing in on his name with a new trilogy starting with this movie. It's little more than a reboot of DAY and some parts of DAWN but it's definitely set up in a modern setting so all can be forgiven especially in plot holes (who cares, it's a zombie movie) and below par acting (I like John Leguizamo but he's clearly interested in the payday only).

It all becomes a bit grating and insulting but the gore is just good enough and the storyline and direction is crisp enough to help keep the flow moving nicely. Not a very good film but it's a solid entry in the modern reintroduction of the modern zombie genre from the man who kickstarted a whole new horror genre.

I expect more but I can forgive him for his carelessness b/c he is Mr. George A. Romero. I doubt I'll be as forgiving if this continues in the next two sequels.