Review of Survival of the Dead (2010) by Ilhm — 01 Feb 2013

A band of rogue militants that are attempting to escape a world overrun by the undead find themselves caught in the middle of a feud between two families when they land on a remote island in the latest entry of George Romero's epic zombie series.

Here, Romero quarrels with the idea of whether or not the living dead can be domesticated and eventually cured, or whether they must be eradicated to avoid any future outbreaks. This debate fuels the ongoing struggle between the O'Flynns and the Muldoons, a battle which takes center stage over any of the zombie mayhem in the film.

While it cannot be argued that Romero has not attempted any new and interesting ideas in LAND, DIARY, and now SURVIVAL, the execution of each of the films always falls short. The sixth installment never manages to generate any forward momentum, and the social commentary that is worked in to the plot is never fully developed or used to effectively impact the viewer.

To put it bluntly, the film is completely uninteresting. There is no one left for the audience to relate to or sympathize with between the thieving soldiers and the two warring families. The man once known for discovering Horror's greatest make-up artist has settled for cheaply-made computerized effects once again, effects which are entirely unconvincing and immediately take the viewer out of the action.

Still, what the gore lacks in quality, it makes up for in quantity, with numerous attack sequences filled with head explosions and multiple maulings by the rampaging ghouls. As hard as Romero fans may try to dispute it, SURVIVAL OF THE DEAD continues the downward trend of declining interest and bland filmmaking that has plagued the director's most recent efforts.