Post by TheKaiser on Mar 28, 2004 0:12:22 GMT -5
I'm a pretty big fan of the zombie movie genre, and am glad that thanks to Resident Evil and 28 Days Later (though not a real zombie film) the genre is becoming popular again. Now indeed its hard for some people to take zombie films seriously and its true that zombies are often regared as comical then scary. But damnit zombies freak me out.
Sure you can bring them down easily enough with a shot to the head, and they are so damn slow its not too hard to run away from them the whole idea that anyone can become them, that the disease (what ever causes zombie syndrom) spreads as fast it does in most films just scares the hell out of me.
I'd be horrified to go through what Ana (Sarah Polley) goes through in the first 8 minutes of Dawn of The Dead. Waking up and finding everyone you loved trying to kill you, the world insane. Maybe it just me, but stuff like that is so much scarier then the old knife in the dark serial killer.
Needless to say, the beginning of the remake of the classic socialogical satire Dawn of the Dead had me at the edge of my seat the whole way through. From the startling (though oddly amusing) visual gags and horrific anarachy of the "dawn of the dead" to the terrific carnage of innocent lives torn apart by their loved ones I knew this would be a terrific film. And when Johnny Cash came in to the picture with the opening credits the seatbelt was fastened and I was ready to take the ride.
I really don't want to go into that much into the film, because one of the best parts of it were all the surprises the film throws at you. They are by know means new and original, in fact a lot of horror-movie cliches arise, but the tension in the film is built so perfectly I do not wish to ruin the experience for anyone.
Here's the basic plot. Ana, a nurse, wakes up after a romantic evening and finds herself in the midst of an apocolyptic epidemic of undead proportions. Trying to escape she winds up crashing and is found by police officer Kenneth (Ving Rhames) who after ensuring that she isn't a zombie go off together in serach of safety.
It isn't long before they wind up in a mall with three other survivors and stumble upon a crew of not to bright security guards on a power trip. After some conflict both groups join forces and with the help of some other survivors form a community within the shopping mall, sheltered from the zombie threat.
That's all I'll say about the plot. From there on in, the stakes continue to rise and never let up as newcomer Zach Synder directs some of the best action sequences I've seen since in theatres of late. Zombie films usually aren't regarded for their gunplay, but Synder pulls off some wonderfully stylish shoot outs that are a joy to watch. Add some rooftop sniping, fantastic pryotechnics and a chase sequence that brings back memories of The Road Warrior and The Kaiser becomes one happymovie goer.
Thankfully the film doesn't ignore the characters, and while many seem one dimensional there are enough well developed characters to keep the brain intact for the ride. My favorite aspect about the characters is that even the one dimensional ones have character arcs to fufill and complete, no character (aside for maybe one or two) seems wasted. No one is entrusted with the age old horror movie job: wait around untill something kills you.
The film also has a pretty fun sense of humour which benefits the film immensely. The musical montage with the Down with the Sickness lounge cover is one of the funniest sequences of the year. That being said, the film is nowhere near as smart or as witty as the original Romero classic.
But the film isn't trying to beat Romero. Instead its taking the already great concept and attempting to do something different with it. The film is different, in fact its almost completely different and I'm inclinded to say even more enjoyable then the original (though I wouldn't say a better film). If you love the original film and find the remake to be sacreligous, try not to see this film as a remake, but a completely different film that happens to be about zombies in malls. That's really the only substantial similarity.
Okay, I've raved long enough, and will finish this off nice and quick. Dawn of the Dead is not a Romero zombie film: the zombies are fast, the satire is absent and its all about the thrills and action. Go in prepared to have a good time and you will.
Also the ending credits. Utter perfection.
Sure you can bring them down easily enough with a shot to the head, and they are so damn slow its not too hard to run away from them the whole idea that anyone can become them, that the disease (what ever causes zombie syndrom) spreads as fast it does in most films just scares the hell out of me.
I'd be horrified to go through what Ana (Sarah Polley) goes through in the first 8 minutes of Dawn of The Dead. Waking up and finding everyone you loved trying to kill you, the world insane. Maybe it just me, but stuff like that is so much scarier then the old knife in the dark serial killer.
Needless to say, the beginning of the remake of the classic socialogical satire Dawn of the Dead had me at the edge of my seat the whole way through. From the startling (though oddly amusing) visual gags and horrific anarachy of the "dawn of the dead" to the terrific carnage of innocent lives torn apart by their loved ones I knew this would be a terrific film. And when Johnny Cash came in to the picture with the opening credits the seatbelt was fastened and I was ready to take the ride.
I really don't want to go into that much into the film, because one of the best parts of it were all the surprises the film throws at you. They are by know means new and original, in fact a lot of horror-movie cliches arise, but the tension in the film is built so perfectly I do not wish to ruin the experience for anyone.
Here's the basic plot. Ana, a nurse, wakes up after a romantic evening and finds herself in the midst of an apocolyptic epidemic of undead proportions. Trying to escape she winds up crashing and is found by police officer Kenneth (Ving Rhames) who after ensuring that she isn't a zombie go off together in serach of safety.
It isn't long before they wind up in a mall with three other survivors and stumble upon a crew of not to bright security guards on a power trip. After some conflict both groups join forces and with the help of some other survivors form a community within the shopping mall, sheltered from the zombie threat.
That's all I'll say about the plot. From there on in, the stakes continue to rise and never let up as newcomer Zach Synder directs some of the best action sequences I've seen since in theatres of late. Zombie films usually aren't regarded for their gunplay, but Synder pulls off some wonderfully stylish shoot outs that are a joy to watch. Add some rooftop sniping, fantastic pryotechnics and a chase sequence that brings back memories of The Road Warrior and The Kaiser becomes one happymovie goer.
Thankfully the film doesn't ignore the characters, and while many seem one dimensional there are enough well developed characters to keep the brain intact for the ride. My favorite aspect about the characters is that even the one dimensional ones have character arcs to fufill and complete, no character (aside for maybe one or two) seems wasted. No one is entrusted with the age old horror movie job: wait around untill something kills you.
The film also has a pretty fun sense of humour which benefits the film immensely. The musical montage with the Down with the Sickness lounge cover is one of the funniest sequences of the year. That being said, the film is nowhere near as smart or as witty as the original Romero classic.
But the film isn't trying to beat Romero. Instead its taking the already great concept and attempting to do something different with it. The film is different, in fact its almost completely different and I'm inclinded to say even more enjoyable then the original (though I wouldn't say a better film). If you love the original film and find the remake to be sacreligous, try not to see this film as a remake, but a completely different film that happens to be about zombies in malls. That's really the only substantial similarity.
Okay, I've raved long enough, and will finish this off nice and quick. Dawn of the Dead is not a Romero zombie film: the zombies are fast, the satire is absent and its all about the thrills and action. Go in prepared to have a good time and you will.
Also the ending credits. Utter perfection.
