DOWN OF THE DEAD „Unrated Director’s Cut”

Movie review: 10-27-04
DVD: Dawn of the Dead – Unrated Director’s Cut
100 minutes
DVD Release: Friday, March 19, 2004

FINALLY the days of the lethargic, stumbling, arms out-stretched, dragging one leg, zombies have come to pass! Only owing a little to the agile speed-zombies introduced in last year’s “28 Days Later” and “Thirteen Ghosts,” these zombies come in a frenzy of shrieking and gnashing of teeth that actually seem threatening (as opposed to the comic relief posed by their leg-dragging predecessors). Definite props to cinematographer Matthew F. Leonetti and editor Niven Howie for their reincarnation of the static-laden, documentary-like photography and kinetically dissonant, frame-editing techniques employed in “28 Days Later.” Although these cinematography techniques are becoming commonplace of late, they contribute an appropriate sense of panic when applied to this script.

Although at first dismissible as simply the next installment of trend-chasing reanimations such as “The Thing,” “Night of the Living Dead” and “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” Director Zack Snyder has pumped out a chaos rocket of horror with his rendition of this 1978 classic. The film opens upon a brief moment of suburban Milwaukee bliss but wastes little time with plot development before launching into an all out gore fest. The movie opens upon a Nurse, Sarah Polley returning home to suburbia after her shift at the hospital. She greets a little neighbor girl on skates at the driveway and happily bounces-in to shower and snuggle-up with her suburbanite hubby. Upon being riveted awake by the sunken-eyed, anthropomorphous remnants of the little girl from the driveway, the flesh ripping ensues with the hubby and does not let-up until the close of the film.
The subtly prophetic biblical reference near the middle of the film adds an eerie element of relevance and believability. “..When hell is full the dead shall walk the earth.” Unfortunately the original satire of Romero’s film is lost for the most part with the exception of few spots of dismal humor. One of the best being two survivors, a cop and a gun shop owner, (one atop the mall another the roof of his gun shop) rifles in-hand, picking off celebrity-look-alike zombies. One writing the name of a celebrity on plywood, holding it up as the other assassinates the zombie with the aforementioned celebrity attributes. (Hilarious!)
Not as much a remake of the 1978 George A Romero classic as a technologically enhanced rehashing of the basic premise.. The overall fore going of the fluid, crisp dynamics of DVD media for gruesome, panic-frame edginess employed the Leonetti / Howie team save the film from the trappings befalling other cult classic remakes of the past few years.

Website: http://www.dawnofthedeadmovie.net/
Movie Trailer: http://www.dawnofthedeadmovie.net/trailer/trailer.php
Directed by Zack Snyder
Starring Sarah Polley, Ving Rhames, Jake Weber, Mekhi Phifer, Ty Burrell, Michael Kelly, Kim Poirier, Lindy Booth, Kevin Zegers, Matt Frewer