kitty
03-21-2004, 02:57 PM
'Dead' a Thrilling Resurrection
A post-apocalyptic movie about zombies taking over the earth -- we've seen it all before, most notably in the original upon with the recent 'Dawn of the Dead' was based upon. Now, movies such as these are usually written off as entirely too camp to be worth anything, but this film was certainly an exception. 'Dawn of the Dead' takes the campiness associated with anything of the zombie genre, and runs with it; embracing, if you will, that true aspect of itself.
The premise of the film is rather simple: zombies take over the earth. Unlike in '28 Days Later', where this mysterious viral condition is limited to the British isles, zombies are rising as far away as the Middle East. The explanation? All the audience is given is the line which was included in the 'Dawn of the Dead' trailer -- when Hell is full, the dead will roam the earth -- implying that it is man's own sinfulness that has triggered this outbreak.
The rest of the movie doesn't concern itself with the why's and wherefore's; it is too busy trying to keep it's protagonists alive, garissoned in, of all places, a midwestern shopping mall. The film is character-driven more so than plot-driven, as is true with many horror films. We must be made to care about each character in order to be afraid for them, and so the film is cast with a bevvy of talent.
Sarah Polley, (who has a special place in my childhood as the Story Girl of the 'Road to Avonlea' series) plays Ana, a young nurse who could arguably be the film's main character. She meets up with a crew of zombie survivors, including Ving Rhames as Kenneth, a superman of a cop, Mekhi Phifer as Andre, a young man whose wife is rather obnoxiously pregnant, and Jake Weber as Michael, the strategist of the operation, as well as several other funny and endearing characters.
And herein lies the difference. Unlike in most zombie films, 'Dawn of the Dead' does not follow a cast of characters who have been all been infected by the stupid gene. Although there are a couple of painful instances of dumbness personified, for the most part, these survivors are smart and skillful. (An idea near the end of the movie involving the mall shuttles had me nearly delivering a standing ovation).
Furthermore, unlike in most movies of the zombie genre, 'Dawn of the Dead' leaves room for some character development. Most of the characters evolve as they deal with their situation of learning to survive as a group, whether this has them ending up alive or not.
This movie is fun, thrilling, altogether satisfying, and (a bonus for me) not exceptionally scary or gory. I would highly recommend going to see this highly entertaining remake. Well put together by newbie director Zack Snyder, 'Dawn of the Dead' crafts the near-perfect zombie movie targeted
both towards zombie fantatics and the average viewer alike.
A post-apocalyptic movie about zombies taking over the earth -- we've seen it all before, most notably in the original upon with the recent 'Dawn of the Dead' was based upon. Now, movies such as these are usually written off as entirely too camp to be worth anything, but this film was certainly an exception. 'Dawn of the Dead' takes the campiness associated with anything of the zombie genre, and runs with it; embracing, if you will, that true aspect of itself.
The premise of the film is rather simple: zombies take over the earth. Unlike in '28 Days Later', where this mysterious viral condition is limited to the British isles, zombies are rising as far away as the Middle East. The explanation? All the audience is given is the line which was included in the 'Dawn of the Dead' trailer -- when Hell is full, the dead will roam the earth -- implying that it is man's own sinfulness that has triggered this outbreak.
The rest of the movie doesn't concern itself with the why's and wherefore's; it is too busy trying to keep it's protagonists alive, garissoned in, of all places, a midwestern shopping mall. The film is character-driven more so than plot-driven, as is true with many horror films. We must be made to care about each character in order to be afraid for them, and so the film is cast with a bevvy of talent.
Sarah Polley, (who has a special place in my childhood as the Story Girl of the 'Road to Avonlea' series) plays Ana, a young nurse who could arguably be the film's main character. She meets up with a crew of zombie survivors, including Ving Rhames as Kenneth, a superman of a cop, Mekhi Phifer as Andre, a young man whose wife is rather obnoxiously pregnant, and Jake Weber as Michael, the strategist of the operation, as well as several other funny and endearing characters.
And herein lies the difference. Unlike in most zombie films, 'Dawn of the Dead' does not follow a cast of characters who have been all been infected by the stupid gene. Although there are a couple of painful instances of dumbness personified, for the most part, these survivors are smart and skillful. (An idea near the end of the movie involving the mall shuttles had me nearly delivering a standing ovation).
Furthermore, unlike in most movies of the zombie genre, 'Dawn of the Dead' leaves room for some character development. Most of the characters evolve as they deal with their situation of learning to survive as a group, whether this has them ending up alive or not.
This movie is fun, thrilling, altogether satisfying, and (a bonus for me) not exceptionally scary or gory. I would highly recommend going to see this highly entertaining remake. Well put together by newbie director Zack Snyder, 'Dawn of the Dead' crafts the near-perfect zombie movie targeted
both towards zombie fantatics and the average viewer alike.