[Rob Babcock]

I just watched this one at the cheap theater today, and I really liked it.  One of the better Zombie flicks I've seen, and I try to see 'em all!     It had a great cast, good writing and a minimum of Stupid Things You Only Do When You're A Character In A Horror Movie.

My main complaints?  It really lacked a coherent ending of any kind and no explaination was offered as to what was creating the zombies.  The latter is the more serious omission:  in all genres, there are some shorthands we use to save time.  For instance, it's universally known that a)  Zombies eat humans, b) Zombies always recognize other zombies and don't attack them but unerringly zero in on live humans, and c) the prescribed method for Zombie slaying is a shot to the brain pan.  We give the creators of Zombie films a pass by not making them justify or explain a, b, & c.  In return, we are supposed to be let in on the mechanism by which the Zombies are created.  Could be a comet, could be a curse, could be a virus or even a government Black Project gone bad.  You can pick any one you like as a director, be we gotta be in the loop.  Violating this rule is a serious breech of Zombie Movie Ettiquette.  But I'll let it slide this once.

On the plus side, the dialog is pretty tight, the characters have some hooks to them that you readily identify with, they do provide some hotties and even get one naked.  A last thing they do is break a very old horror movie convention that they're (almost) never any nudity after the first person dies.  Yeah, go back thru your collection and see.  You can normally count the times that happens on one hand (I'm thinking Jason X but there are a few others).

Unbelieveably, I enjoyed this one a lot more than Mystic River!  

[bob82274]

I have to say that I am becoming a fan of the Zombie genre just because I like the kills (both zombie and human).  Few things make me laugh harder than a good kill.  Ok I have a really sick and twisted sense of humor.  Fortunately I went and saw it late on a Monday night when it first came out.  I started laughing when the guy got smashed by the ambulance.  The women in front of me gave me a look like I was kind of nuts.  Well by the end she was enjoying the kills as much as me.  

Unfortunately that same crowd wasn't with me when I went and saw 'The Punisher.'  I was the only one laughing through out that one.  Also I have to say it was really nice to see a movie that a) called Tampa, FL and not Tampa Bay, FL and b) didn't put any damn mountains in the background (see 'Identity' at the end).

[bubba966]

A last thing they do is break a very old horror movie convention that they're (almost) never any nudity after the first person dies. Yeah, go back thru your collection and see. You can normally count the times that happens on one hand (I'm thinking Jason X but there are a few others).

 

Guess I'll have to check my copy of Cabin Fever to see if it holds true there...

[Rob Babcock]

BTW, this is probably the sickest & goryiest film I've ever seen.  It's ironic that Residen Evil invented the "shotgun-blast-popping-zombie-heads-like-a-balloon" concept in their video games yet got squeamish when the chance to translate that to film cropped up.  Dawn of the Dead plays more like a classic RE game than the RE movie does!  Of course, Milla is their trump card!  

I particulary loved the "RV from Hell" with the chainsaw ports!     Truly classic!

This one's a must-buy on DVD; I wonder if it's out yet?  I'll have to check at BB tomorrow.

[bubba966]

This one's a must-buy on DVD; I wonder if it's out yet?  I'll have to check at BB tomorrow.

Nope.

Net even scheduled for release yet...

[dado5]

I gotta disagree Rob.

Dawn of the Dead wastes potential.  The zombie thing is the near universal nightmare of all society turned against us.  Everyone we thought we knew and loved is now out to get  us.  That is where the fear really lies, not in the gore and the turkey shooting that this film revels in.  

DOD glosses over this basic theme.  It is a bit harry in the beginning (the nurse's old man chasing her down the street), but then it levels off and the long middle of the film really shows the zombies as no threat.  Even as they escape the zombies pose no real challenge.  And then the end shows the good guys suddenly overwhelmed.  Very unsatisfying.

The turkey shooting also wipes out the morality play aspect of good zombie films.  No sense of ordinary men forced to commit unspeakable acts in order to survive. Rather we have men using horrific violence to alleviate boredom.  Along similar lines, the incoherent use of religious references leaves the bible/apocalyptic aspect of zombie films flat in this case as well( the "when hell is full, the dead will walk the earth" comment presented without context or response, playing Johnny Cash's "the man comes around' over the panoramic views of carnage).  It was like the had to throw something in to make this a legit zombie flick.

To bad really as this film had some very good actors.

Remember these points:

- Society turned upside down.  All your friends and neighbors are really you bitterest enemies.  The town that was your safe haven and refuge is now your prison and grave. And the counter theme of strangers depending totally on other strangers.  People committing tremendous acts of self sacrifice to protect and save people they do not know.

- Average, everyday folks forced to use reactionary, total violence to survive.

- Apocalyptic themes really explored.  Is this really the end?  What did we do wrong (messing with nature, the decadence of society, etc.)?


Now watch The Omega Man and 28 Days Later.

Thanks,
Rob

[Rob Babcock]

I don't subscribe to that limited viewpoint- I certainly don't care about the sociopolitical implications of Zombies!     One could plod along with another morality play and that's okay, but I just want some good clean zombie splattering fun.  In that sense, mission accomplished.  In this instance I'd rather enjoy it for what it is as a movie instead of criticize what it wasn't.

But Roger Ebert agrees with you overall, although he also liked it & gave it 3 out of 4 stars.  He missed the human vs human struggle.  I just missed Sarah Polley getting naked.  

[dado5]

Hey, we all get from movies what we get.

It ain't a sociopolitical thing though.  It is an intensely personal one.  One  identifies with the utter aloneness of the protagonist(s) and their struggle against a ubiquitous enemy.  Their coming to grips with the complete uprooting  of their previous reality. This is what carries a zombie film.  Splatter and gore can be achieved in any genre (except romantic comedy maybe). If a gory zombie movie misses the big themes of its genre, it is not really interesting, just bloody.  

It is fine that you enjoy splatter but how does this, in and of itself, make a movie worth sitting through?  Doesn't there have to be context and story behind the visual effect?  Gore did not make Alien a good film.  Nor did it make Private Ryan a good film.  Why should it be the defining quality of a zombie flick?  That is my main point.  DOD did not run with what it had vis' the main theme points available as a zombie movie. This makes it a disappointing film overall (doubly so with the caliber of screen talent on hand).

Personally, I dig the gore in zombie video games. I love the visceral thrill of blowing off  a ton of zombie heads (especially when the blood splatters on the screen as if it were your helmet visor).  But when I go to see a movie, I want to see a story as well.  My view is that if the story is not  good, no amount of gore can make it  more enthralling.

Thanks,
Rob

[jgubman]

Depends on what you want from the movie.

For the most part, horror movies these days (jason x, freddy v Jason) are more comedies than tension filled, suspense movies (early freddy or early jason) or alegorical tales (night of living dead, invasion of body snatchers).

As a comedy/action movie, I thought Dawn was effective. Nothing to really reflect on, just sit back and enjoy the jokes and special effects.

28 days is a little less escapist and makes you think more and demands a more active viewer.

Nothing wrong w/ either, and I enjoyed and will pick up both shows on DVD.

[Rob Babcock]

I also loved Jason X.  I'll agree that a story and message are important parts of a movie, and I like a lot of films that a critic might call "great"- but I like a lot of movies that most people would consider bad.  As a matter of fact, I have a weakness for bad movies!  

A "good bad movie" is like casual sex or getting really plastered- it's just pure fun for the moment.  It doesn't need to mean anything or be put into a larger context to be enjoyable.

I'm not excusing bad movies per se, I just don't expect or require that my zombie movies expand my horizons very much!    

[dado5]

Rob and Jgubman,

I agree that it is a matter of expectations  really.  If a violent thrill is  the main reason one goes to see a zombie movie, then DOD delivered (although I would argue it is not the best on this front either).  And conversely, if artful presentation of the themes inherent in this genre is what one hopes to see, then DOD fails to hand over the goods.

Zombie films really are a unique vehicle for gripping entertainment.  In good examples the  gore and violence are not the ends of the movie, but rather the means to convey the more absorbing thematic elements.  I had high hopes for DOD but in the end I left wishing I had spent the $8.00 on Hellboy instead.

Thanks,
Rob

[Rob Babcock]

Well I spent $2!     I definately got my moneys worth!  Haven't seen Hellboy yet- the trailers looked friggin' dreadful and the whole concept absurd, but since every person I know who's seen it has liked it I'll probably give it a shot.  I just got back from Walking Tall & maybe I'll go see something else this evening.  Sorta leaning towards Secret Window at the cheap theater...When Hellboy gets there I'll check it out.

[gongos]

I'm a huge fan of the original and this movie blew. One problem the movie has is calling itself Dawn of the Dead because comparisons to the original must be made, and on this front the movie is a failure. The movie has nothing to say. It uses the mall to no effect. They might as well be in an airplane hanger. The characters are just 2-d cutouts. But the biggest problem with the movie, and with many horror movies 28 days later comes to mind, is stupid people doing stupid things. Examples: the zombie baby, people in this situation would never let that couple just go off and do what they want in a suspicious manner w/o checking up on them, the stupid dog rescue scene - nothing that happens in it makes sense, and the final escape plan, which is so ill-concieved I doubt 2 people would agree to it. The stupidity issue eliminates any suspense, tension, or horror a movie hopes to generate. I could care less what happens to anybody. Plus, fast moving zombies doesn't add anything. It's just a gimmick like most of the MTV stylings of the new high gloss DOD. What's scary about zombies is they're dead set on eating you and relentless, not the speed at which they move.

Here's a list of 10 superior horror movies that makes watching the new DOD pointless: The original Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and of the 3 original Dead movies, Suspiria, Dead Red, Tenebre, Brain Damage, Re-Animator, The Hills Have Eyes, The Shining, etc, etc, etc

[nathanm]

I am no expert on zombie movies by any means but I must heartily recommend "Dellamorte Dellamore".  And not just for Anna Falchi either, although that is a nice bonus! Since Americans have been deemed-too-stupid-to-grasp-Italian-words-of-any-kind by the movie makers, you might have to look for "Cemetary Man" instead.  Either way, it's a damn good zombie film IMHO.