Sarah Polley stars as one of a group of survivors that barricades itself in a shopping mall to keep out marauding killer zombies bent on getting inside.
--Randy
Dawn Of The Dead (2004)
Directors: Zack Snyder
Producers: Marc Abraham, Eric Newman And Richard P. Rubinstein
Writers: James Gunn Based On The 1978 Screenplay By George Romero
Features: n/a
Characters:
Ana...Sarah Polley
Kenneth...Ving Rhames
Michael...Jake Weber
Andre...Mekhi Phifer
Steve...Ty Burrel
CJ...Michael Kelly
Terry...Kevin Zegers
Bloated Woman...Ermes Blarasin
Genre: Horror
Review:
I had some misgivings about seeing "Dawn Of The Dead." I wasn't really a fan of the original so a remake didn't sound too appetizing. Nevertheless I went to a preview screening and I was pleasantly surprised to find myself not only enjoying this movie, but actually on the edge of my seat for most of the movie. This remake by director Zack Snyder and scriptwrter James Gunn captured the essence of the seventies European style zombie films rather than the American. There were some very gory scenes. At the same time the film focused more on the internal workings of the group of trapped people and gave the film a sort of 'reality' television feel as the people bickered and made friendships like those on television. Though there were a little too many survivors to cover adequately, the job on the ones that were given scrutiny was done nicely and you could feel for them. With all the things going on in the film I thought it was an exceptional effort that the filmmakers could get me wrapped up in the people. This attention to the group that is trapped in a giant shopping mall is what really made this story come alive. You as an audience member could not simply sit there and watch people meet their end apathetically because you had gained an empathy for them. These were people you had gotten to know now trying to fight for their lives.
The movie starts out as a nurse named Ana played by Sarah Polley("Go") is trying to leave the hospital she works at to get home to her husband because it is their 'special' night. For some reason there seems to be a bit more activity going on at the Wisconsin hospital Ana works at, but she is only interested in getting home. Arriving at home, her and her husband spend the night romantically and in the morning are attacked by a neighbor's young daughter named Vivian. Vivian moves at a rapid rate and is upon Ana's husband in an instance and takes a chunk out of his neck before the young girl is locked out of the bedroom. Now it is Ana's husband who attacks her as he has died from his neck wound and been mysteriously resurrected as a zombie-like creature. Ana is able to escape the house to her car and notices the whole neigborhood seems to be ensnared in a very similar madness as neighbor attacks neighbor. Driving anywhere but nowhere, Ana is soon run off the road and pulls herself out of the car to find a police officer named Kenneth(Ving Rhames) with a shotgun aimed at her. Convinced she is okay, Kenneth has her follow him where they meet up with three more survivors who are heading to a nearby mall for protection as most everywhere else seems to be overrun by those mysterious creatures that only seem interested in killing the living. In the mall the group meets up with three mall security guards led by CJ(Michael Kelly) who are not happy to have interlopers in their mall, but are soon resigned to the reality of the situation.
"Dawn Of The Dead" moves at a very fast clip. The pace sweeps you along and you never ask the obvious question: If the mall is so secure how did the five survivors get in? Soon you are too enthralled in the inner workings of the trapped people and the outside situation to care. From the mall's giant screen television sets news of how the rest of the state and country are faring is seen and it does not look good. Some scenes in the movie are set in front of a store named Metropolis as if to say this is the new city after the destruction of the outside world. Soon another group of survivors makes its way to the mall and is let in after some internal struggles inside the original group. Steve(Ty Burrel), one of the new group stands out with a sarcastic personality and air of superiority that may remind some of Simon from the television show "Americal Idol." He is instantly the man you 'love to hate.'
The zombies in this movie move at the same rate as in "28 Days Later." They seem to have an almost as fast incubation period before transforming into an undead creature once dead. A non-life threatening wound will take longer for a transformation. This faster change is just a reflection of American society. Where a 7-11 store was considered a sign of the fast pace of American life from the sixties through the eighties, the advent of the computer and the internet has sped up society to the point that a slower moving Zombie would be laughed at as now an entire encyclopedia could be downloaded before it had taken three steps.
What is it with the state of Wisconsin all of a sudden? This movie takes place there and I have noticed that a lot more movies are choosing this state as their locale even though they may not actually be filmed there. I guess I first noticed this shift when the televison show "The 70's Show" had its characters set there. Now Wisconsin is used in "The Prince & Me" and some other recent films. Wisconsin has become the lightning rod for not so good things to happen. I guess it being a predomently Polish inhabited state might have something to do with it. It was also recently declared the state with the most overweight people. Fat people are still easy pickings and this movie has some fun with a fat zombie(Ermes Blarasin) that shows up in a wheelbarrow at the mall. This thing is so bloated as it nears its' death state that you cannot help but laugh. Other funny moments are Steve shooting golf balls off the roof at the throng of zombies surrounding the mall and Kenneth and a stranded marksman on another roof playing chess and communicating with each other by cue cards.
Though this is a purposely grade 'B' movie there are some nice performances by Sarah Polley, especially of note are her character's interactions with not so nice Steve. Mekhi Phifer turns in a quietly determined performance as Andre, a man whose life is at a turning point. Ving Rhames plays a solid Jim Brown/John Wayne type of role that is needed to keep the audience centered on the action.
Some bad points to "Dawn Of The Dead" was some erratic editing that I cannot believe will not be cleaned up by time the picture is released in a few days. There is no reason to have such unprofessional jump cuts. There were not that many of them, but still in this day and age there should be none. Of course, the lapse in logic as to how the original group got in the mall stands out. There is a sexy blonde actress that is not covered very much even though you feel she was placed in the group to provide sex appeal. Perhaps her scenes were cut. When one zombie gets his head half blown away it seems that the cut was made too quickly and the gore was lost. This is an "R' movie so why be squeamish?
Overall this is a great zombie movie, horror movie or just plain great movie. There will be no dull moments for you. You will get so wrapped up in the characters that when Sarah Polley does her 'thing' near the end of the film you cannot help, but cheer. I would give this movie four out of five stars.
----Randy