Dawn Of The Dead (2004)

Ready for a little zombie movie blasphemy? Well, here it goes… I actually enjoy Zack Snyder’s Dawn Of The Dead nearly as much as the original. And in some respects, even more so!

It’s weird for me to say that, because i remember being completely underwhelmed during it’s theatrical release back in 2004. Obviously the movie itself hasn’t changed, so it must be my appreciation for it that has… “evolved” maybe?

I do know that i’m no longer in film school, and i’ve seen enough low-budget, z-grade crap since then to more fully appreciate a competently produced zombie movie. But really Dawn Of The Dead manages to steer so far away from the original script, that it simply becomes it’s own film. And it’s a great film to boot!

The basics are the same: survivors of the zombie apocalypse take refuge in a shopping mall. But that’s really where the comparisons end. There are new characters, new motivations, new stories, and new effects. And dang, does it look and sound awesome in high definition!

Best Scene: I thought the reflective moment when a security guard, searching for a reason or explanation, tunes into a television evangelist was pretty powerful. Bonus points for the Ken Foree cameo!

Worst Scene: The shuttle-bus montage just reeked of an an old A-Team episode. I mean, it wasn’t actually a bad scene… but i could totally hear the A-Team theme song in my head as they zombie-proofed those buses.

USS Screwed: I really liked the end credit sequence, mainly because i thought leaving the mall for the marina was a stupid idea in the first place.

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Dawn of the Dead (Unrated Director’s Cut) [Blu-ray]
Available at Amazon.com