Dawn Of The Dead (2004) Synopsis:
A re-envisioning of George Romero's apocalyptic horror classic, "Dawn of the Dead": An unexplained plague has decimated the world's population--and yet, the dead aren't dying. They've become zombies, stalking endlessly in a quest to feed on the flesh and blood of the few remaining living. A ragtag group of desperate survivors in a Wisconsin town seek refuge in a large indoor mall, where they must learn not only to protect themselves from the ever-increasing zombie horde, but also to co-exist with each other as a last bastion of humanity. Sealed off from the rest of what used to be the world, the group uses every available resource, in their against-all-odds fight, to remain alive and human.
Dawn Of The Dead (2004) Movie Review:
Not so much a remake of George A Romero's 1978 classic as a recycling of the premise, this action-packed zombie flick certainly keeps our adrenalin pumping. After a brief scene of urban normality in Milwaukee, it rockets into chaos and carries us shrieking and laughing along. The filmmakers don't waste time with explanations; the world is simply turned upside down one morning when a nurse named Ana (Polley) wakes up to find herself on the run from crowds of hungry, vicious and very tenacious undead. She takes refuge with a group of survivors in a shopping mall-- tough cop (Rhames), reluctant leader (Weber), protective father-to-be (Phifer) with hugely pregnant wife (Korobkina), womaniser (Kelly), trio of over-zealous security guards (Kelly, Zegers and Barry). A few others join them as they try to find a way out ... and news about the outside world. And these aren't standard staggering, dazed zombies--they run and leap and bite at lightning speed.
There's a thrilling, off-handed style to this film that really grabs the imagination. Inventive camerawork and effects and clever editing add to witty touches at every turn, from the hilarious choice of background muzak to cynical, sardonic dialog that's never knowing or silly, but rather the things real people say in incredibly tense situations. Led by the superb Polley, the cast is excellent, each person facing the horrific reality in their own way and showing humanity in all its glory, for better or worse. The script is full of clever touches and an underlying sense of morbid humour, but it also shies away from making significant comments on the religious or social themes it tries to raise. The direction and editing only falter in their over-reliance on false starts and red herrings, as well as some severe jump cuts that skip key bits of logic and leave us momentarily furious at such lazy filmmaking. But we don't have much time to be annoyed before the next bit of mayhem takes our breath away again.
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Dawn Of The Dead (2004) review written by: Rich Cline
6th October, 2008 
