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Saturday, 08 July 2006 |
  A fact which may be known only to some movie fans is that the world is being overrun by the undead. A formerly popular threat to our well being, which had lay dormant for years has recently reared it ugly flesh eating head once again. The fact is, the topic of the carniverous recently living had been pushed aside in favor of other types of undead, particularly vampires. Well, the zombies are fed up with their more lively brethren getting all the attention and they are back with a vengeance, as evidenced by films such as 28 Days Later, Resident Evil and Shaun of the Dead. OK, 28 Days Later isn't technically zombies, but they are close enough.
"They're all dead?"
"Well, dead-ish. As in they fell down, got back up and started eating each other."
Dawn of the Dead is a remake of the 1978 film of the same title which was directed by zombie maven George A. Romero. This time it is directed by newcomer Zack Snyder, who keeps the mall where the cast seeks refuge and, of course, the zombies. Thankfully discarded is the original's childish slam at American materialism. Often, there is nothing worse than a horror flick with a social agenda, which Snyder and screenwriter James Gunn have wisely dropped in favor of a darker, significantly more intense film with a truly twisted sense of humor. In fact, it contains such dark humor, those with an overdeveloped sense of outrage or an underdeveloped sense of humor should definitely skip it.
The film begins with Ana (Sarah Polley) working as a nurse in a hospital. She quietly deals with a self-obsessed doctor who is asking why a man brought in with a bite on his hand has been transferred to intensive care. Of course, Ana is only interested in getting home to her husband for their weekly date night. The audience, on the other hand, knows what is coming. Date night doesn't exactly go as planned and Ana ends up fleeing for her life, where she finds the entire city is being taken over by murderous hordes. She soon joins a police officer (Ving Rhames) and three others, Michael (Jake Weber), Andre (Mekhi Phifer) and Luda (Inna Korobkina). When they see no other place to hide, they do what anyone would do. They go to the mall. Through the course of the film, the initial cast is joined by several others who are either already in the mall or go there seeking refuge.
One pleasant surprise is that instead of using the common, Lord of the Flies type approach, where the cast starts out in relative harmony, only to start turning on each other, Dawn of the Dead does exactly the opposite. Most of the conflict between the characters early in the film dissipates as they realize they need each other in order to survive. But don't take anything in this film seriously. While it is extremely intense and it seems the zombies must be well rested because they move at a sprint, everything is coated with a thin layer of humor. It does not hit the viewer over the head with jokes or stupid lines. Instead, most of the humor is quite subtle, such as the elevator music version of Don't Worry, Be Happy playing on the PA when the cast first arrives at the mall. There is also a sequence midway through where drama is built up for several minutes until it hits a peak and the audience is slapped in the face with a reminder that it is all a joke.
Humor aside, this film is intense and bloody. It may be too much for some viewers. The sense of doom which hangs over every scene is not tempered often. There is also a sequence about 2/3 of the way through which may be particularly disturbing to some, but it is all part of the story and the unraveling of some characters due to the stress of the situation. Anyone who has seen films such as Seven or Saw will have absolutely no problem with Dawn of the Dead.
One important bit of information. Don't hit the stop button when the closing credits start rolling. The story is far from over.
Dawn of the Dead is one of those pleasant surprises. At a time when most films seem to be remakes or sequels which should never have been done, it is a remake of a sequel which is substantially better than the original. If someone had told me two years ago that Sarah Polley would be battling zombies, I would have taken it as a sign of the end of civilization as we know it. Polley, who is an undisputed darling of independent film, is known for her choice of emotionally powerful, small budget films such as The Sweet Hereafter and My Life Without Me. This role shows she can also succeed as a type of super hero.
A special note. A limited number of people who bought Dawn of the Dead when it was originally released on DVD were able to get a 2 disc edition. Included on the second disc is a documentary, Undead and Loving It, which spells out the decision by the director to use actual zombies during filming rather than actors in makeup and the challenges that presented. It is definitely worth a watch and completely in keeping with the feature film.
Starring: Sarah Polley, Ving Rhames, Jake Weber, Mekhi Phifer, Matt Frewer, Lindy Booth, Ty Burrell, Michael Kelly, Inna Korobkina, Kevin Zegers, Jayne Eastwood.
Director: Zack Snyder
Studio: Universal
Rated: R/UR
Running Time: 100 mins theatrical, 109 mins Director's cut
Release: 2004
Reviewer: John Rice |
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