RKMBs Forums .::Robegories::. Media Nobody Loves: Dawn of the Dead

Just saw a sneak preview.

May be some spoilers, but I'll try to keep it vague.

Having recently seen the original (I bought it so I could get the Hellboy Sneak Preview DVD, plus I own Night of the Living Dead and Day of the Dead), I went into seeing the reimagining (the new Hollywood buzzword for remake) with an idea of why the first has such a huge reputation among horror fans.

The original is slowly paced with a small cast. The makeup is generally crappy, but some of the splatter effects are pretty good. The blood looks like reddish paint. The characters are pretty well drawn out and well-rounded. The shopper mentality allegory still holds up well. All in all, a pretty good movie, and I can see how it would have been somewhat revolutionary for it's time. Romero knows his zombies.

Fast forward almost 20 years and enter James Gunn, the writer of Scooby Doo the Movie and The Specials.

The Specials, if you haven't seen it is an extremely funny superhero parody film, and in my opinion, better than the bigger budgeted Mystery Men, which came out at the same time. However you couldn't pay me enough to watch Scooby Doo. I won't even watch the cartoons.

Dawn of the Dead is definitely a post-28 Days Later zombie film. The camerawork is flashy, yet at times, grainy, the zombies move at a lightning pace, chasing and often outrunning their victims. Even aside from being a remake, the ideas are culled from every other influential zombie flick of the past twenty years, with subtle nods to the Evil Dead series, Dead Alive, 28 Days Later, etc.

Despite the inherent flaws, the movie accomplishes exactly what it sets out to do. It's a scary fuckin' movie. Everyone in the audience jumped exactly when we were supposed to. We were grossed out when we needed to be, and we laughed when it was deliberately funny. Overall, it's just a highly entertaining movie.

The basic plot follows Ana (Sarah Polley from Go) as she wakes up one morning to find her neighbor's daughter in her hallway. Ana's husband goes to the girl, only to get his throat ripped out, kicking off the action for the rest of the film. Ana flees, horrified, refusing to be approached by anyone, living or dead. Shortly thereafter, she runs into Kenneth (Ving Rhames of Pulp Fiction), a cop heading toward an alleged safe area. Almost as soon as they set off together, they meet three survivors who have decided to seek refuge in the local mall. Of course, at the mall, they meet a handful of other survivors, and begin to formulate a plan of escape.

There are quite a few scenes of solid character building, making the major characters into real individuals, however the supporting cast are generally just caricatures. But overall, there are just simply a lot of "cool" bits that, sure, they may be just filler, but it's interesting and exciting filler.

Some of the cast of the original "Dawn" make cameos. Ken Foree (Peter from the original) plays a televangelist, and gets to say the tagline in both films (When there's no more room in hell, the dead will walk the earth). Tom Savini (Special FX guru, and a biker from the original film) plays a sheriff who figures out a way to kill the zombies.

Matt Frewer also has about 2 minutes worth of screen time in the film. It made me sad, mostly to think that this is now his career. Poor Matt Frewer.

There is another character in the film named Steve, and the entire time he was onscreen, I could only think one thing: "That should have been Bruce Campbell." The actor playing Steve looks like a younger Bruce Campbell, the character has that sort of smarmy, cocky charm of a Bruce Campbell character, he just should have fuckin' been Bruce Goddamn Campbell.

The soundtrack surprised and impressed me. Being a big budget studio popcorn/action film, I expected a soundtrack full of the latest altnewxradio friendly fm rock bands. Instead, the music is mostly very offsetting to the film, giving it a little more of a creepy edge. The opening credits are run to the tune of Johnny Cash's "When the Man Comes Around". On the other hand, the end credits have Disturbed's "Sickness" playing, but to offset that, during the movie, the same song is played, but performed by Richard Cheese and Lounge Against the Machine. I may seek out the soundtrack.

All in all, I loved this movie, it creeped me out. I love/hate zombies, and this did well by the zombie genre.

Stick around for the end credits. All of them.

I'm really waiting to see Shawn of the Dead when it comes out.

Slow zombies served a purpose. Rigor mortis. They came from graves originally. Sides, they had no brains. Joints were freezing up. But that is me using logic.

It was also a slow, frightening death. Cabin fever tied to the notion that yes, you could go out, but you would be one of THEM. plus, you risk damning everyone else. People had a problem trusting other people in the room.

Speeding up the pace, to me, is like making Ghosts of Mars. Man, I hated that.

Not zombies really. Call it alien monster man-eating dudes
I think that is the technical term.

all this horseshit over reinventing movies shows a weak writing industry. Traffic remade twice. Couple mummy movies. Frankenstein remade several times, and he will make an appearance in Van Helsing, along with Wolfman (werewolf), and Dracula. Zombies. Oy. And of course. Stepford Wives.

They need to Remake Schindler's List. He needs to save all the Jews, create a time machine and kill Hitler. Plus he needs to have sex with more women. So more nudity would be cool. And I want that in color.

Thanks for the review. I'll probably catch it this Friday when it opens. I was sold when I saw the trailer and the clips on USA. I'm waiting for Anchor Bay to release their super-duper Special Edition later this year before I buy Romero's Dawn.

Hopefully, Shaun of the Dead will get a US release, and sooner than 28 Days Later did. The same (opening) weekend me 'n' my friends saw it in the theaters, I got the copy of the DVD I ordered from Britain. The trailer cracked me up...definitely will catch this in theaters, if possible.

I dug Cabin Fever. Great flick that was creepy, had a nice paranoid atmosphere, and a hilarious ending.

I too am excited to see Shaun of the Dead.

Soy, as long as you don't overthink, the new "Dawn" is really quite good. This ain't a thinkin' man's zombie movie.

Never saw Cabin Fever.

Didn't mean the movie Cabin Fever, meant cabin fever itself. Forgot there was a movie named after that. Next, you'll be telling me there's a movie named after They or It.

I'm looking forward to it,although I love the original this is probably more of a reimagining.

A friend of mine pulled this one off of a Hollywood reporter site.

Scooby Doo 2 and Dawn of the Dead writer James Gunn sent this little beauty on it's, ah, a congratulatory letter from a higher-being about his latest flick. Priceless.
MEMO

FROM: JESUS

TO: JAMES GUNN

Dear James:

Just returned from a screening of DAWN OF THE DEAD and, I have to admit, it is REALLY FRICKIN AWESOME. Now, I know you're going head-to-head at the box office this weekend with ME (the actual title, I guess, is THE PASSION OF CHRIST, but, you know, I feel pretentious saying that all the time so I've been calling it ME), but I have to be honest, I actually like DAWN OF THE DEAD better. Way.
ME is gory, but DAWN OF THE DEAD is even gorier, and God knows I love gore. Why do you think I made humans so squishy? Also, I found that scene where your heroes shot the Burt Reynolds look-a-like HILARIOUS. I fucking HATE Burt Reynolds (well, except SHARKY'S MACHINE, that was
pretty good.)

Anyway, I'd like to offer you a blessing to kick my own ass at the box office this weekend. ME has ruled long enough and, frankly, I'm ready for something a little less preachy. And I wasn't too thrilled with Jim Caviezel. Why couldn't Ving Rhames have played me? Back in 32, I worked out all summer, had huge muscles, I knew my big moment was
about to come, and yet I don't get credit for it in a single movie or painting. Everyone always draws me like a pussy. Spilt milk, I guess, but still....

Hey, you know what's weird? The movie that's going to displace Mel's flick as the number one film in America also contains people rising from the dead! I mean, I'm not a zombie, well, not technically. But, you have to admit, it would have been great fun if I had come out of the tomb growling, howling, Give me human flesh now!! Ha ha! That
would have really freaked those guys out! Doubting Thomas would surely be known as Soiled Thomas today. Me-dammit why don't I ever think of these great gags until AFTER the chance is long gone?

So, anyway, yeah, I loved DAWN. Loved it, loved it, loved it. I was a big fan of the original, but I think yours lives up to Romero's movie and then some (I am just so totally embarrassed I signed that anti-Dawn remake petition on the web. I can be such an asshole sometimes. To make up for it, I'll send everyone else who signed it to Hell.) Anyway, feel free to quote me -- "DAWN OF THE DEAD has all the action I wished THE PASSION had. It also scared the Bejesus out of me and, being that I'm Jesus, I have more Bejesus than anyone else of all time. It's Christeriffic!"

So, anyway, you can't see me right now, but I'm up here doing some magical hand motions so that you'll be number one this weekend. I know there's a bunch of people who are harping on it being Good Vs. Evil at the boxoffice this weekend, but that's bullshit. What? I get all the sucky, wussy shit like THE PASSION and CODY BANKS, and, like, Satan
gets all the good stuff? No way! Down with THE PASSION! Long live the new DAWN OF THE DEAD! Thus is the Word of God!

Love,

Jesus


Best. Letter. Ever.

I caught the first show of the day at my local theater. I took a friend of mine who is - shall we say? - skittish about horror movies. I explained to him that this was less of a remake and more of a re-imagining of the original Dawn. In my heart, I hoped that Mr. Nobody and the folks at Creature Corner were right and the critic who panned it in the Boston Globe was wrong - DEAD wrong, if you'll pardon the pun. My verdict?

Wow. Whatta ride.

This Dawn of the Dead is loyal enough to the original to deserve its title, yet different enough to not just rip off the classic(s) like, say, Rose Red and Van Sant's Psycho did. It was equal parts creepy, scary, gory, and funny (funny in that uncomfortable way, y'dig?). Granted, there were quite a few scenes which I, as a devoted horror buff, could tell EXACTLY what was coming. But, in my mind, that made it worse. The make-up effects were impressive. I liked the "quick-cut" style of action-filming, a riff taken from 28 Days Later, where you feel like the dead are coming from everywhere and jumping out at YOU rather than the characters. The ending was satisfying, though you do need to STAY AND WATCH THE CLOSING CREDITS to get the full impact.

I was talking to my gal before leaving to see this and I told her I wasn't too sure how I felt about the dead being able to run and jump reather than the zombies (ugh...inaccurate word) that fell into the Three-S category (slow, shambling, and stupid), which we all grew up on. Lemme tell you: these dead are infinitely worse! All the terror of the shambling "unstoppable force/immovable object" with the added bonus of the pack mind - these dead will get you, whether you run, hide, or even try to evade them. Awful (shudder!).

I will say these two things in closing:

1) This movie broke what, in my mind, was the final taboo that an American movie would go after or portray. A brave thing, considering the political climate towards this type of movie and what it depicts. PM me if you don't know what I'm talking about or want to argue the point.

2) My friend, by his own admission, will be the victim or some rough nights' sleep. And that's the best thing of all.

That's good to hear. Horror movies are supposed to be scary and unsettling. People seem to forget that. . .

Ahh, going to see it tomorrow!

I didnt love it,but I did like it. I'm seeing it again tomorrow and I'm sure I'll learn to love it.

i fucking love it

Great movie. Used concepts from the original without just recycling them. I like the addition of more characters and to see the total mass carnage that the zombies had caused. Hell, they made me care about a character who had never even spoken a line until the very end. Good acting, writing, action, and total mindfuck scenes. Loved it every bit as much as the original because it wasn't trying to be the original. The cameos of actors from the first movie were cool as hell too. "When there is no room in Hell, the dead shall walk the earth."

Ken Foree is the original bad-ass motherfucker.

And he's hella big too! I felt like a fucking midget standing right next to him.

As kick ass as that movie was, I have to admit that it can never creep me out half as much as this.

After the Quiznos commercials it takes a lot to creep me out.

Quiznos doesn't creep me out. It just proves that pot doesn't make you a creative genious. That old man, on the other hand, if freakier than any zombie I've ever seen.

I just saw this.

Now, I can suspend disbelief a bit when I watch movies. I'm a nitpicker at heart sure, but I also love movies, and movies are inherently flawed. So, I'm ok with disregarding a few discrepancies here and there.

But I have my limits.

Dawn of the Dead had some humorous moments. Sick, cruel, humorous moments. I'll concede that it was more entertaining than I expected(the sniper shooting of celebrity lookalikes was funny).....but in the end it suffered from all of the same problems most modern horror movies do. It had several chances throughout to redeem itself by not conforming to the silly horror-flick conventions of predictability, and each time it only dug itself into a bigger hole.

In my opinion, 28 Days Later was a vastly superior film.

Don't mind Ani, Joe, he hates everything.

x

Saw it & liked it, but how did it all start if it took a zombie bite to get infected & also the zombies didn't want to eat the dog - why was that? Great cast BTW! The lead actress while pretty wasn't faky model pretty.

I think Sarah Polley is gorgeous, have thought so since I saw "Go".