Dawn of the Dead (2004)

Plot Outline: The survivors of a worldwide plague that brings the dead back to life head to a huge shopping mall to take refuge. There they hole up for a while but soon realise they are sitting ducks and come up with a plan to break free and head to the marina, where they will board one of the survivors' yachts and sail off to a remote island where they should be safe.

The Review: As soon as I heard they were remaking George A. Romero's masterpiece, I was immediately kicking up a big fuss, saying that such a classic film shouldn't be touched. And after "enduring" Tim Burton's re-imagining of Planet of the Apes, I figured that we were in for a right mess of a horror film, especially knowing how much butchering and holding back studios today have towards the genre. Having watched it for the first time, I realised I was completely wrong for having built up so much hate towards it. Apart from the title, this has absolutely NOTHING to do with the original. It's like a stand-alone film which starts as if the dead are rising right there and then, not taking it up a few years from Night of the Living Dead like the original did. No characters are the same and nothing they do is the same. The only link to the original is that some of the original cast make cameo appearances but that's it. In fact if they hadn't called it Dawn of the Dead, then comparisons with Romero's original would be few and far between. Thus because there are few similarities between the two, you can watch this film without knowing what is going to happen. So just forget the original. Forget it ever existed when you watch this. Gone is the social commentary - this is just an action/horror flick and makes no bones about it. The film starts off quickly and doesn't really pause for breath until the survivors reach the mall. The moment where Ana leaves the house to be confronted by the apocalypse is chilling and the camera slowly pans upwards to reveal more of the city with cars ploughing into one another and buildings burning. More characters are introduced and it's the ones we meet to begin with who will be the main focus of the film. Sarah Polley is believable as the nurse who loses her husband and everything she has early on in the film. Vang Rhames adds some heavyweight power to his role of the cop who believes dying would be preferable to staying alive. Jake Weber as Michael provides the level head needed to cool things down later on and mention goes to Mekhi Phifer who portrays Andre, the father-to-be, with such selfishness towards what is happening now that it endangers the rest of the survivors. His emotional rollercoaster towards his pregnant wife and unborn baby is a touching sub-plot which could have been developed more. Also touching is the character of Andy, a sole survivor who lives on top of the gun store across the parking lot from the mall. He doesn't actually say anything for most of the film but manages to win over the crowd when he and Kenneth build a long-distance bond - when he finally turns zombie it's a big pity because the guy had balls to last on his own. The mall isn't really used as much as it should be here: there are only a few scenes of the survivors getting what pleasure they can out of the meaningless items left to their disposal. The gore elements of the film are about as bad as one would expect from a major studio picture, possibly even pushing the boundaries in the process. We never see the zombies ripping people apart and eating them but there is plenty of heads being blown off and people getting hacked with chainsaws to satisfy the gore hounds. Stay tuned right until the very end of the credits though: switch off early and you'll have a totally different outlook on the film than you would having sat and watched the credits roll.

Final Verdict: I've said it once but I'll say it again: forget the original. This is a totally different film altogether and those trying to make comparisons are just wasting their time. It's a different era, a different outlook on the way we make and watch films and a different bunch of people behind the steering wheel. With a solid script, a polished look and plenty of cash thrown at the screen, Dawn of the Dead is one of the better horror films released for a long time.

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