Now I know what I said before. I don't like zombie movies. However, a few friends at work thought that I should at least watch all of Romero's zombie flicks so I could at least say that I've watched them once.
Once is a very good word 'cause I don't see myself wanting to watch any of these movies again any time soon. I truly feel after watching the five films involving flesh-eating zombies that I've almost become desensitized from the gore. Now that doesn't mean that I want to keep seeing it, but it doesn't have the same effect on me as once before. And I'm not really sure if that's a good thing.
My buddy had all of Romero's zombie flicks except the 1968 original. He did, however, have the remake from 1990. I double checked with another friend from work who couldn't dig up the original either (even though he claimed to own it). So on some level, I feel that I haven't completed my zombie journey through film, but one day maybe I will. Until then, I can always watch the 30 Second Version Re-Enacted by Bunnies. These reviews are also posted in the order they were viewed.
Night of the Living Dead (1990)
Written by George A. Romero
Directed by Tom Savini
Some claim it to be remade shot-for-shot, but that's impossible considering the fact that Romero re-wrote Night specifically updating the script with a more modern approach and taking the female lead protagonist and making her much more motivated and a self sufficient character (Savini was inspired by Sigourney Weaver's portrayal of Ellen Ripley from the Alien films). Apparently that was not the case with Barbara in the original. Romero asked Tom Savini to direct the film (known primarily for doing special make-up effects from Dawn of the Dead to the present day) who, according to the opinion of most fans, created a competent remake.
The film has a direct-to-video feel to it even though it was released theatrically. Allegedly it was a failure at the box office. The first twenty minutes are rather cheesy with the over dramatized score, goof-ball acting by Barbara's brother and Barbara's screaming every thirty seconds when a zombie pops into view. In 1968 this would have been one interesting commentary on society: While racial tensions were flying high in the 1960s, you have a black man refusing to take orders from a white man and the human nature of man trying to survive at any cost. A truly astounding statement at that time.
Once Ben arrives, the film becomes a bit more serious with his input on the situation and the revelation of what might being going on out in there. The film, aside from the zombies and their make up and a few special effects shots, is mostly void of the blood and guts I was expecting to see. Most of the dialog that's delivered by the cast feels somewhat forced and corny. This film is nothing to write home about but I've seen much worse in regards to direction.
Dawn of the Dead (1978)
Written and Directed by George A. Romero
Now imagining that I correct my "walking dead time line" back to 1968 when the original was released, Dawn is to be taking place ten years later. There is still an obvious problem throughout the country (if not the world) that anyone who dies will end up rising again wanting to feed on the living. This becomes one hell of a vicious cycle (especially once we get to the end of this series).
Four people decide to leave the confines of a seemingly increasing zombie filled city for something else. What they end up coming across while traveling is a shopping mall. They decide to hold up there indefinitely, while coming up with a sure-fire way to avoid the walking dead who vacate the mall at the same time. However, what they discover is that the zombies still cling to some kind of memory (with what few electrons that are still firing in their brains) but their plans all end up going south eventually.
Several months pass by, and even though they've lost one party member, they seem to be adjusting very well to their secluded environment. This all comes to a screeching halt when a gang of bikers, while scouting out the mall, discover the helicopter on the roof top. What soon ensues is death and carnage while our heroes fend off, to the best of their abilities, the biker gang and the dead that are still meandering throughout the shopping mall.
As dated as this film was (blue make-up for the zombies to establish that their flesh was decaying and the "too red" red blood that seemed to be consistent with most films starting with The Wild Bunch to the mid 1980s), it holds up rather well. It's a bit slow in it's pacing and I found the film hard to follow at first. It didn't seem to properly establish what was going on in the first act before our protagonists arrive at the mall. Romero, even though he's labeled the "Godfather of Zombie Flicks", seems to enjoy writing about the decay of human society when they're presented with something that they can't control no matter how hard they try. By far the best film of the series.
Dawn of the Dead (2004) (Remake)
Written by James Gunn
Directed by Zack Snyder
This "re-envision" of Romero's 1978 cult classic leaves much to be desired. It is far inferior to the original and is a product of the MTV generation. It completely skips past the initial plot outline of Night and attempts to combine the two ideas into one film. The only saving grace of this film was the casting of Ving Rhames. Anyone caught up in the possibility of the dead coming back to life to wreak havoc on the planet would want a character like Rhames by your side. A no nonsense bad-ass "MO-FO" who can handle himself and isn't gonna take crap from anyone.
The highlights of the film, weighed in contrast to it's faults, don't make it a very memorable picture aside from these parts: Rhames' character communicating with the gun shop owner on the roof top via dry-erase boards (sniper shots on celebrity look-a-like zombies, playing chess, etc.); one of the protagonists worked for Best Buy; Tom Savini has a cameo in both Dawn films; mimicking the original with the decay of human society when put into an extreme situation.
Andre: [to Michael] "Hey, my man... I hear you talkin' a lot, you know, you're always sayin' something... Who the f*** are you, that we should listen? Were you, like, in a special ops unit in the marines? What the f*** do you do?"
Michael: "I sell televisions at Best Buy."
Andre: [to Kenneth] "Hey, officer! How do you like following a guy that sells TVs?"
Kenneth: "About as much as I like following a guy who steals them. I'm not following anyone."
One of the faults of the film is the casting of Mekhi Phifer as the "stereotypical black criminal." The man has the acting chops to handle much more complex roles like in Clockers as well as in the television series ER. Instead he's typecast into playing the hood with a gun who happens to have a pregnant wife with him. Secondly, the introduction to some kind of zombie infant might have been an interesting concept on paper but the final execution on film just doesn't translate.
It's very difficult, at least for me, to find zombies that scary if they're moving fast. That whole I'm-learning-how-to-walk-again-because-I-was-dead-a-minute-ago feel is very disturbing. Zombies who run at full force may be frightening at first (28 Days Later involved people infected with "rage", not to be confused with zombies), but the creepy thing about slow-moving zombies is that they're almost never a threat until they start to grow in numbers. You turn your head for a second and it's still there, attempting to climb the stairs. But if you stop paying attention to your surroundings, you'll discover that he's still there, that he's climbed the stairs and apparently has decided to bring another 25 friends along with him.
Day of the Dead (1985)
Written and Directed by George A. Romero
A much weaker third act in the entire zombie series, Day of the Dead involves a few scientists grouped with a small band of military officers holed up in an underground facility located somewhere in Florida. Romero apparently was given the choice of having a $7 million budget if he could keep an R rating on the picture. If he chose to release the film unrated, his budge would be cut in half. Romero chose to go with the latter part of the deal given to him by his producers and eventually released the film unrated. (All of Romero's films, except Land of the Dead, have been theatrically released unrated.)
The dead are experimented on by a scientist Dr. Logan, nicknamed by the military personnel as "Frankenstein." Dr. Logan has discovered that even with the most basic of motor functions and the desire to feed even without the ability to digest or process what they're eating, that there are specific ones that are starting to learn and adapt to their surroundings. The "zombie race" that was introduced back in 1968 has apparently been evolving. One thing that is evident throughout the entire Dead series is that the dead will eventually get in to where the living are and wreak havoc in some way shape or form.
The central theme of this film is that humanity is a greater risk to itself than any outside interference. The pacing of this film is much more fluid than it's predecessor but the cheesiness is still very evident. The characters that are the most passionate about their position (specifically the Capt. Rhodes, leading the military and Dr. Logan, leading the scientists) usually deliver most of the labored dialog that makes it difficult to choke down the seriousness of what they are suppose to be representing. It's easier to identify with the "Regular Joe's" in the picture like the helicopter pilots.
Day is also over-the-top with it's violent gore-filled death scenes that arrive at the climax of the film. Outside of a few brief encounters with the blood and guts of the autopsy room where Dr. Logan performs his experiments, the entire middle part of the film is almost gore-free. Romero makes up for it by the utterly disgusting and prolonged zombie feasting scenes before our heroes escape from the carnage.
On a separate side note about the films: If there ever was some kind of zombie breakout through the land, it might be smart to know how to fly a helicopter. It's seems fairly evident that half of Romero's films involve the use of a helicopter and its usefulness in escaping from flesh-eating zombies at the end of the picture.
Land of the Dead (2005)
Written and Directed by George A. Romero
It's been 19 years since Day of the Dead and the zombie situation hasn't improved. It's been nearly 40 years since the original release of Night of the Living Dead and it's very difficult to put your thumb on the actual time line that Romero is trying to convey. Either way, time has passed and the country (if not the world) is increasing in numbers with it's walking dead.
The story takes place around Pittsburgh (also Romero's hometown) where the current society had been able to create a fairly safe city for the living to reside in all the while keeping the walking dead at a considerable distance. It's the first of Romero's Dead films to involve big named stars and the first to involve CG special effects. The film casts such stars as John Leguizamo, Dennis Hopper, Simon Baker and Asia Argento. It also seems to be the only film in the series where the walking dead are referred to as zombies:
Kaufman (Hopper): "Zombies, man. They creep me out."
The people who have survived this horrible epidemic are permitted to live beneath a feudal-like government somewhere within the city. Classes are much more evident in this film and if you have the cash, you can find yourself living in "Fiddler's Green", a large condo building with state-of-the-art security. If you're lower on the food chain (literally), you end up living in poverty or on the streets.
Romero does a fairly decent job portraying how a human society usually ends up functioning when democracy is no longer an option. Unfortunately, with all of the brilliant social commentary made throughout these films, like the additional evolution of the zombies to the extent of organization and a common goal, you have to deal with so much carnage it makes you sick to your stomach. Hence the reason why I don't like watching zombie movies. I can deal with the slow-moving creepiness factor. I can deal with being seriously outnumbered and trying to find a place of refuge. I can deal with going from town to town raiding stores and shopping malls for food and supplies. But once it involves people getting torn in half and being eaten, I've had enough.
After watching all of that throughout the past week I even decided to borrow The Texas Chainsaw Massacre at the same time (I think that I'm just a glutton for punishment). I first watched the film close to 10 years ago and it didn't seem to scare me or creep me out in the slightest. I rented it back when I really starting getting into movies in general and wanted to watch some of the more iconic horror films.
Apparently 10 years between myself and the film still hasn't had any additional affect on me. I don't insult the integrity of the film itself. The entire ambiance of the film is rather disturbing and there are certain scenes that create a very unsettling effect. The score is unnervingly primal and the false documentation at the beginning before the credits is brilliant. Other than that, the film failed to put itself in the same category as The Exorcist or The Blair Witch Project as one of the scariest movies I've ever seen... of course that just my opinion. I could be wrong.
After viewing all of the Dead films, I distinctively remember saying out loud to the cat, "Man, I need to watch something with fluffy bunnies in it or something."
To wipe clean all of the creepy crawlies, as well as cleanse my movie-watching pallet, I popped in The Iron Giant. I highly recommend this animated feature directed by Brad Bird, the writer and director of Pixar's The Incredibles. I'd give more of a synopsis, but I'm just plain tired of writing right now and I'm gonna end up spending the next hour re-reading this entire post about ten more times before I find all of the grammatical errors before it finally gets posted.
I also had the opportunity to see The Prestige last Saturday night and was rather impressed. I am, however, in need of a second or third viewing before I'm able to write a competent review. I have two paragraphs sitting on a separate document just waiting to be released at later time.
Until next time, dear readers.
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