Dawn of the Dead (2004), Wide Theatrical Release

by Marc Wiener

When there's no more room in hell the dead will walk the earth…again. My initial thought on hearing of this remake (or, to use the new "hip" term for remake, "re-imagining") was…why? The original is damn near perfect. Also, the original was made at a time when independent horror made no real concessions to the mainstream studio system. Was any film being mass released and marketed today going to be able to match the unbridled ultra-violence of Romero's original? Of course not! So why bother? Then toss in the fact that the screenwriter's last film was Scooby Doo and the director is untried and you have a film that looks like it's heading for train wreck territory. I was sure it would be a disaster.

And then something interesting happened. They released the trailer. And damn if it didn't look good. And suddenly all the diehards who were panning this thing, myself included, were intrigued. And I guess so were a lot of others, not just the diehards, because upon opening weekend the walking dead had the box office power to dethrone Jesus!

So, how was it? It was really enjoyable. It does some things really well and there is a lot to like here. Is it Dawn of the Dead? No. (Well technically it is, I mean that's the title and all, but… you know what I mean…) Would I have liked it even more if it had a different title? Although it's a silly thing to say, I'd probably have to answer yes. The fact of the matter is, with the exception of having zombies and a mall, the two films have little in common.

The film's opening is very effective. It really sets up the feeling of hopelessness and loss wrought upon the world by the zombie apocalypse. Large shots of erupting fires and explosions and people running panic-stricken the streets are eerily powerful. While this sets up the film and launches you onto a wild ride, it is unfortunate that the rest of the film somehow loses the bleakness present in the opening. The original had a pervasive sense of doom that never let up.

At this point nurse Anna, played by Sarah Polley, is fleeing from the urban chaos she has experienced in the opening and joins up with to our core of protagonists who make their way to the mall. Let's talk about the mall for a minute. The original film was set in the mall for very specific reasons. It is a sharp criticism on a consumer society, and a view of man's inhumanity to man. The dead return to the mall on instinct, as it is the place they remember most. In shuffling aimlessly around the malls corridors and shops, we have to wonder how different they actually seem in undeath as opposed to life. Also the amount of effort our heroes in the original put into fighting and defending the goods and services present in the mall (most of which are useless in the ravaged world that they inhabit) against the invasion of other humans becomes almost more destructive than the zombie attacks themselves. Greed is the true enemy.

Most of this is dropped in the new film. There is a small mention of the zombies' instinctive drive to the mall, but it's not really an issue here. And when our heroes arrive at the mall they become adversaries with the security guards who have holed up there. However, by the end of the film they are all one big happy family. Also, at one point in the new film a large number of characters join up at the mall. This loses some of the intimacy and characterization, as the cast is now too big to get to know. However, this does allow for what the film does well…great zombie action! After all we need victims!

If you are with me so far this review may seem less than favorable. But that is only because I can't seem to pull myself away from comparisons to the original. On its own, this is an exciting, scary romp. The zombie scenes are tense and there is a good amount of onscreen grue (including some nice chainsaw violence) for an R rated major release. The fact that these zombies move fast and are strong adds another layer of menace.

In addition, there are a few new points to the 2004 film that really are great new concepts. The friendship that develops between Ving Rhames as police officer Kenneth and the lonely gun store owner, Andy, trapped across the street from the mall is an excellent touch. They communicate via signs and develop one of the most interesting and touching relationships in the film. And when it goes south, it hurts. Of additional note is the plotline involving Mekhai Phifer as Andre and his pregnant wife. Yes we all know where its heading from the moment they appear on screen, but it is handled in a way that goes for both the shocks and the emotional content inherent in this scenario.

There is one scene in the film, and you'll know it when you see it, that has an extremely flimsy excuse for sending one of our heroes into the heart of danger. It is one sour note in an otherwise well crafted horror film. If you are a fan of the genre, don't let your preconceptions (or the damned re-used title) keep you away. You'd be missing out on some quality scares, and some fun cameo appearances from the original (including Tom Savini with a great role as a Sheriff). Just think of this as separate from the original as possible and you are in for a good time. And make sure you stick around for the credits, there's a little more to that ending that you won't want to miss!

--released on the Great Hoboes of New York in April, 2004