Now that's what I call a love bite ! (Dawn of the Dead [2004] (DVD))

Member Name: SRowlands

Product:	Dawn of the Dead [2004] (DVD)
Date:	21/01/06 (136 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Remake of Classic Zombie movie

Disadvantages: Doesn't keep up the horror pace.

Before I start this review, I think that I should point out that this movie is a remake of the original 1978 Classic George A Romero horro movie (with the same title). I have not actually seen the original, so I am unable to compare this new version to it - so this is a review based solely upon my thoughts of this new 2004 version.


THE PLOT:
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The movie opens with a nurse returning home from an excessively long shift to a typically rural American scene - houses all new and clean, kids playing in the street. The scene then cuts straight to the next morning, when her husband is awoken by a creaking door, and standing there is the "girl next door" - with a blood stained night-dress. Without giving away too much... the horror starts here.
The nurse, and a handful of other "uninfected" survivors manage to make their way to the local shopping mall, where they manage to baracade themselves in - whilst the undead zombies gather in the streets outside.
What follows is a series of encounters, which bring together some members of the group, whilst dividing others.


THE CAST:
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Quite unusually for modern films, this cast does not have any "A-List" Celebs in the cast. Ving Rhames is probably the biggest name, and he plays the Police Officer who manages to make his way to the mall.
Sarah Polley, who's other films include "Go" and "eXistenZ" takes on the role of Ana the Nurse. She plays the role really well, and does look genuinely afraid in certain scenes.
Jake Weber also portrays his character well. He is probably best known for his role of Dr. Matt Crower in American Gothic, but has also appeared in U-571 and Meet Joe Black.
The only other notable actor is Mekhi Phifer, who has also appeared in 8 Mile and Shaft.

Each member of the cast plays their allocated role well, and they all fit into the stereotypical image of horror movie characters.


THE SOUNDTRACK:
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The music in the film was very varied. It contains country music from the likes of Johnny Cash, to hard rocking metal tracks and "shopping mall" music. Each song fits in well to that particular part of the movie.


ANALYSIS:
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This movie has many of the essential elements of a good horror movie...

1. The line "I'll be back" actually does appear in the film !
2. The essential characters - a scary kid, a pregnant woman, the "heroic" cop, the ones you hope get killed and the ones you just don't care if they get killed !
3. Blood ! Quite a lot, in fact !!
4. Weapons - shotguns, chainsaws, croquet mallets, sticks, sniper rifles, pistols.....
5. The enclosed location - in this case, a shopping mall.
6. The enemy - braindead zombies !

The film gets straight into the horror - there is no build up or explanation of the background to this "contamination". This is due to the fact that the original Dawn Of The Dead is a sequel to "Night Of The Living Dead" - and this has all the build up. This works well, as you get thrown in at the deep end as the survivors would have been - although you may feel that some explanation would have been nice. This comes in news broadcasts in the background, which speculate on the source of the virus.
There are also some excellent camera shots - one of which is a car speeding around suburban streets, with a fixed camera behind the car. This gives the feeling of speed, and that you are actually following the car.
The make-up and effects are very good too. The zombies look terrifying, and whereas some "zombie" movies have them staggering around slower than walking pace, these zombies run as fast as Sally Gunnell !
There are also some funny moments, which can break up the tension for some, but spoil it for others.


OVERALL OPINION:
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My feelings for this film were mixed. The opening scene was really good, and I hoped that the movie would carry on in the same fashion (i.e. tense and scary). Parts of the film lived up to these hopes, but other scenes failed. I think that if the movie had maintained the pace, but eliminated the humor, it could have been one of the best horror films of this decade (so far !). There were also some unnecessary and tacky scenes and lines which spoilt the momentum and suspense of the movie.
Despite this, however, I did enjoy the movie. If you leave your brain outside (excuse the pun !), and enjoy the film for what it is - a tense, edge of the seat horror - it does work well.
Obvioulsy, it will not appeal to everyone that reads this. If you do not like horror or gore, then steer well clear of this film.


FURTHER INFORMATION:
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Check out the official movie site & trailer at dawnofthedeadmovie.net.

Summary: A remake of George A. Romero's classic 1978 zombie movie.