not to be taken too seriously

Rating: Null/10 (3 April 2004)

SPOILERS
Ok, I admit right now to not being an enourmous horror fan. I haven't seen the original "Dawn Of The Dead" and to be honest, unless it's placed infront of me, odds are I won't ever go out and make an effort either. Never the less, I went to see this movie, and I quite enjoyed it, even if I couldn't take it all too seriously.
In "Dawn Of The Dead", the dead literally rise. We could discuss why and how until our faces turned blue and we died ourselves, but why bother? Ultimately the point is that we follow the story of a couple of key characters who attempt to survive this zombie invasion and move somewhere safe. There's blood, there's gore, there's some hilarious moments, there's some lame moments. Basically, this is just another modern horror movie.
The problem with this film is that it's hard to see how it was meant to be made. If the creators meant to create a serious movie with terrifying moments, then they have failed. If however they've just tried to create a regular style of horror movie with a sort of tongue in cheek moment, then they've acted spot on. This movie is there to be enjoyed, and it's there to be taken seriously. It does have an element of nerve to it, but only in that it makes you wary and looking over your shoulder occasionally for the rest of the day. In itself however, there is very little of horror and most jumps come in brief shock moments.
I never know what to say about horror movies really. I either like them or hate them, but it's rare for them to make me scared (simply because it's often easier to laugh something off and discard it as fictional). "Dawn Of The Dead" is no exception really. It's not a really terrifying horror movie, but that doesn't stop it from being very entertaining. It starts well, it features the occasional moment of cheese (the American flag at one point, the romance element, etc), and it's conclusion is fun (if slightly predictable). All in all, it's hard to fault really. The key is to go into the cinema, put your feet up, and try not to take it seriously.