Rejuvenation of the zombie genre!

Rating: 10/10 (8 January 2005)

I am a huge fan of the zombie genre and I 'craved the flesh' of a good modern day zombie flick. I watched the DVD directors cut version of this movie with high expectations as this was my most anticipated movie of the year and I just loved it so much I had to write a quick review on it. Dawn of the Dead is a modern day remake of George A Romero's 1978 Dawn Of The Dead. The story follows several survivors of an epidemic of undead, as they barricade themselves inside the local mall to survive the growing zombie plague. The movie is filled with many tense, thrilling moments where it is comically broken with humour; this is a good thing that adds a human factor into the movie. The performances were believable and realistic given the whole Armageddon scenario which was pleasing to see and a great choice to include the character known as Andy. Without doubt the true stars are the zombies. The makeup for the undead was nothing short of amazing, with by far the best visuals and makeup of any zombie movie. Some scenes are superb like the opening scene where Anna (Sarah Polley) wakes up in the decrepit, crumbling world where society is falling apart with the zombie infestation and the great shots of how huge the zombie population has grown.. The movie does get into a good rhythm with enough character building and action sequences for the audience to care about who lives and who dies. IMPORTANT NOTE: Don't turn off when the credits roll because the movie keeps going. The final scene of the movie sticks to the back of your mind after watching, leaving your imagination to do the rest.
I haven't seen the original 1978 Dawn Of The Dead, but I loved this rendition. Dawn of the Dead is a brilliant must see movie for any horror fan.