Awsome!

Rating: Null/10 (26 March 2004)

I am a huge fan of Romero's 1978 classic. When I heard about the re-make I knew I would see the movie but I was prepared to be disappointed. This is the first horror movie as well as a re-make that has exceeded my expectations in a very long time. The fast zombies added a little more suspense to the story, more than Romero's had in 78'. The movie maintained a good action pace while at the same time developing the characters enough that you can relate and care about what happens to them. It certainly is a different film from Romero's but I did enjoy the subtle connections to the 1978 film. Naming one of the stores at the mall after the actress Gaylen Ross from the 1978 film was subtle but a tribute to the films origin. The cameo appearance by James Baffico was also a nice to see - he played one of the lead bikers in the 1978 film. In 2004 James was playing the role of the Sheriff telling a reporter that they had to be shot in the head...and he coined the phrase "twitcher". The 3rd connection was the BP truck which the survivors used a handful of times outside the mall. The 1978 film used BP trucks to block the mall entrances. Aside from those obvious connections with the 1978 film I would say Dawn of the Dead 2004 is very different and in its own genre. The effects were well done, it was shocking and disturbing in parts and best of all, the movie as a whole was fun. I also loved the ending, though some have criticized it. Without giving it away completely it was nice to see an ending that did not attempt to be happy. I guess the ending was similar to 1978 Dawn. Good does not win, not everyone lives and there's still no more room in hell! I left Dawn of the Dead 2004 wanting to see it again. It's a terrific film that blends humour with horror that even the most squeamish can enjoy.