Pleasantly Surprised!

Rating: 8/10 (20 March 2004)

First off, I've been a fan of the original for years and I was extremely skeptical on what a remake would be able to achieve considering the source material. That being said, James Gunn and Zack Snyder have put together not only one of the best remakes of any film I have seen in years, but a true classic within the zombie genre itself. Is it as good as the original? It's hard for me to consider that since one of the things I love about the 1979 version is that it's so...well 1979! I couldn't expect a 2004 version to include a ultra low-budget effects department, Goblin soundtrack, and the Brown Derby Luv Pub. This version definitely has some elements of the Scream/I Know What You Did Last Summer generation of horror film-making, but for the most part it improves the movie rather than turning it into another post-1990 crapfest. There are enough sly nods to the original to demonstrate that Snyder is a fan of the cult classic, but he still makes sure to let the audience know that this his own masterpiece right from the opening scene. Most importantly, the film doesn't cop-out like last years 28 Days Later did. Snyder thankfully realizes that a movie about the apocalypse should stay true to it's theme from beginning to end. There are still a couple of minor flaws. The film does unfortunately shy away from the original's underlying message about consumerism, but that would be difficult to pull off in any film in 2004 since the film industry is now such integral part of that anyway. I also would have loved to hear the hilarious mall muzak that played during the 1979 version's closing credits, but Jim Carroll's People Who Died and Johnny Cash's Man Comes Around are fantastic replacements.
In the end, Dawn of the Dead 2004 is not only a film that should satisfy purists of the original classic, but also a refreshing revisit to the zombie genre that will hopefully inspire other filmmakers to do the same.
8/10