Dawn Rises Again.

Rating: 8/10 (5 April 2006)

The original is a classic, so why bother with a remake? People don't seem to understand that a remake is made to honor the original. This is probably because most remakes aren't worth the film they are shot on. But this is worth it. The spirit of Romero's Dawn of the Dead lives on in this film which uses the same basic storyline of the original while updating the elements. The music is great. The creepy "When The Man Comes Around" plays over the blood soaked titles, which display scenes of human on human carnage. "Don't Worry Be Happy" plays in the empty mall as the plague rages outside. There is a great montage in the middle of the film that features a 50's lounge version of "Down With The Sickness." The barb filled script by James Gunn and claustrophobic direction by Zack Snyder are both sturdy. My two major complaints with the movie are that there are far too many characters and the ending should be more of a part of the film. It is obvious that many of the people are there solely to die and the reverse Zombie 2 ending is depressing in it's choppiness. The many references to the first three of Romero's dead films are great as are the cameos by Savini, Foree, and Reiniger. The saturated look of the film is potent and makes the gore scenes that much better. The scenes in Ana's bedroom, in the parking garage, with the bloated women, with the baby, and shooting the stars are all highly enjoyable. Sarah Polley and Ving Rhames bring respect to the cast while Michael Kelly and Ty Burrell make fine jerks, one redeemable and one not. The best remake in a long time, made me want to watch the original again, which made me want to watch this again, which...