Run, don't walk to this flick!

Rating: Null/10 (22 March 2004)

For the record, the first 10 minutes of this film alone were worth the price of the ticket. These scenes litterally had me on the edge of my seat as Ana takes flight in a world gone hopelessly insane.
That being said, I have to ask: Don't any of the critics get it? So many of them are pointing to the lack of humor in this remake of the 1979 classic, or saying it moves way too fast. Baloney! Why does it have to be funny at all? This is a horror movie about the end of the world, for Pete's sake. And does anything today really move at the same slow speed that it did in 79?
Dawn of the Dead 2004 is a fantastic film, finally bumping 28 Days Later off of the notch as the scariest movie in years. I'm a huge fan of the original Dawn of the Dead, but I eagerly anticipated this remake. The movie takes itself seriously, gives us a troop of heroic people to root for, and never lets up on the heart-pounding pace.
It's interesting to note that many things that were important to the original - race relations and rampant consumerism - seem less important here. Maybe we're finally reaching the point where skin color just isn't an issue. And the mall itself, where the survivors pathetically try to hole up, doesn't even seem to be as strong a character as it was in the original. It's also interesting to note that the blood and gore, so shocking in the Romero version, doesn't shock at all now.
It can't. We all too quickly get caught up in the great characters. Sarah Polley, she of the deadpan delivery, has an undeniable screen presence. Ving Rhames is terrific as the tough cop, the very character you'd want to have with you when the world is ending. Jack Weber makes a completely likeable good guy, and Mekhi Phifer's desperate attempts to protect his pregnant wife are touching and tragic.
I had a few gripes with the sound track here and there, but for the most part, it was on target. And I loved the choice of a Johnny Cash song for background in the opening scenes.
If you go to the film, stay until the last credit has rolled. It will tell you how the story finally ends. If you miss it, you'll miss the end of the movie.