Fun Remake

Rating: 8/10 (21 November 2004)

In this remake of the classic 70's zombie movie, a mysterious virus has turned the population of Minneapolis into flesh-eating zombies, forcing a group of survivors to hole up at the local abandoned mall, where they are surrounded by thousands of the blood-crazed savages. Can they survive, let alone escape, with the odd so set against them?
Dawn of the Dead is a fast paced, horror film that will actually scare you. It's gory, scary and a lot of fun to watch. The original film is overrated in my eyes. It was corny and dull though that's probably because it is outdated. So, the remake surpasses the original film in pretty much everything. The original had a good chance to tell a really scary story and it kind of blew it. The remake does a better job at telling the story and it adds more characters. There's more suspense and a lot more action. The zombies also run in this version. I know some people will complain that it goes against the whole point but it was a lot scarier. Watching thousands of zombies run after humans just sounds scarier and it looks scarier as well.
The acting was also pretty good and convincing with the best being Ving Rhames. He can change his emotions easily and gave a really good performance. Sarah Polley also gives a good performance without going over the top. Mekhi Phifer gives an okay performance, nothing special. The rest of the cast are made up of unknowns but they all do a good job. Most of the characters are interesting to watch and you want to root for most of them to survive. It's been a while since I have actually cared about the characters in a horror film.
The movie also doesn't take itself too seriously. It can be serious and scary when it wants to be. It can have a funny side as well and that keeps the film from becoming boring. There's hardly a dull moment as everything is pretty interesting. This is Zack Snyder's first movie he has directed and he should get more opportunities to direct in the future. He keeps the film tense and scary the whole time. He really does have a good eye for suspense and horror. Would you believe the guy who wrote the screenplay for the Scooby Doo movies also wrote the screenplay for this remake? He does a pretty good job and I can't wait for his next movie. This is by far the best horror film of 2004 and it's a must see for horror fans. In the end, this very bloody and entertaining remake is worth checking out. Rating 9/10