Zombies, violence, sex and shopping malls... What more could a girl ask for?

Rating: 10/10 (27 June 2004)

***This contains spoilers - I have tried to keep them relatively non-specific, but you have been warned :D***
I must confess that I have never seen the original take on this film, and to tell the truth, the teasers I had seen for this remake had me thinking that I would be spending my boyfriend's hard earned cash on yet another cheesy gore-fest. I was so incredibly wrong!
This film is incredible. The early normality as Ana (Polley) concludes her shift, and goes home to her suburban life only heightens the complete horror that follows. Aside from an undercurrent of foreboding, the audience can almost be lulled into a false sense of security that everything will be OK...
And that is when the fun starts! What follows is one of the most amazing, action packed couple of hours of horror, blood and gore that audiences have been exposed to in the past couple of years. This film delivers where recent zombie exploits (28 Days Later, Undead, Resident Evil) have failed to. For a start, we see the 'disease' spread. The footage that depicts the spread of the mayhem is AMAZING - look out for the awesome aerial shots! And have I mentioned that these zombies are FAST and totally relentless, drawn to the living like bees to honey? They aren't incredibly smart, but what they lack in intelligence they make up for in determination, speed and their incredible ugliness (kudos to the make up team).
Our heroine joins with other survivors, taking refuge at the local mall (all of those stores at their disposal - how sensible of them!) which was locked and somehow remained almost free of infection. One of the many highlights of this film is its ability to make the seamless switch from absolute horror to hilarious comedy, as our heroes make light of their situation; running amok in the mall (as you would!) and playing zombie celebrity shoot-out with the owner of a neighboring store.
There are definite problems with the introduction of characters, as other survivors join our original five. It is hard to keep track of faces, let alone all of their names and relationships to each other. However, to the actors' credit, and because of the nature of the script, the audience feels for these people, no matter how shallow, or one-dimensional they are, because they have lost all that they know; family, friends, everything to this zombie plague.
This film is sharp, fast-paced and well made (especially considering the director's previous credit is 'Scooby Doo'). The score and soundtrack are extremely cool, as are the opening and closing credits, and the film's ending is one of the most original I have seen in years. It is something that horror fans are going to want to see on the big screen; the explosive special effects and cool action scenes aren't going to come across as well on the small screen.
Not everyone will love this film, it is bloody and relentless, but if action packed horror is your genre of choice (or if you have ever dreamed of having a mall at your disposal), I recommend Dawn of the Dead... Go, go see it now!