Recommended!

Rating: 8/10 (22 March 2004)

Saw it yesterday.
WOW!
I wasn't sure I would like "fast" zombies (haven't seen 28 Days Later yet - so won't compare).
These zombies were SCARY.
Well acted, well shot and the editing is good (not great). The story is about as good as it gets for a zombie flick.
This version WORKS and it works VERY well.
The Opening scene is creepy to the max and before the title, you are in no doubt of what is to follow. Probably the best build up in a zombie flick yet.
It begins with a "normal" day in the hospital for an everyday kind of nurse, Ana (Sarah Polley), but soon, the world is turned upside down and shaken.
Ving Rhames, as Kenneth, is AWESOME and I actually felt RELIEVED when his character entered the picture.
The acting is solid with performances by Jake Weber `Michael', Mekhi Phifer `Andre', Micahel Kelly `CJ', Bruce Bohne `Andy' and a bit part by Matt Frewer that is poignant and effective.
I was impressed by the casting. I was immediately and easily able to suspend disbelief and accept the characters as `real'. I do not expect character studies in these films, I expect sketches and fairly 2 dimensional attitudes. Kenneth, Michael and Andy were my favorite characters, but all of the `A' parts were well acted.
What was REALLY nice to see is that they stayed away from the Survival Horror stereotype characters - perhaps even introducing new ones. The characters responded `realistically' and "logically" to their situations (based on THEIR perspectives and perceived values.)
Andy on the Gunshop was clever and a very interesting part of the story.
While there are indeed some SHOCKS, I regret to say that they did "pull some punches". While not as pornographically gory as the Italian Splatterflicks or even the original, there were definitely guts, blood and exploding heads. But Private Ryan still holds the title for pure gore (I haven't seen the Passion yet). This was disappointing because instead of an original zombie flick this was a remake of a classic, one that defined a genre. To whimp out on the gore is nearly unforgivable.
Also missing was the campiness of the original, though there are plenty of intentional humorous incidents to punctuate the horror. Also gone are Romero's social commentaries. This film isn't about society, it is about surviving the insane.
The original holds a special place in my heart and I was VERY concerned about the remake - Hollywood has screwed up a lot of decent opportunities lately. I am pleased to say that this film was "done right".
Could it have been done better? Sure, but it will do as is, at least until the "uncut" version is released on DVD.
BTW, I really liked Savini's remake of Night of the Living Dead and in many ways prefer it over the original. Not that it is better, but I think it is better executed and I liked his spin. Therefore, since I liked the remakes of NotLD and DotD, then I actually look forward to and HOPE they remake Day of the Dead.
The Mad Hobbit's rating: "See it now".
SPOILERS:
Setting the stage with longshots of the city were AWESOME - a LOT to look at and just enough time to look, before we go back to action. In the first long shot of the city, watch the lower center of the screen at first, before gazing at the rest - you will have time.
The meeting of Ana and Kenneth was a bit contrived, but trust me, the movie quickly gets back on track.
The intro of the mall brought a delighted giggle from me.
The editing is a bit muddled at times, occasionally `skipping parts' that you need to mentally fill in, for instance how they gain entrance to the locked mall. These are few, and easily ignored, but I couldn't help but wonder why the cuts were made.
I wasn't fond of the change in how the dead are created. Bite only seems to make it a virus, I always preferred the `we just don't know' explanation.
A lot of people complained about the absence of `character' zombies, like> the Hare Krishnans, cheerleaders etc. I actually didn't mind the loss, in fact it would have been distracting.
I didn't like the whole dog storyline and thought that they pussied out by passing on some zombie dog possibilities.
Also, when the girl `Nicole'(?) goes to 'rescue' the dog, not only did I groan at the clichÃ© but I couldn't help wondering that if it was so easy for her to drive over to Andy's Gun Shop, why didn't they do it earlier?
When they finally leave in the shuttles, I still am not sure why the second one crashed - I felt it was again `contrived' instead of `natural or logical'.
BTW - do not jump up when credits roll, throughout the credits are glimpses of the REAL ending of the film. Which is not only cool but raises ANOTHER gripe, and a reason why I can't rave as heartily about this film, we really don't get to SEE the zombies in this film. Oh, sure there a few obligatory scenes, but the glimpses in the end credits really had me wishing there had been MORE.