Better than the original? Oh yeah!

Rating: Null/10 (27 March 2004)

It's been a long time that I've waited for a horror film to genuinely give you the creeps! And thankfully, Dawn Of the Dead delivers. I won't dwell too much on this, but suffice it to say, I haven't cringed so much in the first 10 minutes of a movie (don't worry, not going to spoil it). Even the opening titles remind you of when good horror movies were made (nice blood font by the way!)Oh, and good use of a Johnny Cash song.
Ok, I know Romero is the guy who started off this genre and hats off to him, but there's no crime in updating something and making it much better than before. They could've spoiled this by sticking in Hollywood teenagers, who'd have a helluva lot of trouble in convincing us they can save the world. What we get instead are a bunch of grown-ups who we believe in & sympathise with.

The film's violence is brutal and necessary...and funny. God, it deserves its R-Rating. What differs here is that when the heroes shoot the zombies, we actually see them doing it. In the original, there were too many implied shots, so we never got to see the full damage. Blame the editor. Thankfully here, we get to see the full-works and boy, is it fun to watch! Just don't eat too many ketchup-covered hotdogs while you are though ;-)
Last thing I want to do is praise all concerned. Romero for thinking up the whole thing in the first place and for director Snyder, who obviously knew how to tread carefully with the genre and pick the right ensemble.Thanks for not f***ing up there Zack! Sarah Polley is better than you'd think, and pulls off the gutsy female with a certain aplomb. Plus, she's kinda cute too. Mekhi Phifer is as good as always, while Jake Weber & Michael Kelly as redneck CJ are born to do their bit. Was it me, or did CJ's look remind you of a 70s pornstar? Special praise goes to Ving Rhames as Kenneth. He's a tough arsed mother and knows it too. If this were a real-life situation, I'd definitely follow his lead. Rhames can take any line and make it 10 times funnier and memorable too. Oh, and he knows how to handle a gun.
Come September for the US release on DVD, I want to see a gag reel on there guys! Will I watch this again? Bet your butt I will! This warrants repeat viewing!