Rent the Original

Rating: 5/10 (26 March 2004)

I am a fan of the original "Dawn of the Dead". I was in high school at the time and it was the first movie that really scared the bejesus out of me. The extreme gore, and the heartpounding opening sequence where a group of people escape within inches of their lives. This movie feels like it would've been better with another rewrite. It's too scattered to feel that sense of danger. Only the 3 main characters thankfully have a bit of depth. When the rest of the troop bites it over the the course of the movie, it's little more than scorekeeping for the audience.
At least the film tried to explore a couple different angles from the first. But it feels like the first film had a bigger budget. There are stretched out moments with no action, even our friends the zombies don't appear for long periods of time. I liked some of the morality play, and Jake Weber does a solid job as the voice of reason.

I just didn't get the heebie jeebies like I thought I would. "28 Days Later" got some good attention, because you could sense the fear. A tighter script with more action would have drawn you in more. Nevertheless, the success of this one will draw out a sequel. Maybe there will be better ideas and a better budget next time.
5 out of 10.