Bite Me

Rating: 7/10 (8 December 2005)

While the most loyal Romero fans might have you believe this remake isn't a patch on the original, this "re-imagining" as it should really be defined, is refreshingly good.
In fact, this is probably the best example of a remake in some time, and adds a much needed shot of adrenalin into the rather lacking zombie genre.
As i said before, this movie is less a remake and more a re-imagining of the original. There's very little in common with Romero's films, and the shopping mall aside, we're offered an entirely new cast of characters, a brand new scenario and a far less claustrophobic feel than the original. This movie tries to steer away from the safe and cautious frame by frame approach, and instead opts to go in it's own individual direction, affectionately referencing it's roots, without lifting too much.
As a completely stand alone movie, and not in any way connected with the Savini remake of "Night of the Living Dead", this movie throws it's lead (played by Sarah Polley) straight into a zombie over-run world.
The set up for the story is brief and speedy enough, but still manages to convey enough about the lead character whilst dropping hints that things are soon to go wrong. The pre-credit sequence is one of the most energetic moments in recent film history, acting as a highlight of the movie, and setting the scene for what's to come.
Abandoning the relatively slow and scattered build up of the original, this movie, like it's zombies, builds up at a sprinting pace. The film is often relentless, and with the exception of a few questionable dialogue scenes, it's unlikely anyone might find the film a boring experience.
However, the quick and unforgiving nature of the movie also offers up perhaps the biggest drawback. Unlike Romero's original, we barely get time to fully understand or explore the cast of characters. There is some effort to open up the various personalities (especially with the core group) but overall, we're offered two dimensional, hollow caricatures. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, and for the general viewing audience, those on screen are entertaining enough in their various roles, but for those who enjoy a little character development, and valued the original movie's slow, ever unfolding pace, it might be hard to find any real handle with which to fully appreciate the characters.
However, saying that, the primary players in this movie all fill their roles well enough. Sarah Polley, Ving Rhames and Jake Weber put in sound performances, and the secondary cast play their roles well enough, despite their being one too many clichÃ©s for my liking. Then again, it's good to see such a healthy and diverse cast in a horror movie like this.
The gore-hounds should love this movie too. There's more than enough blood and cuts on offer, and more times than not, the moments of gore are far beyond what you might expect from a horror movie. Some real attention has been played to making the most of this gross-out moments, and while it might not be to everyone's taste, it should certainly appeal to those whose taste it does accommodate to.
To conclude; this movie definitely knows where it's at. It doesn't delude itself to thinking it's high art, and doesn't try to convey any deep and meaningful message or make a comment on the state of society today. Although the Director's Cut of this does include some scenes of this nature (which in my opinion, just don't work) the theatrical release of the film finds just the right balance between the action, horror and drama, with more than a few moments of genuine humor thrown in for good measure.
All in all, a strong example of the genre, and an impressive reinvention of the zombie sub-genre.