Bringing Down the Mall

Rating: 8/10 (13 July 2004)

Many argue George Romero's acclaimed Dawn of the Dead from 1978 remains one of the most poignant critiques of modern mercantile society, with its zombies analogous to raving shoppers clamoring to get their hands on what's inside the mall. As a celebrated release, DOTD78 may have little use for a remake, but sadly for it, the 2004 Zack Snyder refit brings to the screen enough class to qualify not only as the best zombie flick in a while, but to put Romero's original in the history books once and for all. There's a new undead king of the block in town, and it doesn't really even call itself a zombie movie. That's right, throughout the film's entire runtime not once is the Z word uttered, although characters do insinuate that "we all know what they are". What are they? In a bid to out-Capcom Resident Evil, DOTD04 postulates a ravaging, global plague of the ghoul-making variety rapidly decimating humanity all over the place. In a brazenly magnificent opening sequence, the story's background becomes vividly apparent and gripping. Hope has faded into nothingness. Suburbia is done for. A loosely-knit federation of survivors fortifies a local mall populated by made-up stores and semi-hostile security guards, not to mention several hungry flesh-munchers plus a horde of pissed-off super-undead at the double glass doors. Seemingly incompatible folk such as down-to-earth nurse Ana (Sarah Polly), sturdy cop Kenneth (Ving Rhames), sociopathic playboy Steve (Ty Burrell) and natural-leader Michael (Jake Weber) find themselves alone under the brunt of a surging, decaying tidal wave staffed by over-zealous Toronto-area extras. Mekhi Phifer delivers a young soon-to-be father overly protective of his young wife and unborn child, even though from the get go audiences realize this happens to be one pregnancy heading for disaster. Even Matt Frewer (Max Headroom!) stops by for a convincingly-eerie cameo. Together, the ragtag band must deal with issues like simple survival, handling infection victims with their transformation into zombies, taking in others as they arrive from the nightmarish outside, and plotting an escape route. These elements result in spurts of well-placed bloody gunfights that give an excellently urgent impression of just how unstoppable the walking corpses are. Very little suspense creeps into proceedings, partly because it stands as irrelevant. Savvy viewers with any knowledge of zombie lore should be able to fathom the story start to finish easily, meaning there's hardly any point using red herrings and plot twists in such a foregone conclusion.
What earmarks DOTD04 as a capable picture has more to do with its relentless pace, authentic atmosphere and efficient characters, who all execute respective roles with great acumen. Snyder and Co also do admirable balancing work, keeping things sane despite copious amounts of blood, gore, dismemberments and shots to the head. Dawn of the Dead pays homage to startlingly violent, not gross. It also encompasses almost everything an R rated product should have, .i.e swearing, smoking and sex, all in modest dosages, but nonetheless in attendance. Speaking of R ratings, Snyder has made a name for himself as a director fiercely loyal to the more mature segments of the movie going crowd, having declined projects like S.W.A.T for being PG-13. Good for him. In comparing Romero's own '78 release and this one, a few facts become immediately clear. Unlike his zombies, Snyder's run fast and claw with irritating vivacity, while their older siblings shambled around apathetically (as did all zombies in the past). Character names have changed, but the story goes more or less the same, helped along by tastefully utilized CGI ingredients and a more upbeat McGuyver-esque scene where our valiant live-ons construct means of courageous degress. Overall, the new edition will likely appeal to more people, as opposed to its cultish ancestor. All this even in the face of a relatively paltry budget (28 mill). Oh, modern times. To its detriment, DOTD04 and its official website fail to acknowledge recent counterparts like Resident Evil and House of the Dead, both accomplished entries to the genre, despite including a zombie timeline (which mysteriously stops around 1999...). Furthermore, although thrilling and smooth, the movie lacks any memorable one-liners, which always help augment movies so nicely. For something a bit braver than your typical weekend foray, and definitely more colorful than most of its contemporaries combined, check out Dawn of the Dead and keep telling yourself its popcorn the guy in the back row's eating. Sure, popcorn.
Rating: * * * 1/2