Surprisingly good remake

Rating: 8/10 (18 February 2010)

This film had all the hallmarks of being a disaster: it was was based on a very popular and critically acclaimed horror, it was directed by a first-time director and was going to take a glossy approach compared to the original. But luckily the first-time director was Zack Snyder, a man who was known for doing adverts, and a man who picks his projects carefully. He ends up doing the important and making a good re-make of a horror classic.
In the American state of Wisconsin the zombie virus suddenly spreads, causing death and destruction around the world. In the middle of this is Ana (Sarah Polley), a nurse who has to go on the run after her husband and friends are turned. She joins up with a group of survivors, including a cop/former marine Kenneth (Ving Rhames), Michael (Jake Weber), petty criminal Andre (Mekhi Phifer) and his pregnant wife Luda (Inna Korobkina). They decide to hold themselves up in local shopping mall with a team of security guards. More survivors join them, but soon becomes clear that they could only stay in the mall for a limited amount of time, especially with the survivors turning on themselves.
As stated, Snyder is a director who picks his projects carefully. He rejected the chance to direct SWAT because it wouldn't be R-rated, and later on rejected doing X-Men 3 because he wanted to do 300, and rejected doing Wolverine because it wouldn't be R-rated and so he could direct Watchmen. Some first-time directors are so desperate to direct a Hollywood, that they don't think about the consequences for their career. But this didn't happen to Snyder. Horror remakes often repeat the same plot of the origin, but have more glossy violence, and making the film a boring experience. What Snyder and the writers avoid this: they follow the same basic plot, survivors are under siege in a mall, but they make a different film to George A. Romero, following a different storyline.
Snyder shows his skill as a director, films some fine action scenes, showing he can deliver a few good scares and makes a exciting gore action (it is acceptable for zombie films to be gory). The opening is particularly good moment, with good scares, a shot scene involving Ana driving her car away from her house, and with a zombie following her. The opening credits were also well used to show the impact the rise of the zombies with news footage around the world. Snyder also casts some actors more famous for smaller roles. Ving Rhames is a talented actor and he role was very similar to Ken Foree in the original. Mekhi Phifer too is a good actor, and a decent bit of casting. Sarah Polley was a compelling led and with Ving Rhames made a good team. However some of the acting does slip a little at times.
The remake never has George A. Romero's political message about American consumerism. They is a little nod to American militarism but that was really an after thought then any real political insight. This film just sets out to be fun, popcorn version of this story. Snyder was also influenced by Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later, allowing the zombies to run. This must have been because of that film's success and try and make Dawn of the Dead more action packed.
A good remake and a good debut for Snyder.