More rip-off than remake

Rating: 4/10 (23 March 2004)

Being a huge fan of Romero's original, I couldn't wait to see an updated version of the movie that haunted my teen years. I even was all ready to get advanced tix for the opening day. But after seeing the film's first 10 minutes on the USA network, I became less than enthused. And after seeing the rest of the movie, I feel more than cheated. This version is more like a rip-off of 28 Days Later than a remake of the original Dawn. The sluggish, dreamlike movements of the zombies are replaced with the jerky, rabid sprint that rendered 28 Days refreshing and original. This lame "remake" even stole the staccato camera style of 28 Days. Of course, the plot is laughable (not in an ironic way either) and the characters half dimensional - but what really ruined this flick is its utter disregard to its original material. The CGI peppered throughout also prove that nothing can beat the low-budget creepiness created by good old Karo syrup, red food color and overcooked pasta (see brains and intestines). At best, this is an above-ground Resident Evil. 4 out of 10.