This was definetly not a remake....

Rating: Null/10 (24 March 2004)

I don't care what anybody says, this movie was not a remake. The only thing the new Dawn has in common with the original is the fact that it is a zombie movie that is set in a shopping mall at one point. Romero, however, used the shopping mall as a means of creating a social satire while Snyder on the other hand seemed to use the shopping mall location simply so he could stamp the name "Dawn of the Dead" on his piece of celluoid to increase fan base and profits.
Now despite my gripe with it being labeled a remake, I still found the film to be fairly enjoyable. It was a very slick blood and guts horror movie but tastefully done. I was a little dissapointed with the character development though. In the original Dawn, we are introduced to the four primary characters within the first fifteen minutes and find ourselves spending personal, intimate moments with them as they struggle with themselves and the elements for the next two hours. In the remake there were just too many characters for me to become attached to any particular one and consequently, I found myself not caring whether many of them lived or died.
One advantage the "remake" had over the original was the fantastic special effects. The zombies in the "remake" were very believable and terrifying while in original they were simply people with blue face paint on. This brings me to my next point - the running zombies. All I can say to that is - not cool Snyder, not cool.