School report about this wonderful film

Rating: 10/10 (14 April 2004)

Dawn of the Dead was recreated just a few short weeks ago. The original screenplay, written by George A. Romero, was combined with the one written more recently by James Gunn. I think Gunn did a wonderful job keeping the original story intact while adding a bit of humor and his own style to the movie. The movie was directed by Zack Snyder and produced by Eric Newman, Marc Abraham, and Richard Rubinstein. It was done by Universal studios and was released in March 2004. The movie is rated R for pervasive strong horror violence and gore, language and sexuality. The leading actors were well chosen in my opinion, and include Sarah Polley as the lead actress and Ving Rhames and Jake weber as leading actors. I think this movie fits in well with Romero's former films. Although it has a bit more humor to it, it still retains the original gore and horror. This movie will shock you at some points, and have you giggling at others. It's a wonderful remake of a wonderful movie. The plot can simply be summarized as `zombies are killing EVERYONE,' which is to be expected when seeing a Romero film. It starts out in a small town, showing the havoc that this new virus is reeking. No one is sure exactly what is going on, but the only sure thing is to watch your back at all times. People are on a rampage, killing and eating everyone in site. One woman runs into a cop, who lets her tag along with him. They soon find 3 more folks who are heading to the mall. As anyone who has seen the original will know, this is where the bulk of the movie will take place. The long series of scenes at the mall are very different. Some are humorous, while others are violent and gory. The movie rolls onward as the plan their escape from the mall, and they venture outward. The acting was very well done. I very much enjoyed how Ana, or Sarah Polley, didn't act like most women in zombie movies. She took situations head on, and didn't scream and whine about what was occurring. Kenneth, or Ving Rhames, was a very good team `badass.' He made sure stuff was done right. Michael, or Jake Weber, added a sense of romance, while still adding to the comedic value of some scenes. As in the original `Night of the Living Dead,' we are given someone to hate. We hated `Cooper' in that one and we definitely hate, or love, Steve in this movie. He did a great job of p***ing everyone off and saving his own ass in all situations. All things considered, I think the cast did a great job of recreating this masterpiece. Several camera angles were used throughout the movie to show that a surprise was coming. You see someone go to a door and slowly open it, showing a close-up of the person of the door handle, only to find a zombie jump out at them. The slowed down movement lets you know something is going to happen, but it always scares you when it does. I don't understand why, but this technique seems to always do its job. One technique which has been widely used lately, was the combining of comedy with horror. This movie however, I believe utilizes this technique to the fullest. `Scary Movie' for example, completely got rid of the horror while adding a large amount of comedy. This was somewhat of a letdown as it turned from horror spoof, into `stupid teen comedy.' `Dawn of the Dead' added comedy amidst the horror, but only at appropriate times. At times where there was a break in the action, or times when you would least expect it, the writers through in a joke, or ironic situation to keep the viewers laughing and scared at the same time. The production techniques used and many of the camera angles added to the already wonderful story in the film. I've read before that there was symbolism behind the mall itself. The original was put out at a time when malls were beginning to gain popularity. People were flocking to malls to get `whatever they wanted' in one place. So these people, in a time of terror, go to the mall. Some believe Romero was mocking the population in some respects, since these people did not spend all their time trying to better their situation, but used much of it just getting `whatever they wanted. This time however it was free, and it showed the greed of humans. Greed, or in this case selfishness, can lead to stupid situations. One man ties his dead, now `zombified,' wife to a bed in an attempt to bring his unborn child into the world. He knows the pain and suffering he is putting his wife through, but continues to do it. His situation does not, however, end up exactly as planned. This is another way Romero and Gunn could be mocking the population. I think the underlying theme behind much of this movie is that humans are stupid, greedy, and self centered. I would give this movie a 10/10, had it been filmed in Monroeville Mall. (Since I am from Pittsburgh) However, I will still give it a 9/10. I highly suggest seeing it, but not until you see the original. I would also suggest seeing the original Dawn of the dead, Day of the dead, Night of the Living dead, and Return of the dead, although Return is not a Romero film. I would also urge you to go see this movie now. Don't wait for it to come out on video, as it is one of my favorite movies of late. The humor adds so much to this wonderful classic, which can appeal to any audience, young or old.