Solid film, whether you like horror movies or not

Rating: 8/10 (10 February 2005)

I just saw this one yesterday on video. I must first off confess that I haven't seen the original "Dawn of the Dead" except for brief clips(which really shouldn't count). I must say I was impressed.
I will also cop to the fact that I am not ordinarily a horror film fan. That isn't to say I haven't seen my fair share of scary flicks be it cheesy and formulaic(i.e. most of the Friday the 13th series,the first "Poltergeist for examples) or classic("Psycho","Carrie","NIght of the Living Dead" come to mind),but I don't think I could call myself an aficionado of the genre. Having said that,I would recommend this film to either horror buffs and even non-buffs,but the latter on one condition:that you have a high tolerance for gore.
By now,you know the scenario:a group of basically ordinary people hide out at a mall,trying to stay safe and stave off a seemingly endless waves of flesh and brain-eating undead. Naturally,a level of claustrophobia envelops the group and it becomes as much a psychological drama as it is an emotional thriller. For all you uber violence fans out there,there's plenty of killing,crashing and explosions to keep you sated. Ving Rhames and JAke Webber really stand out among the survivors here,though I gotta give credit to Sarah Polley for adding a level of thoughtful dignity to her character in a film type she's not ordinarily associated with. A mostly obscure cast(that seems predominantly Canadian!hmmmmn) fills out this cast,exceptions being Mekhi Pfeifer and Matt Frewer(Max Headroom,anyone?). The makeup effects for the zombies are strangely showcased in full in only two parts of the movie: the very beginning and toward the end. The credits were probably consisting of mostly fx,makeup,pyrotech,stunts and cameras.No surprise there really,and they do their jobs superbly!
To those who want to see a wild,explosive action/horror hybrid of a film,I recommend it. 8 out of 10 stars.