A brilliant piece of work

Rating: 10/10 (3 March 2006)

From the point of view of somebody who had never seen a zombie movie before Dawn of the Dead (and I doubt there are many besides me), I was impressed and surprised by the quality and entertainment value of this gory treat. Fans of blood, guts, desperate survivors and apocalyptic situations will be glad to know that Dawn of the Dead jumps straight into the action, with neither complicated technobabble nor a long-winded back-story. The actors - who look closer to actual people than the air-brushed clones so frequently seen in other movies - are convincing and engaging as the few survivors holed up in a local shopping mall while zombies roam the streets. Rather than hiding the delightful and clearly expensive special effects in shrouds of colorless gloom, this movie has both bright sunlight and dark, tense moments. Viewers will remain enthralled as the initial fleeing from the zombies gives way to plans, character conflicts and both happy and sad moments. All in all, a brilliant piece of work with a nightmare-like atmosphere.