great horror movie that should please die-hard Romero fans and inspire new ones

Rating: 9/10 (9 March 2004)

POSSIBLE SPOILERS, I DONT THINK THEY ARE BUT SOME OF YOU MIGHT, THEY ARE VERY VAGUE THO........
i saw the movie last night at an advanced screening in manhattan, and all of my expectations were definitely met. i loved it, and every1 in the audience started clapping and cheering when it ended, something i havent seen happen in a long time. (do not leave right when the movie ends, zack snyder and company give us a little bonus footage during the end credits, a pretty creative and cool feature of the movie.) this was easily the most fun i've had watching a movie in a long time (besides Kill Bill). i have been a die-hard fan of the Romero Dead trilogy since i was like 10 years old, and i'm now 22 so thats 12 years of zombie support. like many others, i was a little nervous when i heard about this remake, but rest assured they nailed it and have made a great update that brings the story into 2004, embraces the fast-paced nature of modern horror, but also delivers a mood of nostalgia and uniqueness courtesy to zack snyder's creative directing skills. the only similarities between this and the original is the basic plot: survivors of the zombie plague take refuge in a mall and must learn to adapt within themselves and stay alive. other than that, this version takes the plot in many new directions, all effective and commendable. while there isnt the underlying consumerism theme or as much in-depth character studies as the original, the makers of this version wisely decided to focus more on the survival aspects, leaving the magic of the original alone. there are many likeable characters, especially those played by jake weber, ving rhames and mekhi phifer, all three give great performances and really bring you into their respective worlds of pain. ty burrell and michael kelly are also effective, adding enjoyable moments of comic relief that sparked big laughs from the audience i was with. sarah polley has a nice "girl-next door" appeal that makes her character very real. the rest of the characters are a bit thin, and you don't really get to know them much, but i expected this being that there are 15 people hiding in the mall and the film is an hour and 35 minutes. some of the best moments in character study included Kenneth's relationship with Andy in the gun shop across the way, Andre's desire to start a family and give his future child everything he didnt, and the zombie/ celebrity look-a-like shootings. please believe, there are plenty of zombie head gun shots, and the level of blood and gore is rather high for a hollywood movie. not as much flesh-eating as the original, but there are a few key money shots that cannibal hounds will enjoy (including a nice open stomach shot with a zombie feasting on insides). those looking for a lot of zombie action will be extremely happy, and the amount of zombies is crazy. very little CGI effects are used, and when they are, (like an aerial car crash shot and several zombies being ran over by a truck) they are done very well and do not look too fake. this was the most fun i've had at the movies in a long time, and i will definitely support and pay for this movie numerous times when it opens.(another cool thing was that when tom savini, ken foree and scott reiniger made their cool cameos, several people in the audience clapped and applauded, showing that many true Dead fans were in the building.) Zack Snyder has done an exceptional job for his first film, and he shoots each zombie attack very clearly, without the dizzying camera shots or quick editing found in 28 Days Later. he should definitely be commended, and the film makers should too for several small tributes to the original (like Gaylen Ross store and when the character Bart replies to Tom Savini's sheriffs comments by saying "see, that is a cool guy, he knows what we need to do" or something along those lines). this is the best horror movie to come out in many years, as it embraces its horror and doesnt insult the audiences intelligence at all. this film has many memorable moments and should stand alone nex to the original proudly, as long as original Dawn fans realize that this is a completely different approach to the story. the zombies found here are pretty scary, armed with great make-up and intense as hell, making for edge-of-your seat action sequences (such as the rescue of Nicole in the gun shop, the the sewer chase and the Arks drive thru the zombie-infested parking lot.) (how CJ makes their commute thru the lot easier is a really cool scene and received applause from the audience.) bottom line is this: zack snyder and universal pictures should be highly applauded for what they have done here, making an amazing zombie movie for 2004 that should go down as a zombie classic. old-school zombie fans should be very pleased, and new-school moviegoers should gain a nice liking for true zombie horror. make sure every1 runs to the theatre on march 19 and sees this movie, i promise you wont be disappointed at all. job very well done.