A worthy remake...

Rating: 8/10 (14 July 2005)

I loved the original Dawn of the Dead. I remember seeing it as a young kid and being fascinated, shocked, repulsed and excited by the imageries shown in that film. The movie represented for me at the time everything that was adult and taboo.
The new remake is a complete makeover of the original: it is made for the MTV generation, with fast editing, quick pacing and unrelenting action. In other words, the new DOD is intended for mass consumption. And that is not a bad thing if it is done right, and, in my opinion, the new DOD gets it right.
There are more characters than in the original. And the new film clocks in at way below the two hour mark, whereas, if my memory serves me right, the original ran much longer than 2 hrs. The new version, therefore, lacks clearly defined characters, and the pacing of the film seems somewhat rushed under the limited time constraint.
However, the film is a hoot. It is briskly paced and the action sequences are furious at times. Also, it is a scary film. What the film lacks in characterization, it wholly makes up for it by turning the action meter on up high.
Undeniably, there will be die-hard fans of the original who will dismiss the new version as a needless remake. That is their right, and I support their right to their opinions. However, the new DOD is entertaining in its own right, i.e., as a divergent, action-oriented horror film.