Gross, Funny, Good

Rating: 6/10 (4 November 2004)

I'll be the first to admit that the horror genre is not high on my list of favorites, so I'll freely admit I'm not as qualified to comment on 'Dawn of the Dead' as some. But I have to say the remake is just better than the original. I like the 1978 version of 'Dawn of the Dead,' and I was skeptical when I first heard about the remake to the point of being dismissive about it. But the effects were better, the sequences tighter, and the sense that the characters were really fighting for their lives much more immediate. The first ten minutes alone are more intense than anything that happens in the original (I know, I know, but, by comparison, the opening moment of the 1978 film are a disorienting, absurdly gory, muddled mess). I also know that the movie breaks a cardinal rule of the zombie film by allowing the zombies the ability to move quickly, but it really only helps the movie. Frankly, I think it's a lot scarier to have a raving thing come at you at top speed rather than just kind of lumber. I'll agree, the gallows humor and social commentary of the original are missing, but so is the bicycle gang.
I mean, really.
Come on.
What was that about?