Unique enough to be watched and enjoyed on its own merit

Rating: 7/10 (24 July 2007)

Dawn of the Dead follows the same basic plot as George Romero's 1978 original. The dead are coming back to life to prey on the living. Amid the chaos a small miss-matched group of survivors escape to a shopping mall and use the building as a last line of defense against the swarms of zombies closing in on them. However, beyond this basic back bone the two films are markedly different in how they play out.
This new film puts the emphasis on gore and action to drive its momentum. Contrast this with the original which stressed suspense much more effectively. The cast is also much larger than that of the original and as you'd imagine this gives considerably more fodder for elaborate death scenes. Unfortunately character development has been sacrificed considerably with only a few spouting enough personality for us to care much about them. Gone as well is the original's often scathing social commentary into consumerism and societal apathy. The new film also manages to be surprisingly humorous at times. The bit where Andy is shooting zombies from the rooftop who resemble celebrities is priceless.
So is the remake as good as the original? No, but it offers enough new elements to merit its existence unlike the bulk of shallow ill-conceived remakes we've had to deal with lately. Give it shot.