Tense, thrilling, and truly entertaining, Dawn of the Dead gets a little dead in the middle, but its beginning and conclusion are both terrific and laced with moments that pushed me right to the edge of my seat.
Instead, it just plays like a typical zombie movie and, in that regard, it is a pretty good film. Not just a film where he smashes toys together and laughs maniacally like a seven year old, Snyder is largely restrained here. Instead, it just plays like a typical zombie The first Zack Snyder film I have enjoyed and it is largely because it is not his typical brand of childish filmmaking. The first Zack Snyder film I have enjoyed and it is largely because it is not his typical brand of childish filmmaking. Is it better than Romero's own sequel Day of the Dead? Good Lord yes. Is it one of the best films of 2004? Yes. Is Dawn of the Dead better than the original? I won't say. And instead of an outwardly hostile motorcycle gang, we have a more subtle power struggle between the otherwise powerless.) The updates honestly work, as a more literal remake would have simply fallen flat.
(Instead of zombies as consumer motif we have shooting undead celebrities. Director Zack Snyder wisely dumps much of Romero's sociological subplots and replaces them with a more timely commentary. It becomes a pretty good sized group at the mall and you end up slogging through some slow bits as the zombies eat it down to a more manageable size.The acting is across the board good and the effects are suitably gory and plentiful. By the time our band of protagonists gets to the mall they are not the only one's catching their breath. The opening twenty minutes in simply one of the scariest action packed sequences I have ever seen. It is one of the best action horror films of the last ten years. This is no shot for shot Psycho remake nor is it the same movie with a glossier CGI coat of paint. The first film after all was a pre-code affair.) Dawn of the Dead is in reality a different movie than the original. I'm sure back in 1941 that there were a couple of people complaining that Bogart was no Ricardo Cortez and the ruined the story by taking out the affair and homosexual subplots.
That Humphrey Bogart perennial was a remake of a 1931 film of the same name. (Easiest movie trivia question: What is the best film remake? The Maltese Falcon of course. I am still scared of ice cream trucks as a result of seeing that film when I was 9) Remakes themselves have a well deserved bad reputation. (One on mine is Assault on Precinct 13 that was remade recently and I just know I will be disappointed with the remake. You get an emotional attachment to films that scared you in your youth. (One on mine is Assault on Precinct 13 that was remade recently and I just know I Dawn of the Dead (2004): 10 out of 10: I sympathize with the fan boys that feel any remake of Dawn of the Dead is religious sacrilegious. Dawn of the Dead (2004): 10 out of 10: I sympathize with the fan boys that feel any remake of Dawn of the Dead is religious sacrilegious.