Review of "Dawn of the Dead" (2004)

Some people (the live ones, presumably) are wondering whether the Dawn of the Dead remake will be a parody of Zombie-master George Romero's 1978 hit and cult favorite. While there are a few moments of levity in the new Dawn of the Dead, I am pleased to report that it is indeed a straight ahead horror movie. Some of the most intense moments of Dawn of the Dawn happen right in the beginning - as the words, "Universal Pictures Presents" appear on the screen, your knuckles are already white. And you know you are in for a heart-pounding, wild ride.

The story itself hasn't changed much. Basically, all hell breaks loose when a typical U.S. town is turned upside-down by a mysterious plague-like event in which millions of corpses walk the earth as blood-thirsty zombies. A small group of survivors fight the good fight. They include Ana (Sarah Polley), Kenneth (Ving Rhames), and Andre (Mekhi Phifer) with his very pregnant girlfriend, Luda (Inna Korobkina).

They take refuge in the aptly-named Crossroads Mall (there's seditious symbolism all over the place in Dawn of the Dead), only to encounter armed mall guards who don't want to share their safe-house. In they come anyway (Kenneth is a burly cop, and Ana is scrappy as all get-out), where they are soon joined by more survivors of the plague (some cool character actors, including Matt Frewer and Jayne Eastwood, are in the mix). Meanwhile, hordes of hungry cannibalistic undead types are rioting outside the mall, blocking any hope of the group getting out and away to possible safety.

Unlike Romero's films, there aren't long, lingering shots of lumbering zombies. These zombies are lightning quick (think: 28 Days Later) and newcomer director Zach Snyder keeps his edits that way, too (good most of the time, bad when he cuts away much too quickly from long-anticipated reveals). Without being overly fond, Snyder does spend enough time with the characters to let us get to know them, and yes, even care about them. But don't worry; there aren't any tedious back stories or boring, maudlin speeches. Instead, the character's quirks are revealed through their actions and deeds.

The horror elements are handled with surgical precision. The bloody and rotting zombies are scary and truly menacing. There's even a fine and faithful pooch put into peril, and a zombie mistaken for a harmless old woman, not to mention countless narrow escapes. And (don't tell me you didn't see this coming) when Luda gives birth to her baby in a darkened storeroom in the mall, it's practically an ad for abstinence.

In a world flooded with remakes (nearly 40 of them coming out or ending production in this year alone), how does Dawn of the Dead stack up? It's a good one. Maybe it's not a great, classic piece of horror, but it certainly won this non-zombie fan and doubter over.

Review by Staci Layne Wilson for Horror.com

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