Land of the Dead: Unrated Director’s Cut (DVD)
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When Land of the Dead, George A. Romero’s long-awaited follow-up to his zombie film series debuted in theaters last June, it was given mostly good reviews (73% fresh on the famous Tomato-Meter). Even though I am not actually a fan of zombie movies for the most part, even I gave it a left-handed thumbs-up because I knew it delivered what Romero’s fans want and expect. The DVD is more of the same: Giving the fans their due (and goo).
In case you haven’t seen it, the story line of the movie is simple: While a bloody war between the living and the dead rages on all around them, a microcosm of people live in their shopping-mall-perfect world, going about their days with their heads buried deep in the virtual sand as bloodthirsty, eerily evolving zombies lumber all around them.
Name actors (Dennis Hopper, Simon Baker, John Leguizamo, and Asia Argento) elevate the proceedings, as do Greg Nicotero’s groundbreaking zombie makeup effects and animatronic gags. Every undead creature is a “hero” zombie, ready for its close-up. In the DVD commentary and additional release material, Nicotero’s methodology as to why and how the flesh-eaters look, sound, and act the way they do is revealed in marvelous detail.
Those who love Romero’s inventive undead characters will get a real kick out the circus zombies, priest zombie, desperate housewife zombie, and the leads: Big Daddy zombie (Eugene Clark) and toothy zombie (Jennifer Baxter). Gore hounds will be rewarded with plenty of viscera, blood, bites, decapitations, head-shots, and gallons of goo.
- UNDEAD AGAIN: THE MAKING OF LAND OF THE DEAD - Go behind-the-scenes and onto the set for an insider's look at the blood, sweat and more blood that went into the creation of Land of the Dead. This one features lots of on-set interviews with the cast and crew, and reveals what keeps Romero, now in his mid-sixties, going through those long night shoots (cigarettes and coffee, but no mention of Altoids).
- A DAY WITH THE LIVING DEAD - From "first call" to "wrap," star John Leguizamo takes you on a humorous personal tour through an entire working day. Here you get to see the wisecracking actor French kiss a zombie dummy, interview Nicotero, and dog the films’ producers.
- THE REMAINING BITS - Not your average movie leftovers, these scenes are actually pretty entertaining and funny (fave scene: A man goes from kissing his girlfriend, to turning away to look at Big Daddy, to being kissed again by something that isn’t his girlfriend!).
- FEATURE COMMENTARY - Director George A. Romero guides you through his newest monsterpiece, with a little help from a producer and the screenwriter. This is somewhat interesting, but mostly flat commentary (although I do like Romero’s suggestion that he might next tackle zombie animals).
- WHEN SHAUN MET GEORGE - Stars from the cult hit Shaun of the Dead (Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright) have some ghoulish fun the cast and crew during their cameos.
- BRINGING THE DEAD TO LIFE - The film's makeup artist Nicotero offers a lot of insight into the fine art of crafting a convincing creepy zombie. We also get an inside look at KNB Studios in
- BRINGING THE STORYBOARDS TO LIFE- A step-by-step comparison of storyboard drawings and the final result captured on film.
- ZOMBIE EFFECTS: FROM GREEN SCREEN TO FINISHED SCENE- See how zombie-actors, an unfinished set and computer-generated imagery combine to create the chilling illusion of reality.
- SCENES OF CARNAGE- A music video featuring the movie's most outlandish scenes.
- SCREAM TESTS: ZOMBIE CASTING CALL- Real-life and computer-generated zombies strut their undead stuff.
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Reviewed by Staci Layne Wilson