Dawn of the Dead (2004) with Ving Rhames, Sarah Polley

Review by Dan Taylor

Dawn of the Dead (2004) Modern remakes of horror classics tend to fall into one of two categories. There are the well-crafted re-inventions like Chuck Russell's THE BLOB, John Carpenter's THE THING and David Cronenberg's THE FLY. All of which were smart and satisfying standalones, not beholden to the beloved originals. Then there are the flicks like the recent remake of THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, BRAM STOKER'S DRACULA and Tobe Hooper's INVADERS FROM MARS which seem to exist only to cash in on memories of a better flick from an earlier generation.

Zack Snyder's take on George A. Romero's classic DAWN OF THE DEAD falls somewhere in the middle, not unlike Tom Savini's remake of Romero's groundbreaking NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD. Neither is a particularly inventive re-imagining, but they're not a slap in the face of the original either.

Scripted by TROMEO AND JULIET scribe James Gunn (who also gave us SCOOBY-DOO, now there's a resume!), DAWN starts off with a bang. As Ana (Sarah Polley) returns home from her nursing shift at a local hospital, only the slightest hints that all hell is breaking loose trickle through the radio's news reports. An ill-timed round of slap and tickle in the shower keeps she and hubbie from seeing a Special News Report on TV and by then it's too late. The suburban Wisconsin neighborhood is a war zone, filled with gun-toting neighbors and blood-soaked zombies searching for their next meal.

Ana eventually ends up at the local mall with a band of survivors that includes a divorced dad (Jake Webber) and a black cop (Ving Rhames), along with a gang banger (Mikhi Phifer) and his seriously preggo girlfriend. Though the mall is under the "control" of white-trash security guard CJ (Michael Kelly who delivers the flick's best performance) and his cronies, we know it's only a matter of time before Ving and Co. take charge. More survivors eventually arrive (including 'Max Headroom' star Matt Frewer), completing the cast's stereotype quota with an obnoxious rich guy (Ty Burrell), slutty chick, farmer guy, unattached cute chick, etc.

With all the players in place it's time for the action to kick into high drive and the filmmakers deliver in spades. With nods to everything from IT'S ALIVE and Romero's unfilmed DEAD RECKONING to the Mad Max series and THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT, Snyder packs the flick's last reel with ill-advised rescue attempts, a blood-soaked dash for freedom and a pathos-filled finale that works without resorting to horror flick hysterics (thanks in large part to the actors involved).

So, how does it compare to Romero's original, which easily ranks as one of the most intense and well-crafted horror flicks of all-time thanks to its low-gloss indie feel, sly social commentary and exhilarating action sequences? Gunn and Snyder steer clear of most of the opportunities for social commentary and probably for good reason. For one, many of the actors just aren't up to the task, including Pfifer who delivers a speech about giving his baby everything he never had like he's ordering from a fast food menu. Second, would today's audience care about jabs at consumer consumption shoehorned into a blood and guts zombie shoot 'em up? Judging from the crowd at Sunday's matinee, I'm guessing any message would be lost as they awaited the next blood-spattering effects shot. Instead, they wisely slip in more subtle nods like naming the mall's coffehouse Hallowed Grounds and even calling the mall Crossroads.

In the end, DAWN 2004 delivers solid horror entertainment for your buck. Exceeding all my expectations, it packs some nifty surprises into its familiar package and left me wanting more. Maybe its success will finally allow Romero to make his long-awaited fourth zombie epic.

Hey Kids... want to have some more zombie fun? Check out ZOMBIE 3, ZOMBIE 4, CITY OF THE WALKING DEAD, ALIEN DEAD, BEYOND RE-ANIMATOR, GATES OF HELL, DEMONS 2, 28 DAYS LATER, BONES, THE CONVENT, HOUSE BY THE CEMETERY...