Rent Dawn of the Dead on Amazon Video (paid link)
Written by: George A. Romero (writer, 1978 screenplay), James Gunn (screenplay)
Directed by: Zack Snyder
Starring: Sarah Polley, Ving Rhames, Mekhi Phifer, Jake Weber, Ty Burrell, Michael Kelly, Matt Frewer
Rated: R
Watch the trailer
Plot
A nurse, a policeman, a young married couple, and other survivors of a worldwide plague that produces aggressive, flesh-eating zombies take refuge in a mega shopping mall.
Verdict
With a promising start and a couple of memorable moments this has a solid premise, but it clearly loses the thread towards the end. This lacks a story, and it's clear the movie attempts an action oriented conclusion just to have a big finish rather than to create something logical. It hopes that explosions and gunfire will suffice instead of offering a finale that digs deeper and offers a satisfying conclusion for these characters.
It depends.
Review
The opening scenes feature plenty of foreshadowing. We all know what's about to happen, and that just adds to the anticipation. It's just a question of when. We don't wait long. This jumps into it with little delay just as it should. That's just the introduction, and it's good.
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| Jake Weber, Mekhi Phifer, Inna Korobkina, Ving Rhames, Sarah Polley play Michael, Andre, Luda, Ken, Ana |
Five survivors encounter each other near a shopping mall and decide it's the right spot to weather an apocalypse. I'm not sure the mall is the best place, but it does provide plenty of supplies. It also has a lot of doors that they don't really check. How are only three security guards in the mall? These guards don't like sharing their fort, and that leads to a regime change.
The characters are all pretty flat, just filling space during scenes. You wouldn't realize the world has ended based on their emotional state. They don't have a plan of escape; they seem content to stay at the mall. Only one of them wants to find his family, but he's easily dissuaded.
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| Ving Rhames plays Ken Hall |
The survivors fulfill their consumer fantasies in the mall, acquiring everything they want. When that grows old, they pick off zombies from the horde outside. That leads to the most comical scene, and a scene that feels authentic. It's a lot of ghouls, more than anyone would consider reasonable. I guess everyone had the same idea of heading to the mall. Consumerism even in death. Through their time on the rooftop of the mall, they befriend the owner of a nearby gun shop. He runs out of supplies and they intervene and ultimately stage a suicide mission to the gun shop. It's a dumb decision that gives the movie some action and adds a goal. I get wanting to save one of their own, but they gloss over the consequences. That's when this loses the thread. It's wild action and ridiculous decisions just for the sake of an action packed finale. Dumb decision beget drama, but it's hollow.
The ending is bleak, but fitting. There is no safe place. It's a fun zombie movie, but it just feels lacking. None of the characters are very developed, and for most zombie movies that's okay, but this could have done more.
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