Dawn of the Dead

Movie Name: Dawn of the Dead
Year of Release: 2004
Director: Zack Snyder
Starring: Sarah Polley, Ving Rhames, Jake Weber, Michael Kelly, Ty Burrell, Mekhi Phifer, Kevin Zegers, Michael Barry, Lindy Booth, Jayne Eastwood, Boyd Banks, Matt Frewer, Kim Poirier, R.D. Reid, Inna Korobkina
Genre: Horror
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6
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Synopsis and Review:

Director Zack Snyder made a name for himself in the 90s as a commercials and music video director. His feature film debut, "Dawn of the Dead", which made its debut in March of 2004, is in fact a remake of the film with the same title from writer/director George A. Romero, which originally came out in 1978 (in the US it premiered in 1979). This adaptation hailing from writer/director James Gunn (who more recently wrote and directed "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2"), follows the story of a group of characters who find themselves sequestered in a mall, when there's a worldwide zombie outbreak. The group is initially comprised of Ana, a nurse who narrowly escaped her husband who tried to attack her, after being bitten by a zombie neighbor, Kenneth, a police officer who is hoping to reconnect with his brother in a fort that he thinks is invulnerable to the hordes of zombies. They are joined by Michael, a sensible salesman, Andre and his pregnant fiancee Luda. Upon hiding in the mall, the group has to contend with the security mall professionals, all of whom are not very happy to see the addition to their safe haven. As the group figures out a way to co-exist, they are soon joined by a few more individuals, who are also looking for an escape from the hordes. As the group expands, so do the zombies surrounding the mall, intent on attacking. The group decides to strategize, and escape in a few buses in the direction of the marina, specifically for a boat owned by one of the group members. But until they get there, they have to overcome a city overrun with zombies.

The original "Dawn of the Dead" was met with good reviews, since it managed to marry the gruesome aspect of a zombie apocalypse with social commentary on material society, specifically by placing the characters inside a mall. While this adaptation loses some of that perspective, or for that matter loses nuance on social and racial dynamics, it still manages to give just enough dimension to the characters, for the narrative to still retain its interest and make the film more than just a gratuitous and bloody venture into the zombie genre. The director does infuse the film with some stylistic approaches that are quite interesting, balancing the visual style with enough character development within the elements of the group, rendering them as more than typical (and underdeveloped) clichés. The cast is led by the always fantastic Sarah Polley, with great support from Ving Rhames, Jake Weber and Michael Kelly. The camera work and cinematography from Matthew F. Leonetti and his team is excellent. While not as incisive as George Romero's original, it's still an entertaining film worth watching.