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Everyone when
they review this title immediately pulls out the original as a point of
reference by George Romero. Well, I'm sorry but I can't make comparisons as I
haven't seen the original. All I know is that this movie absolutely ruled.
Dawn of the
Dead deals with a virus that is sweeping across the world, transferred from
victim to victim through biting. Victims rapidly pass away then come back to
horrid life and an uncontrollable thirst for blood. It might be your next door
neighbour, it might be your wife or kids, the virus kills then reanimates with
such speed.
Part of the
appeal of this film for me was the fact that most of the attacks and zombies
appeared in everyday situations in full daylight, something that normally
isn't tried in this sort of film. Another first for me was that these zombies
actually run after their prey which in my mind is even more scary than the
shambling messes that we are used to. They are aggressive and whilst still as
essentially stupid as most zombies, still seem to possess some sort of uncanny
intelligence in terms of aggression.
The daylight
factor of this film combined with the start (which will really amaze), is what
really put this movie up there for me in terms of enjoyment. The plot is well
paced and our select group of hero/ines were likeable and well characterised
by the actors. There are a few times that you shake your head a little bit but
overall this is one really neat movie.
The video and
audio for this movie was sweet and the soundtrack in general added well to the
pacing of the entire feature. All the speakers in my surround setup were put
to good use and there wasn't really anything to complain about in regards to
picture quality either other than a bit of persistent edge enhancement and
lack of shadow depth in some scenes. Overall though I wasn't fazed at all by
it.
Talk about
getting a treat in the extras department! This disc is packed for fans of the
show, covering ground from audio commentaries, through to special effects
wizardry, through to a spoof movie already created that looks like it's going
to be hilarious "Shaun of the Dead"!.
Another nice
touch was the featurette called "The Lost Tape: Andy's Last Days" which shows
Andy (the owner of the gun shop, and no I can't tell you more as it will wreck
it for you). This was shot on DV and tells the story from Andy's perspective
as the virus overtakes the town he lives in. It's a gritty kind of filming
when you make the move from the main feature to footage as raw as this.
There's a
newscast about the virus infecting the world that runs for about 22 minutes
and is set up as a proper bulletin with some odd moments that occur during it.
It is also shot on what appears to be DV (Digital Video).
Rounding out
the rest of the feature are some great special effects showing exploding heads
and the process that went into creating so many zombies for a movie shot
mainly in daylight. Wait and see how much planning went into the different
stages of virus infection to see the level of dedication the filming and make
up team had.
All things
said and done this is a great film, highly enjoyable and highly recommended.
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