Dawn of the Dead (remake)

[RegularKarate]

I'm always behind on these things... I really need to catch up... SXSW should have been three weeks earlier, when there was nothing out.

Anyway, I really liked this.  Remake or not.

It took the basic ideas and themes behind the original and turned it into a really well executed zombie movie.  The first twenty minutes were the most amazing, of course.  Towards the end it got a little ridiculous, but I was already with them by that point and I enjoyed the ride.

I think the update of the zombie was an okay idea.  I prefer the slower, Romero zombie, but these lent more to faster paced action and tension.  The zombies were still mindless consumers like Romero's, but these zombies were greedier, they wanted thier lattes and they wanted them yesterday!!!

***SPOILERS***

I didn't like the very end end... during the credits... I hate that fucking song and the film should have ended more ambiguously.

[modage]

In a couple recent interviews Synder and Gunn allude to the fact that they never really wanted to remake Dawn of the Dead. They wanted to do their own zombie film but Universal insisted on the title. Hence the re-imaging/re-envisioning tagline.

well i guess that helps a little bit.  i actually did end up seeing this tonite with my dad and i thought it was okay/good.  i havent seen the damn original in years so we will watch that tomorrow night for a more direct 'comparison', but this film did have its moments.

i'll have to agree that slow moving zombies are better.  fast ones worked in 28 days later, but there was no need for them in this.  the whole thing is that there are so many of them they dont have to move fast, theyll find a way in and eventually overtake you.  strength in numbers, not in speed/cunning.  

some of the shots were a little too commercial/music video-y for my taste, and did anyone else notice how randomly a few scenes were ultra grainy blown out like rodrigo prieto was their DP or something?   the blonde character was pretty pointless, except for the nudity, which was also pointless.  interesting how these characters exist in some alternate universe that has been living under a rock for 30 years because they were unaware of what zombies were.  pretty rare for a post-scream horror film to not be aware of how things work.  although perhaps refreshing to not have all the characters walking through the film trying to be smarter than the film they're in.  

i thought the best parts were at the end when they got outside finally into the sea of zombies and target practice on the roof. "jay leno!"  the most shocking part was when the van crashed and the pointless girl got chainsawed in half. some good gore though.  i love how, they are allowed to show the sort of violence they could NEVER show if it were like a war movie, but because theyre 'zombies' you can see people getting their heads blown off and shit left and right.  haha, mpaa.  so, better than TCM remake but not as good as 28 days later, which although i didnt care for the 3rd act either, was sort of fresh in the way it 'borrowed' all its ideas.  this was okay though.  i'd watch it again.

[markums2k]

the nudity ... was ... pointless

See horror films much?  

[modage]

i just saw the orignal dawn for the first time in like 10 years and apparently my memory of it was a lot more rosecolored than i had thought.  night of the living dead kicks that films ass 100 times over.  its problem was that there wasnt much going on EXCEPT the subtext, which i generally prefer left to the sub-part.  there were few scares of any kind and not a whole lot of plot even or action to keep the 'story' (i use that loosely) going.  so in retrospect, perhaps this was a film that could've used a good remaking and i guess thats what it got.  remakes still suck, but i guess this one was pretty good.  it still had its problems that kept me from loving it, but compared to what we have to work with these days i guess it was pretty fun and could've been a lot worse.

[bonanzataz]

i went to see this last night. i was really looking forward to it and had been planning to go for a really long time and this weekend i finally had the time. i was really into it, i thought it looked really cool, and was real excited to see what happened. but it just didn't work out that way. the fucking projector broke in the middle of the goddamn movie and the fucking theater owners don't give refunds, they give you movie passes that are incredibly small so that you lose them easier. and i hate that theater and don't plan on going back there. it SUCKS!

[MacGuffin]

Source: Dark Horizons

Zack Snyder has apparently convinced the suits to let him release an unrated version of Dawn of the Dead with 25 minutes of extra footage. One of the special features on the disc will be a video diary of Andy the gunshop owner. More specs TBA.

[MacGuffin]

How is the new Dawn of the Dead D/Cut. Is it worth buying?

The added nine minutes don't feel tacked on. It adds some more character scenes and some bloodier gore. The commentary is good; informative and funny. There are some in-jokes, but you don't feel left out. The extras (a couple featurettes not available on the theatrical cut DVD) are short, but still worth a look to see the make-up techniques. It really would have been better to see a full on Making Of doc. If you liked the movie, then the DVD is worth having.

[Dtm115300]

There is no making of on this dvd?

[meatball]

the first 10 minutes of the movie (opening scene/titles) were fantastic...some of the coolest things i've seen in a long time. i wish they would have kept the movie in the suburban setting...the mall added nothing to this movie. in romero's film, it provided symbolism, a message, etc. here it didn't really do anything.

I totally agree with that. The Cash song with the opening credits, the suburban zombie infestation -- it was really, really good. Right about when Ving Rhames shows up, the movie starts to decay.

Nothing against the Rhames.

[grand theft sparrow]

Sometimes I love going in to a movie with no expectations.

I saw this last night and was pretty impressed by it.  It wasn't perfect and I definitely prefer the original Dawn and 28 Days Later (and for that matter, Shaun of the Dead) over it but it was very good.  Part of it had to do with my friend's repeated drunken shouts of "Step aside, Butch!" everytime Ving Rhames pointed the shotgun at someone.  I'm really kicking myself that I didn't see it in theatres.  The opening was great and the end credit sequence was a morbidly realistic way to end it.  But 2 things bugged me:

**SPOILERS**

1)They should have done something more with the zombie baby.  They should have had it kill Mekhi Phifer and hide in the mall, making them track it down like in Alien.

2)It would have been great to have the characters a little bit more zombie-savvy. They should have shot the fat woman and Max Headroom (Trashcan Man?) right off the bat, knowing what was going to happen.

**END SPOILERS**

Overall, I enjoyed it.  I'm actually looking forward to Zack Snyder's next film.

[MacGuffin]

Snyder over the 'Rainbow' for Paramount

Zack Snyder has come aboard to develop and direct "Rainbow Six," based on the Tom Clancy novel, for Paramount Pictures. The story centers on a CIA operative who leaves the agency to create a British-based antiterrorism squad. Various writers have been attached to the project since it was brought into the studio in 1999, including Art Monterastelli, Frank Capello, John Enbom, Michael Shiffer and Bill Wisher. No producer is attached. Paramount has produced a string of Clancy titles, including "The Hunt for Red October," "Patriot Games," "Clear and Present Danger" and "The Sum of All Fears." It also has acquired Clancy's "Red Rabbit." Snyder's credits include "Dawn of the Dead." He also is attached to direct "300" for Warner Bros. Pictures.