| Overall Grade: |
A- |
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| Story: |
B |
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| Acting: |
A+ |
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| Direction: |
A+ |
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| Visuals: |
A+ |
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this movie bring back the dead
by felix m (movies profile)
May 11, 2007
47
of
76 people found this review helpful
George Romero, oft-credited creator of the zombie genre with his horror classics NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD and DAWN OF THE DEAD (as well as much-maligned follow-up, DAY OF THE DEAD), has returned after ten years to continue his undead saga with its fourth installment, LAND OF THE DEAD.
At this point in the game, it is hard to bring anything new to the table with zombie movies. Besides expanding on the idea of zombie evolution he initially introduced in DAY, Romero manages to create a satisfactory movie which fulfills the very formula he created and brings the series to a much more satisfying point than where DAY left it.
The acting is suitable, with the cast ranging from Asia Argento (daughter of Dario Argento, master of Italian horror and previous Romero collaborator) to Dennis Hopper, whose politics mirror (and mock) those of current times: "We do not negotiate with terrorists." Thankfully, the film doesn't slip into camp, but there is much fun to be had. From the first real shot, that of an arrow-shaped sign that says 'EATS,' the film keeps a constant pace and a decent mix of action, humor, scares, and plenty of gore, which alone fulfills the touted R-rating. One would be wise to keep an eye out for cameos by SHAUN OF THE DEAD's Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright, as well as Tom Savini, who was the ground-breaking make-up artist on DAWN OF THE DEAD and who reprises his brief role from that film in this one.
At one point in the movie, a character refers to the operation of their assault vehicle, Dead Reckoning, to being "just like playing a video game." Many have believed the same about many recent zombie flicks, and Romero returns to put things back in their place. While not too heavy on the subtext, the plot does center around the friction between the haves, the have-nots, and those who lack a pulse. There's a little more meat to the story than just a simple series of unfortunate events in which a joystick would come in handy. A scene in which numerous zombies emerge from the water en route to the city carries an eerie weight that most other films would lack. Moments like this make LAND more capable where any straight-to-cable rip-off would flounder.
While not the so-called 'ultimate zombie masterpiece' that promotion claims it is (then again, what would be?), in a time of RESIDENT EVIL and the recent DAWN remake, LAND OF THE DEAD is a worthy zombie flick and helps reestablish Romero's rule as king of the zombies. |
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