Dawn of the Dead (2004)
As a zombie apocalypse begins to spread, a group of survivors takes refuge in an abandoned mall. But as supplies run low and the amount of zombies continue to grow, the group decides to make a last ditch effort to find refuge on a nearby island- but it’s going to take all they have to get there.
Dawn of the Dead (2004) was one of the first introductions to the zombie movie genre for me. I was 12 years old and had just seen Resident Evil a year or so prior. Though I had heard of many of the classics (everything George A. Romero had made years earlier, for example), I had never gone out of my way to see them. Blockbuster was expensive, yo. Though I thought Resident Evil was cool, this movie blew me away and still lives in my head to this day.
The movie is about a group of people who hide out in an abandoned mall when a virus begins transforming people into flesh-eating zombies. The people, all from different backgrounds, soon realize that the mall can only sustain them for so long. After much debate, the group decide to flee to an island rumored to be safe from the outbreak.
The movie excelled in many different aspects, in my opinion: the acting, the makeup, the gore, the music- almost everything. The cast includes Ving Rhames, Sara Polley, Ty Burrel, Mekhi Phifer, and many others. And the movie does a splendid job of making you wonder what you would do if you were in each of the characters' positions. The zombies were not slow, which was terrifying to me as a fat child (and even more terrifying to me as a fat adult). The ending uses “found footage”, which roles during the credits and wraps the whole movie up nicely. Plus, it was the directorial debut of Zack Snyder, who has since gone on to make some great movies.
I have no criticism for the movie, honestly. I loved everything about it and can’t think of any particular things to improve upon. Good shit, DOTD. It is a remake and has plenty of references throughout the movie to the original. So it gives respect to where it is due. I have no complaints!
Rating: I give this movie 10 out of 10 zombie bites. If you haven’t seen it by now, stop what you are doing and get to it!
When looking for something similar to watch, rather than the original Dawn of the Dead (1978), I would suggest watching the original Night of the Living Dead (1968). It’s more iconic and (for me) a much more fun film. A group of people become trapped in an old house, attempting to barricade themselves from the ravenous onslaught of zombies outside. If you want to check out something newer, Snyder hit the zombie genre again pretty recently with Army of the Dead. A heist is planned with the goal of infiltrating a zombie infested Las Vegas in order to retrieve $200 million dollars. But the team of mercenaries realizes there may be ulterior motives at play along the way. A lot of people didn’t enjoy the movie and thought the plot was weak. I say fuckem and give it a go.
If you are looking for a good book to jump into, Feed by Mira Grant is a good one to check out. It’s 2014 and, after curing many of the world’s diseases, society now faces it’s newest disease: the ravenous undead. As a news team documents a political campaign, they stumble across a conspiracy to undermine the campaign- and what may have started the disease. It’s the first book in a 4 part series, so there's plenty there to keep you busy. If you are just into people eating people, you can’t beat Red Dragon, written by Thomas Harris. It’s the first telling of everybody’s favorite cannibal Hannibal Lector, and is sure to keep you on the hook from the start.
If you were facing a zombie outbreak, where would you head to for safety? Let me know in the comments!
Until next time…
-M