Dawn of the Dead!

[xita]

I am dying to see this movie! I haven't yet but it took over the number 1 movie! yay. I loved the original, in fact I bought it on dvd this week. I know DMW gave it a good review in the movie thread, so I though thread, yes why not!!

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"No more twat. No more twat for me. Twat gets me into trouble!" - Crack Whore Jenny, The L Word

[BytrSuite]

Ooh, I saw the preview they showed on USA about a week ago and it looked really fun.



I might even go out to the theater and see it. I think I saw the original but it was a long long long time ago.



Go zombies!

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"...the sharks got smarter."

[justin]

I've got the origional Dawn of the Dead on video and I think that it is the best zombie film ever made (that is if you don't count 28 days later as being a zombie film)



Though all I can say to the idea of a remake is This is going to be Planet of the apes all over again isn't it?

Postel's Prescription: Be generous in what you accept, rigorous in what you emit.

[darkmagicwillow]

While I'm not sure that I like the term "re-imaging," it's much more descriptive of DOTD 2004 than re-make. None of the original characters and few of the original events are present in this movie (but watch for cameos by the original actors and Tom Savini.) Once I decided that DOTD 2004 was simply a different movie about survivors from the zombie apocalpyse holing up in a mall, I was able to enjoy the idea of it.



The movie's fast and fun enough in the theatre that you won't have the time or attention span to compare it to the original. If you liked the original and 28-Days Later, I suspect you'll like DOTD 2004. My only real problem with it is that they had too many characters, and as a result it's obvious that some of the less well developed characters are just there to be casualties.



I was tempted by the DOTD 1978 DVD too, but I'm waiting for the extended edition with all three versions of the film that's supposed to be released this Fall.

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"Omnia mutantur, nihil interit." -- "Everything changes, but nothing is truly lost."

[urnofosiris]

I think I shall go see this movie too when it comes out in the Netherlands. It has been quite a while since I have seen a zombie movie. I don't consider 28 days later to be one. The infected were not dead, though they acted almost exactly like zombies. The same brainless automatons, only way faster. 28 Days later creeped me out majorly partly because it is not completely outside the realm of impossibility, unlike zombie movies. Anyway, I watched a lot of horror movies as a teenager, zombies were never my favourite horror baddies, but I am interested to see a modern movie version.

[Kita830]

This movie was excellent. I'm a huge Romero fan, so I was a little iffy about abandoning him to see this "re-make." However, as mentioned, it's truly a different film. I thought the similarities to the originial were refreshing, but not overbearing. Sarah Polley gave an excellent performance, as I expected no less of her as she's always superb. I've seen the movie twice already, and I really do think it's done justice to the original. I think people still don't understand the point of the movie(s) though because I hear a lot of "I didn't get it" or "where was the plot?" I'm not sure people really see the political satire of it all, and while this new one didn't quite have the incredibly blatant "yay! consumerism!" feel to it, I think it's still possible to fully grasp the satirical nature of it. Oh well...I'm babbling.



Anyway, it's a great flick, go see it!



Kita

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I won't be held responsible she fell in love in the first place.

[darkmagicwillow]

The next big zombie movie this year will be Shaun of the Dead, coming out on April 9th in the UK. There's a trailer on the site and it looks pretty funny.

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"Omnia mutantur, nihil interit." -- "Everything changes, but nothing is truly lost."

[justin]

I'm definitely looking forward to this film.



It's written by Simon Pegg, who co-wrote and starred in the series Spaced, which was one of the best british sit coms ever made.

Postel's Prescription: Be generous in what you accept, rigorous in what you emit.

[Willowlicious]

We saw this movie a couple of days ago. I definitely recommend it if you're a zombie movie fan. The zombies were obviously influenced by "28 Days Later." They are faster and meaner than in the original film. The acting is also quite a bit better than your average zombie flick. That is part of why I wanted to see it. I figured any horror movie that has Sarah Polley in it might actually be well-made. (I've always loved her work, particularly in "The Sweet Hereafter" and "My Life Without Me." I'm not sure how she ended up in a zombie movie, but...lucky zombie movie!)



Anyway, I've enjoyed the "...Dead" series since I first saw "Night of the Living Dead" on late night TV as a kid. It scared me to death!!!! I didn't find this one as scary, but it was fun.



Amy

[urnofosiris]

I have seen the trailer and it definitely looks creepy enough to convince me to go see it. I noticed the zombies seemed quite a bit faster than the ones I remember from the old movies, but I think that is a good thing. I never could quite get past wondering why people did not just run away, the zombies were so slow even I could have outrun them.

[LokiPromise]

I saw this movie on the last day of my semester and I have to say it really made my day (if it wasn't good enough already ). This movie pretty much had no plot but who cares! My friends and I laughed throughout and so did the rest of the theatre, the comedy was there, the scares were there and a thoroughly good time was had by all.



I would certainly recommend this to anyone who isn't too squeemish about seeing blood (but hey, its a horror flick, what do you expect) and is up for a laugh, just don't go into the film with expectations and you'll enjoy it.

BB:Hello Xander...and Anya, how is your money?!

A:Fine!Thank you for asking!

[darkmagicwillow]

While I think there's some influence from 28 Days Later in the jagged camera motion in some zombie scenes, Return of the Living Dead and other movies had running, semi-agile zombies many years ago.



I prefer the movies with slow, shambling zombies. The zombies already have so many advantages over people from their ridiculously short generation time, leading to their rapid expansion in numbers, to the fact that the slightest scratch from a zombie is fatal, to the simple fact that they never get tired or slow in their pursuit of you. Looking like your dead friends and family and being impervious to pain or injury short of a head shot is just icing on the cake. They don't need to run to be dangerous. Sure, you can outrun one or ten, but there's always more always hunting for you and eventually you will get tired or careless. I think the slow, sense of impending doom is creepier with the shamblers, perhaps paradoxically because it does give you a sense that you'll make it until you make that one mistake.

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"Omnia mutantur, nihil interit." -- "Everything changes, but nothing is truly lost."

[darkmagicwillow]

I got the DOTD DVD set last night and watched the original DOTD for the first time in over a decade. I must say that I was impressed. The movie was even better than I remembered it being and the digital transfer was excellent.



DOTD78 is a far better movie on every level except for special effects than DOTD04. The collapse of society is shown to a much deeper extent and handled in a more believable manner, and focusing on only four characters gives us time to really get to know them while there were characters in DOTD04 who I couldn't remember their identities while I was watching it. Despite the zombies being slower and weaker in DOTD78, the survivors actually had to put forth more effort to make it, which made the story more believable, and the final collapse of the mall being through human intervention gave the conflict a deeper human element. Finally, both the survivors, zombies, and bikers reactions to the mall ("It was an important place in their lives") showed us a mirror of our society that's perhaps more needed today than it was then.



DOTD04 is still a fun zombie movie to watch and I recommend it to anyone who likes horror movies. However, I would like to see a remake of the original DOTD that followed the same script but updated it with a modern setting and special effects.

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"Omnia mutantur, nihil interit." -- "Everything changes, but nothing is truly lost."

[Triscuit7]

Potential fun for lovers of Dawn of the Dead is "The Zombie Survival Guide" (ISBN 1400049628). Me, I just try to stay away from those critters. I'm just old enough to remember when the trailer for the original Living Dead movie ( aired on commercial television. I was totally freaked out, utterly convinced that there was a zombie lurking up at the top of our stairs. Add in that my Grandpap and Grandma lived with us, had bedrooms at the top of those stairs and neither one moved at much more than a foot dragging shuffle. Oh, I knew that it was just Grandpap and/or Grandma walking upstairs but I didn't "know" knew if you get what I mean. I still haven't seen any of those movies.



Ciao, Melissa

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Do something totally irrational and let the enemy think himself to death. (Pyanfar Chanur)

[darkmagicwillow]

The Zombie Survival Guide is extremely funny and would be quite useful in case zombies did attack. (-;



The original Night is pretty scary, probably all the more so with such grandparents upstairs. I hadn't thought until now about how hard the zombies would be on the elderly, between getting eaten by the zombies or shot by people who think they are zombies.



Dawn and Day of the Dead are more into examining how our society collapses than frightening the viewer.

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"Omnia mutantur, nihil interit." -- "Everything changes, but nothing is truly lost."

Edited by: darkmagicwillow at: 9/16/04 6:36 pm

[Warduke]

I got the DVD yesterday and I loved it. I'm a big fan of horror movies, and zombie movies are almost always fun. I'm happy they made their zombies like the ones in 28 Days Later. It's always funny to watch older zombie movies and wonder why these people were so afraid of zombies that are slower than a turtle and can barely stand up because they’re so decayed. But with the ones in 28 Days and DOTD, now there's something to be scared of.

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Firefox: One Browser To Rule Them All.

[urnofosiris]

Oh I am going to buy the DVD as well. I meant to go see it in the cinema, but I never got around to it.

[Washi]

I, being a total horror freak, loved this one. I remember watching the original when I was like 5. We lived in Italy at the time, and every friday night, from what I remember, they used to put 2 back-to-back horror movies: Dawn Of The Dead and Day Of The Dead.

I had seen previews, and thought myself courageous enough to watch it. So, I lay down on the couch and acted asleep until the movie came on. I actually watched them both, back to back, scared out of my mind.

I couldn't sleep for a long long time after that.

But, it made me the horror movie lovin' person I am now.

Anyways, I really enjoyed this movie, and I agree about the fast pacing of it. Now, I rewatched the old ones and ask myself why I was so scared. I mean, anyone could outrun them for sure. But, these are vicious, I love'em, they kept me rooted.

I may get the DVD, but dunno...

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"See? I've mastered this tact crap." Anya in Tears Of The Goddess by Lisa



The course of love doesn’t always run smooth, especially for the neurotic and accident-prone. ~ LadyB



.:Dark-bliss.net :. .:Blink.Flash.Sparkle.:. .:My blog:. .:Blood and Ink:. .:Washi's 70s Site:.

[darkmagicwillow]

I picked up the DOTD04 DVD too. The director's cut is an improvement over the cinema version, with some extra scenes explaining how they got into the mall, but it's not majorly different. The DVD extras are quite nice, especially Andy's tape and the News reports (and it was amusing to hear Sheridan of B5's voice as that of the US president at the end of the news.)

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Anyways, I really enjoyed this movie, and I agree about the fast pacing of it. Now, I rewatched the old ones and ask myself why I was so scared. I mean, anyone could outrun them for sure.

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Sure, you can outrun them, but for how long?



They don't get tired and they don't need to sleep. They're almost guaranteed to outnumber you (400,000:1 in Day) as the tiniest scratch or bite at their hands is fatal to you and makes you one of them within minutes after death.



Millions would survive a Romero zombie outbreak, and civilization might even continue ... if the outbreak was understood and handled everywhere, without any emotion about disposing of one's former friends and family once they became infected. If not, then the Dawn and Day scenarios are inevitable.



I don't think there's much hope of more than a few thousand people on remote islands surviving a DOTD04 outbreak, and no one would survive a Return of the Living Dead style outbreak. ROLTD zombies are both smart enough to communicate and use tools, fast, and unkillable short of total annhilation.

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"Omnia mutantur, nihil interit." -- "Everything changes, but nothing is truly lost."

[Washi]

Well, I'm gonna rewatch the original tonight, and I'll tell ya what I think.

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"See? I've mastered this tact crap." Anya in Tears Of The Goddess by Lisa



The course of love doesn’t always run smooth, especially for the neurotic and accident-prone. ~ LadyB



.:Dark-bliss.net :. .:Blink.Flash.Sparkle.:. .:My blog:. .:Blood and Ink:. .:Washi's 70s Site:.

[urnofosiris]

I bought the DVD this weekend and watched it a few days ago. I really liked it, as I expected. By far my favourite zombie movie (still not counting 28 days later as one) with some genuine scare moments, though not too many. I found these zombies to be scarier than their ancestors, but I am still more amused by them than frightened. Has there ever been a pregnant zombie before? The fat lady creeped me out the most I think, maybe because I could see it coming a mile away. I was saying, yes, turn your back on her MORON. Damn, people in horror movies never learn. Anyway, I found it very entertaining throughout and how did we ever manage without DVDs? I loved the extras, that news report was especially amusing.

[darkmagicwillow]

Peter Jackson's Dead Alive had a pregnant zombie and zombie baby in it. It's my favorite of the zombie comedies.



Any opinions on DOTD78 versus DOTD04, Washi? Btw, which version of DOTD78 did you see: theatrical, extended, or European?

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"Omnia mutantur, nihil interit." -- "Everything changes, but nothing is truly lost."

[darkmagicwillow]

After Romero giving us a living dead film every decade, he skipped the 90's, but he won't skip another decade, as Land of the Dead, the fourth film in George Romero's living dead series will be out in 2005.

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"Omnia mutantur, nihil interit." -- "Everything changes, but nothing is truly lost."