Film Reviews

Dawn of the Dead (2004)

• Rating:
• Director: Zack Snyder.
• Starring: Sarah Polley, Ving Rhames, Jake Weber, Mekhi Phifer, Inna Korobkina, Ty Burrell, Michael Kelly.
• Details: US / 100 mins / (18).

A loose remake of the George A. Romero low budget 1978 classic, Dawn of the Dead may lack the original's satirical overtones, but this low rent zombie flick moves with a relentless, tongue-in-cheek zip which makes you almost want to forgive its numerous deficiencies. After a hefty prologue where we are introduced to Ana (Sarah Polley) and an excellent credits sequence, the real action gets underway. Out of the blue, Ana's neighbour's daughter has turned into a flesh eating zombie and infects her dad, who decides he'd quite like a bite out of his missus. Escaping from her home, Ana witnesses the end of society as she knows it. Her suburban neighbourhood has been completely overrun by flesh eating ghouls, intent on converting all regular folk to their number. After encountering a hard nosed cop (Ving Rhames) and a trio of fellow survivors - Michael (Jake Weber), Andre (Mekhi Phifer) and his heavily pregnant wife (Inna Korobkina) - the group makes their way to a shopping mall to hide out. But the mall's already got some folks in there and not all of them are particularly wholesome. Bereft of the edge of the original - flesh eating zombies descending on a mall, with all of the associated metaphors was nothing short of inspired - this remake doesn't seem interested in challenging its audience far beyond questioning their tolerance for gore and chase sequences. However, providing you don't take it too seriously (and really, who could?) there's fun to be had with Dawn of the Dead. Yes, some of the scenes have a thrown together feel about them, with continuity amongst the first casualties. But if you can accept that, quite a lot of blood and violence - with the odd bit of reasonable humour thrown in - then Dawn of the Dead does quite nicely as brainless fluff.

Review by Garreth Murphy