Dawn of the Dead
During an ever-growing epidemic of zombies that have risen from the dead, two Philadelphia SWAT team members, a traffic reporter, and his television-executive girlfriend seek refuge in a secluded shopping mall.
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- Cast:
- David Emge , Ken Foree , Scott H. Reiniger , Gaylen Ross , David Crawford , David Early , Richard France
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Reviews
Very best movie i ever watch
All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.
A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.
There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.
Having been impressed with this movie since first seeing it in the early eighties on video I feel compelled to write a review of the reviews on IMDB, it deservedly gets a high score, with 10 out of 10 user reviews one after the other, until you hit the spate of 1 out of 10 reviews. Who are these people? Surely they're not movie fans, the big problem with the internet is that you see everybody's opinion, including those of blithering idiots. Some people are even complaining about the zombies not running about after people! I blame this modern idea of zombies, the DOTD remake and 28 Days Later etc. They aren't zombie films, dead people running about whilst they slowly decompose is just stupid. The fear is in that even though they only shuffle about they are so vast in number that there is no escape no matter where you run, they only have that burst of speed when they're close to the victim in true zombie films. The idea is that you can escape for a while and try to avoid them, but eventually they close in and get you. The exciting parts of this movie work because they don't move fast, allowing the protagonists to do things that fill the film with interesting possibilities, like what would it be like to live in a shopping mall with no customers and nobody charging you for anything? It's a black comedy about consumerism and it wouldn't work if all those zombies ran around like Olympic athletes, making for quick deaths and desperate hiding as seen in the remake, it took the fun out of it.
This sequel in the Living Dead trio improved upon the original in almost every way. Romero directed this film a full decade after the first and the advancements in technology, technical effects, and a bigger budget take the zombie uprising premise and put a new and fascinating story to it, and explore new territory literally and figuratively. Dawn presents the idea better that this phenomenon was world-wide. While it is still mostly filmed in the shopping mall, similar to how the first's setting was solely filmed in an abandoned house, we get a picture of how serious the massacre is through aerial helicopter shots. We get continued racial undertones taken from Night, but these are extrapolated, and a new consumeristic theme is added into the mix. Romero makes the statement blunt, but he says it well: people buy, buy, buy mindlessly like zombies. He almost mocks the American public with how humorful he has all the zombies walking around and slipping on ice rinks and falling in ponds. This comedy was not present in the original, but it certainly was a welcome touch, and there was not a single time a joke or gag did not flop. This movie had me laughing out loud several times. Another improvement was in the special effects department. There is no shortage of gore and cheesy gross-out scenes (my favorite being a crowd of zombies pulling intestines out of a man). I can tell that they are fake, and perhaps if this movie took itself more seriously it would be a detriment, but I feel the over-the-top fake blood actually adds to the movie. The group of four - Stephen/Fly Boy (David Emge), Peter (Ken Foree), Roger (Scott H. Reiniger), and Francine (Gaylen Ross) - play their well-crafted characters fantastically, especially Ken Foree. There was a strong influence from Duane Jone's performance in the original coming through in his part. I thought the symbolism, which was lacking in the original, was a nice touch. And lastly, the steps the four took were smart and logical and had me guessing what would happen next. I really appreciate how Romero added a sort of meditative part halfway through. The characters have built a room and are experiencing restlessness and ennui as to what they could do next, wondering if they could be doing more to help others. Even though they were thrown into this situation, they are still products of their environment and resort to normal life no matter how drab it is, waiting for the excitement of a new purchase, a new hit. The only part that bugged me a little was that there were a few too many shots of zombies just walking around. They were funny, but they began feeling like a litany. But aside from that, it's a brilliant film, and I can't wait to get my hands on Day of the Dead.
Accumulating more money and technological resources, George Romero created the sequel to his zombie horror story with ease and productional lavish. The script picked up where the first flick stopped, making the phenomena of the dead eating the flesh of living more global and massive. Sets are grandious for the genre itself, and there are some really great mass scenes. There are more characters, subplots and the action scenes are more attractive. However, the show is being stolen by the phenomenal script, just overflowing with irony of the modern US society and mass media. Tacky, but hilarious lines will follow the overall fast pace of the movie up until the very end with great success. The dawn of the dead" is a must see for the zombie horror lovers.
The zombie apocalypse has started and our story follows a small group of survivors as they flee towards safety, having to fend for themselves in the midst of the walking dead. Their flight leads them to an overrun mall, which they realize would make for a handy fortress if they can empty it from the walkers.This original version is was directed by George A. Romero, who was also behind Night of the Living Dead. Having two of the biggest and most influential zombie movies ever made to your name is nothing to be sneezed at, and Romero certainly has a style of his own and many of the clichés still used to this day have their origins in these movies. Romero's zombies are slow, rotting and only threatening in their sheer numbers and in their relentlessness. They're a force of nature. They can be avoided with human ingenuity, but they're always there, and they will never go away. And even these early movies contain the essential truth of any good zombie movie. That the other survivors are the true threat.Also, comparing this movie to the 2004 remake of the same name, it's interesting to see what was changed. The essential setup is the same, as is the closing climax, to a certain extent. But whereas the remake has heaps and heaps of characters, simply to provide the film with cannon fodder and zombie chow, Romero's cast is only four characters strong. As thus we get to learn a lot more about them throughout the course of the film. They all start with clear, identifiable personalities, but they also grow as the story progresses. We learn more about them and they also change due to the events they have to endure. And between these two films, less is definitely more.This movie is heavily recommended for all fans of the horror. It still holds up as a great story and a true zombie horror masterpiece.