Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

After countless zombie rip-offs, spin-offs and comedy, the man who single-handedly invented the genre returns with the long-awaited fourth 'dead' film. Sadly, LAND OF THE DEAD is separated from Romero's trilogy not just by the long years that have passed since 1985's DAY OF THE DEAD. LAND OF THE DEAD is content to offer a straightforward action-flick and in this instance, it plays a lot like the previous year's DAWN OF THE DEAD remake. Scenes of atmospheric horror are thrown aside in place of gore, and indeed the bloodshed is what this film focuses on; there's more grue and gut-ripping here than in the first three films put together, and Romero positively wallows in the violence and carnage.The story is wafer-thin, and things haven't really progressed on the planet since DAWN OF THE DEAD happened. Humans are walled up inside a compound, zombies rule the street, and a massive armoured vehicle (just like the one in the DAWN OF THE DEAD remake) figures in the proceedings quite predominantly. Scenes of plot exposition are countered by lots of shooting and subsequent images of zombies being splattered; it's a veritable bloodbath here, and extra gravitas is brought about by Greg Nicotero's special effects; they're more realistic, and bloodier, than ever. The zombie make-up is spot on, with each zombie looking particularly individualised now, although I could have done without some of the CGI effects that ruin the authenticity a little bit.Romero's casting, however, is spot on, aside from his bizarre choice for lead role; Simon Baker, an Australian unknown, is far too vanilla and clear-cut as the hero, and totally uninteresting as a result (his boring character in the script doesn't help much either). Better are the supporting players, including John Leguizamo in one of the biggest and best acting performances I've seen him give, and the ever-sexy Asia Argento as the kick-ass heroine – Argento does this sort of thing in her sleep, and should have been cast in the RESIDENT EVIL movies in my opinion; she would have been ten times better than that talentless Milla Jovovich. Elsewhere, Dennis Hopper chews the scenery with aplomb, and seems to be having a great time as always; his enthusiasm kind of rubs off. Best of all is Robert Joy as a sniper sporting horrific burns injuries, and subsequently looking even weirder than usual. The big black zombie guy is also great.

Land of the Dead (2005): Dir: George A. Romero / Cast: Simon Baker, Dennis Hopper, John Leguizamo, Asia Argento, Robert Joy: Sickening horror film symbolizing the downfall of society. The dead are alive but this time they are slowly learning to think for themselves therefore becoming more dangerous. Had they been able to think for themselves, then perhaps they would be involved in a film better than this one. We see victims eaten alive in gory detail by zombies as well as humans executing them. We never learn where these creatures come from and the problem is not so much solved as it is accepted. George Romero directed four of these films including the overrated black and white original Night of the Living Dead. He is skilled at delivering the lifestyles of zombies but fails in creative human characters. Simon Baker as the hero is totally flat. He apparently created a weapon called Dead Reckoning for which he now must retrieve. Dennis Hopper as the rich human tyrant is the best role. He rules the city not realizing that it will all come undone. John Leguizamo is interesting as he develops a scam against Hopper in answer to cheated services. Asia Argento is reduced to a prop. She is first rescued from potential zombie sacrifice. Robert Joy is also cast as one of the guys accompanying Baker for a little zombie safari hunt. Designed as a graphic rush for pointless carnage. Score: 4 / 10

This movie starts off with the old Universal pictures opening. Then after the opening credits roll the movie starts off in some old town where some survivors try to find medicine. We're also introduced to this big van/truck/tank called Dead Reckoning that shoots down most of the zombies there. After that the survivors to this island city which is supposed to be their home.There's also one place in the middle of it all in called Fiddler's Green where people forget about the zombies. While everyone else outside lives dirt poor like in the Edgar Allan Poe story Mask of the Red Death where the prince has a big party in the castle and forgets about the plague outside.There's also this on guy Cholo, played by John Leguizamo, tries to get a place in Fiddlers Green by persuading the owner. Played by Dennis Hopper and this movie was when I was starting to noticing him. There's also a sense of deja vu since both actors were in the Super Mario Brothers Movie if you remember that at all.When Cholo doesn't get his place he takes Dead Reckoning and threatens to destroy the city. The stars of Shawn of the Dead are in this bar scene also as zombies since George Romero was a fan of the movie. There's also a zombie, Big Daddy, then gets an army of zombies and slowly make they're way to the city. When they rise out of the water it like from the scene from Carnival of Souls. That was from what I've heard of it that is, but I'll have to see Carnival of Souls myself one day.When the main hero get's to Dead Reckoning he reasons with Cholo and they go back to the city. Which is getting overrun by the zombies and the Ton Savini biker makes a cameo as a zombie. Some of the blood is CGI which is fine by me since he probably had a small budget.This movie also has a dark setting, literally, which creates a lot of atmosphere. Not as good as Night, Dawn, or Day but maybe because there was so many zombie movies around at the time it came out. I might not review Diary of the Dead or Survival of the Dead since I saw a but of Survival of the Dead and thought it was kind of dumb. Also for Diary of the Dead's way of filming as a home video horror movie I don't quite like. That sub-genre is just a little too overused a bit but I like the idea of that anyone can be a filmmaker.

Everyone was surprised that after 20 years George Romero announced he'd be making another sequel in his DEAD series. Personally, I wondered how it would be in comparison to his original trilogy. It was opening night, the theater was packed, the lights went out, and the movie began. Now the story: Some time has passed since the zombie plague started. The country has been decimated and large groups have banded together into cities. In one city, the looks mysteriously like Pittsburgh, the rich, headed by Kaufman (Dennis Hopper,) have taken over a high-rise called Fiddler's Green. The poor are left on the streets with gambling, vices and filth. Every so often, a roving band of raiders goes out to collect supplies. As the film opens, we meet the raiders as they attempt to raid a small town. The raiders, headed by Riley Denbo (Simon Baker,) have discovered that the zombies are learning to be human again. They can grunt to each other to communicate and have started learning how to use tools, weapons and strategy. To make a long story short, tragedy befalls the raiders. Back in the city, one of the raiders named Cholo (John Leguizamo) has been secretly working for Kaufman. When Kaufman betrays their deal, Cholo decides to seek his revenge by stealing an armored truck, threatening to bomb the city unless Kaufman pays him $5 million. So Riley is sent out, along with some friends, to stop Cholo and get back the truck. Meanwhile, a large horde of zombies is slowly moving towards the city... And yes fellow gorehounds, there is a big bloody finale! Overall, I was pleased with the results. The tone, while horrific has a wicked humor streak. This is perhaps the only Romero film where the zombies are viewed as sympathetic and not just flesh-crazed monsters. The special effects and make-up are top-notch. Acting by all is superb. While some have questioned Romero's credibility as a horror director from this point on, I still say the man hasn't lost one iota of his talent. Case in point: I dare anyone to watch the scene where a man is eaten alive by three zombie clowns. So go ahead, I dare you to watch this movie!