just watch it!

It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.

Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

A fun and brilliantly gory zombie romp that has the shades of satire present in Romero's zombie movies.

Return of the living dead is a perfect blend of horror, fantasy and humor following what are suppose to be true events about a group of teenagers taking on an army of cannibalistic evil dead.What is different from the Romero zombies we've become accustomed to is they can ran, talk, indestructible and even think about their actions making them a deadly juggernaut.The humor derives from the over the top reactions of the teenagers and the zombies wanting more cops or paramedics over a radio like they were ordering pizza for a party.The acting isn't half bad with Clu Gulager, James Karen and Thom Mathew who are a powerhouse combo that steal the scenes with their deliveries and actions.The music is rock in, the costumes are punk and the special effects are gruesome making it a hip under- appreciated classic only the 80s could deliver.It really reminds you of other b film types from the golden age of cinema like night of the comet and body searchers with a hero who has to save the day until the military acts, a beautiful leading lady trying to keep her sanity and a threat that grows deadly by the hour. My only complaint about this master piece is the recycled footage during the ending when a still photo shows the zombies being bombed and the acid rain taking over the same cemetery from the beginning. It was to set up a sequel about the survivor's traveling the wasteland left from the nuclear blast and was never made. By today's standards it may be dated, but I find myself popping it in every Halloween to relive the thrill over again. Its grade A material.

Working in a medical supply warehouse, the last ones left find the leftover government chemicals stored there have seeped free into a local cemetery during a party and forces them to team with the party survivors to stop the ravenous zombies on the loose.This here was quite the fun and extremely enjoyable zombie effort. Over of the most impressive aspects to this one is the really enjoyable time here due to the exciting pace on display, which comes there through the near-continuous action. As there's the gas-release here less than ten minutes into the film, there's already the rather fun action of the two trapped inside the warehouse with the reanimated props along the storage unites of the facility while also allowing for the big brawl with the nude cadaver running throughout where they're forced to dismember it in order to get him under control, which is all done in the first half hour here. Following the introduction of the chemical into the cemetery and their resurrection, it allows for the great chase in the mortuary with the reanimated tar-man, the graveyard chase where the graves spit out the dead to chase and swarm the group against the different of monuments and tombstones as well as the swarming scenes of the paramedics in the truck and forcing the really fun time here with the big assault on the church. From the barricading tactics against the grabbing hands attempting to break into the room, the attack in the storeroom where they're able to capture the live skeleton for questioning and the zombie attacks out in the graveyard and the adjacent streets, there's a ton of high-energy action in this section which features a ton to like with the violent antics, building suspense of the creatures getting in and the few nicely developed scenes of comedy here all make for a great time along with the great finale. This here is the film's highlight offering as the zombies running wild in the streets taking out the police reinforcements, holding traps for the police officers coming to check on the previous ventures into the cemetery and the ones breaking into the mortuary as they're trapped inside which has a lot more action, tons of zombies and fun all throughout here. Coupled with the outstanding gore, fantastic zombies and one of the genre's most iconic nude scenes, these here hold this off over a few minor flaws. The main issue here is the brief finale, which is quite sudden and doesn't really bring out all the great points of the story along the way. As well, there's the fact that this one goes along with some stupid ideas to make the story work, from staying in the room with the zombies despite all the evidence known that's proved to have them turn on her as well and the lame attempts at being stonewalled by the army, which are just pointless and goes nowhere here as the attempt to shoehorn them into the film the way it does here is pretty lame and not-well-thought-out. With the low-budget gore effects sometimes coming through obviously, these here are somewhat minor and insignificant problems against the positive points.Rated R: Extreme Graphic Violence, Extreme Graphic Language, Full Nudity and drug use.

This is saying a lot too, because to me this is the only film of the five Return of the Living Dead films to be above good standard. The sequels varied in quality, with 2 and 3 being acceptable enough though with their problems and 4 (Necropolis) and 5 (Rave to the Grave) being terrible, the latter being marginally worse and being one of the worst sequels ever made. The original however is an immensely enjoyable film, with its very few flaws barely noticeable amidst the huge amount of good.It is definitely the best-looking film in the series, it is stylishly shot and lit with a wonderful ominous atmosphere, complete with atmospheric sets, above average effects and some great make-up on the zombies. There is a killer 80s soundtrack that still sounds good and haunting rather than cheesy, and instead of the outdated quality it could have had the soundtrack makes one nostalgic for the 80s. As well as a hilarious and clever script that's never forced, doesn't get bogged down in too many explanations or too much exposition, and that is very quotable (which I don't think any of the sequels achieved and it was something that 4 and 5 could only dream of doing so), and a story that seemed tired in concept but felt very fresh in execution with so many funny moments and an equal number of highly disturbing and scary ones.Return of the Living Dead is directed with adroit class and a clear fondness for the genre by Dan O' Bannon, and while some of the punk teens are annoyingly and one-dimensionally written and acted with not much spark (the sole problems with the film, and they are not that major), the leads are written very likeably and Clu Gulager, James Karen, Thom Mathews and Beverly Randolph are charming and lots of fun (all of them at least knowing what sort of film they're in), Gulager and Karen are particularly good. Don Calfa is also suitably shady. The film also cleverly and wisely makes the zombies the stars and uses them brilliantly, furthermore these zombies actually are very menacing, a real threat, do a lot more than just shuffle and plod around and are wonderfully tongue-in-cheek, exuding real personality. The twist is deliciously ironic, adding to the freshness when it easily could have been tired or anti-climactic.All in all, immensely enjoyable and the best of the series by some margin, being the only one to be completely satisfying. 8/10 Bethany Cox