Do you want to see ‘Dawn of the Dead’?

Dawn of the Dead (2004)

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All Critics
Top Critics

Average Rating: 6.7/10
Reviews Counted: 176
Fresh: 131 | Rotten: 45

A kinetic, violent and surprisingly worthy remake of George Romero's horror classic that pays homage to the original while working on its own terms.

Average Rating: 6.1/10
Critic Reviews: 33
Fresh: 20 | Rotten: 13

A kinetic, violent and surprisingly worthy remake of George Romero's horror classic that pays homage to the original while working on its own terms.

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Average Rating: 3.4/5
User Ratings: 370,578

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Movie Info

The feature-film debut of director Zack Snyder, Dawn of the Dead is a modern retelling of George Romero's 1978 horror classic, which was actually the second film in a trilogy that began with Night of the Living Dead and concluded with Day of the Dead. Sarah Polley and Ving Rhames star as two of the last remaining people on an earth that has been ravaged by flesh-eating zombies. After escaping to a shopping mall with a handful of other survivors, they decide that they only way to truly elude the

Unrated, 1 hr. 49 min.

Drama, Horror, Mystery & Suspense

Directed By: Zack Snyder

Written By: James Gunn

In Theaters: Mar 19, 2004 Wide

On DVD: Dec 28, 2004

Box Office:$58.9M

Universal Pictures

Dawn of the Dead Trailer & Photos

More Photos (20)

Cast

Critic Reviews for Dawn of the Dead

All Critics (176) | Top Critics (33) | Fresh (139) | Rotten (45) | DVD (52)

The new version has its share of disturbing moments, but writer James Gunn and director Zack Snyder have stripped away the social satire of the original and put little in its place.

May 27, 2011 Full Review Source: Chicago Reader

| Comment

Jonathan Rosenbaum

Chicago Reader

Top Critic

Only gore-thirsting teens will be satisfied.

March 23, 2004 Full Review Source: Village Voice

| Comments (10)

Michael Atkinson

Village Voice

Top Critic

... bloody good fun.

March 22, 2004 Full Review Source: Ebert & Roeper

| Comment

Richard Roeper

Ebert & Roeper

Top Critic

For those who enjoy tight, tense, graphic horror, this movie offers an ample helping.

March 21, 2004 Full Review Source: ReelViews

| Comment

James Berardinelli

ReelViews

Top Critic

It more than surpasses the original.

March 19, 2004 Full Review Source: Washington Post

| Comments (4)

Michael O'Sullivan

Washington Post

Top Critic

Has many of the elements that made the first Dawn so darkly entertaining.

March 19, 2004 Full Review Source: Washington Post

| Comment

Desson Thomson

Washington Post

Top Critic

Nicely respectful of the original film, this remake amps up the adrenalin-charged action while skimping on the depth to deliver a gripping but empty-headed thrill-ride.

May 27, 2011 Full Review Source: Film4

| Comment

Film4

Extremely gory horror movie; not for kids.

December 22, 2010 Full Review Source: Common Sense Media

| Comments (7)

Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

Romero did it first and he did it best...

April 29, 2009 Full Review Source: Cinema Crazed

| Comment (1)

Felix Vasquez Jr.

Cinema Crazed

Director Zack Snyder and writer James Gunn have simply traded one set of time-sensitive issues for more contemporary cliches.

December 29, 2008 Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com

| Comment

Michael Dequina

TheMovieReport.com

The new version of George A Romero's 1979 zombie movie arrives with all the expected technical improvements but abandons the satire that made Romero's film a masterpiece of the genre.

October 18, 2008 Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile

| Comment

Urban Cinefile Critics

Urban Cinefile

Snyder's style is assaultive, and there's little pleasure to the scares.

August 7, 2008 Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review

| Comment

Jim Lane

Sacramento News & Review

The remake of Dawn of the Dead is a fun, gory ride, that makes up for its lack of depth with all out action.

June 17, 2008 Full Review Source: ESplatter

| Comments (2)

Lucius Gore

ESplatter

This oddly effective 'reimagining' loses some of the satire but none of the bite of the 1978 George Romero classic.

December 27, 2007 Full Review Source: Big Picture Big Sound

| Comment

Joe Lozito

Big Picture Big Sound

It's a pretty fun ride.

December 7, 2007 Full Review Source: Eye for Film

| Comment

Keith H. Brown

Eye for Film

Zack Snyder's zombies are like his stylistic flourishes: big, dumb, and obvious.

September 30, 2007 Full Review Source: Projection Booth

| Comments (4)

Rob Humanick

Projection Booth

Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately for those who feared a true desecration of Romero's masterwork, this is only a moderately competent zombie flick.

July 29, 2007 Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com

| Comment

Rob Gonsalves

eFilmCritic.com

Relentlessly harrowing!

April 25, 2007 Full Review Source: Princeton Town Topics

| Comment

Kam Williams

Princeton Town Topics

Guaranteed to induce nightmares!

March 31, 2007 Comment

Kam Williams

Bean Soup Times

A notch above what you expect from a Zombie movie.

May 5, 2006 Full Review Source: Laramie Movie Scope

| Comment (1)

Robert Roten

Laramie Movie Scope

Truly worthy of that famous title.

April 1, 2006 Full Review Source: Empire Magazine

| Comment

Empire Magazine

The remake, from first-time director Snyder, keeps much of the gore and loads up on the laughs, but eschews all pretence at cultural criticism in favour of high-octane, almost nonstop action.

January 26, 2006 Full Review Source: Time Out

| Comment

Time Out

At last, a horror remake worth the watch.

June 20, 2005 Full Review Source: FromTheBalcony

| Comment

Bill Clark

FromTheBalcony Source: FromTheBalcony

More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for Dawn of the Dead

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The end of western society...Again.Or:"I love the smell of zombies in the morning...!"Entertaining? It's my fav zombie movie.

July 22, 2007

moon rivers

Super Reviewer

As far as creating gore, this is a pretty slick movie. Overall, it's a pretty mediocre horror flick. The zombies are way faster and stronger than most you'll see, but they come across far less creepy than their meandering predecessors. The real flaw in this movie is it's ability to create suspense. The real charm

August 11, 2011

Jason Calvin

Super Reviewer

Dawn of the Dead Quotes

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1. Steve: Wait, wait, wait, I'm sorry... why does he stay here while I go on the suicide mission to rescue Terry's already-dead girlfriend?
– Submitted by Rick H (5 months ago)
1. Kenneth: Is everyone there dead?
2. Steve: Well, dead-ish.
3. Kenneth: Is everyone there dead?!
4. Steve: Yeah, in the sense that they all sort of, uh... fell down, and then got up, and started eating each other.
– Submitted by Rick H (7 months ago)
1. CJ: America always sorts it's shit out.
– Submitted by Chris P (9 months ago)

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Latest News for Dawn of the Dead

November 3, 2008:

Romero Promises "A Lot of Action" in Next Dead
It doesn't have a title yet, but production is underway on George A. Romero's next zombie movie, and...