George A. Romero's Land of the Dead/Dawn of the Dead (2005)

Synopsis: This double feature contains two chilling contributions to the zombie film genre. With 2005's LAND OF THE DEAD, George A. Romero positions the bulk of his story in a giant skyscraper which... This double feature contains two chilling contributions to the zombie film genre. With 2005's LAND OF THE DEAD, George A. Romero positions the bulk of his story in a giant skyscraper which houses the last humans left on the planet. The zombies only bother crews who venture outside the makeshift city for supplies, but the people are kept sedated by their leader, the irascible Kaufman (Dennis Hopper), who exaggerates their threat. What Kaufman doesn't realize is that the zombies are learning skills they half-remember from their old selves, leading to some impressively blood-soaked scenes of tumult. In an unusual move for Romero, Hopper is joined by name actors such as John Leguizamo and Asia Argento. The film greatly benefits as a result, successfully portraying an atrophied civilization that has regressed to a primitive state, allowing its undead tormentors to sense that a free lunch may be just around the corner. First-time director Zack Snyder remakes zombie master Romero's classic 1978 gore-fest DAWN OF THE DEAD, wisely replicating only the basic elements of Romero's movie, and instead sticking to his own vision of a world overrun by undead flesh-eating creatures. The action abruptly begins with nurse Ana (Sarah Polley) waking up to discover her boyfriend has become a tasty midnight snack for a formerly cute neighborhood kid. To her horror, she realizes that the whole town is in a similar state of ghoulishness, until she runs into a few fellow survivors. As in Romero's original, the group heads for the local mall where they barricade themselves inside, hacking a plan for escape and enjoying shopping mall paradise. Placing the messages from Romero's version--a funny, scary look at consumerist society--on the back burner, the 2004 version of DAWN OF THE DEAD instead concentrates on delivering a witty blood-fest. The zombies appear to have taken their cues from the fast-moving corpses of Danny Boyle's 28 DAYS LATER, and are generally much more agile than their 1978 counterparts. Director Snyder gets the balance between humorous set-pieces and plot development exactly right throughout, producing an enjoyable remake that can easily hold its own alongside the deservedly hailed original film. [More]

Starring: Sarah Polley, John Leguizamo, Dennis Hopper, Ving Rhames

Starring: Sarah Polley, John Leguizamo, Dennis Hopper, Ving Rhames, Jake Weber, Mekhi Phifer, Ty Burrell, Michael Kelly, Kevin Zegers, Lindy Booth, Simon Baker, Asia Argento, Robert Joy

Director: Zack Snyder, Edgar Wright

Director: Zack Snyder
Screenwriter: James Gunn
Producer: Eric Newman, Richard P. Rubinstein, Marc Abraham
Director: Edgar Wright

[See More Credits]