Hey folks, Harry here... Like I've said before... this is going to be a good zombie movie. The script was quite solid, and from all reports I've heard over the production and behind the scenes, this was going to be good. Well, now we have the first review of the film and... it's very positive, and that review comes from a long-time contributor and not some fly-by-night type. In addition to being eager to see this one, I'm dying to see the new HELLBOY trailer that'll be put on this release. Well, here ya go... Enjoy...

Hey Harry,

I managed to catch a screening of Universal's upcoming zombie remake DAWN OF THE DEAD. This is going to be one of those movies that fans will initially find hard to embrace, especially since you can't help but compare it to the original regardless of how different it is. The basic premise and setting are the only things that connect this film to the first one since this one has its own set of characters and situations to deal with. If you accept this going into the movie then you might actually find yourself enjoying this 're-imagining' of a horror classic.

SPOILERS... BEWARE!!

The story begins with our lead characer Anne (Sarah Polley) who works as a nurse at a local hospital. She's coming home from a long day at work where we get a subtle hint of the horror in its early stages (a patient's brain activity seems to be mysteriously degenerating). She comes home, shares a few intimate moments with her loving husband and peacefully falls asleep. This is when the nightmare begins.

Anne wakes up to find her husband being attacked by one of the undead, a small zombie child who has wandered into thier home. She barely manages to get out of her house alive only to run outside and see that her once quiet neighborhood has become a scene of total chaos. Houses are on fire, people are being attacked, everyone seems to be turning on each other. This all happens before the opening credits.

The rest of the film follows Anne as she meets up with a group of survivors including a hardened police officer named Kenneth (Ving Rhames), the level headed Mike (Jake Weber), a troubled young man named Andre (Mekhi Phifer) and his very pregnant wife. They take refuge inside of a shopping mall where they encounter more survivors and try to deal with the zombie threat as well the realization that there may be no help coming for them.

The only real problem that I had with this film was that there seemed to be more characters on screen than the movie could handle. It gets to the point where only a handful of them get any real character development while the rest are left for zombie food. It becomes less personal which is one of the major differences between this film and the original. Still, there are some very strong moments that do stand out, scenes that elevate this movie to a level above the usual genre fare. One that sticks out in my mind is a dialogue exchange between Mekhi Phifer's character and Ving Rhames. It's a small moment in the movie that has to do with one character's decision to make a future for his family and it works incredibly well, adding more depth to these characters in three or four minutes than RESIDENT EVIL did in 2 hours.

Also, the zombies in this film might take some getting used to. They run... really fucking fast. They hiss, scream, and bite like wild animals and are very different than what we've seen in previous zombie movies. There's also lots of bloody carnage for the gorehounds out there. Blood, guts and brains get splattered all over the place. It makes me wonder just how much of what was seen tonight will remain in the final cut (each death was met with applause from the audience so I'm hopeful that it will get released with minimal edits). The film also ends on a much darker tone than the original, something that seems to actually work for this movie. If this version is similar to one being released next month you might want to stay during the ending credits to see what I mean.

Anyway, I had fun. I thought it was a good movie, not exactly a classic but definitely better than I expected. The audience seemed to dig it. Judging by the positive response it received tonight I'm guessing this one will be another genre hit. If it is, maybe we'll finally get to see George Romero direct another zombie epic.

Psyclops