Dawn of the Dead: The Original Director's Cut

Rating:
Summary: Will the real Dawn of the Dead please stand up?
Review: This has to be one of the best zombie movies ever made. When this film first came out I was 12 and I wanted to see it so bad but because of its violent content I had to wait until it came out on video. I showed this movie to a young zombie lover recently and all he could talk about was how cheap the movie looks. This kid just didn't get it. What makes this film so great isn't the blood or gore or even the zombies, it's the characters, the storyline, and George Romero's superb direction. While watching this with my little friend, he also talked about how unscary the film is. I had to explain that this film isn't the "horror movie" that everyone thinks it is. This is a satire about commercialism. Who are the real brain deaders? The zombies or the survivors who fight fo possesion of the shopping mall? As for the DVD, I would go ahead and get it. It's the only version of the film available now(I have at least 4 different versions in my collection). It's not much on extras or picture and sound quality but I think it will do until late 2001/early 2002. This is when Anchor Bay is "supposed" to be releasing a very special edition on DVD. Hopefully it will have different cuts, trailers, director and cast commentaries. I would LOVE to see this film released on DVD in a deluxed package. It deserves it. Anyway as I said before, this is really the only version available now in the USA. Go ahead and grab it if you want and keep your fingers crossed for later this year.

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Summary: The last great film of the 1970s?
Review: What is most extraordinary about 'Dawn of the dead' is its sheer scope and ambition, its Bunuel-like world-view given the space and size needed for its subject, no less than America. Where 'Night of the living dead' burned with a late 60s political urgency, 'Dawn' pessimistically ushers in the Reagan years of zombie consumerism and idiotic militarism. Of course, the great American genre is the Western, and Romero plays merry havoc with it here, as his 'good guy' frontiersmen set up camp against the various Indians who try to blast them out of it. The apparent stylistic self-indulgence conceals an astonishing formal discipline, and the apparently 'plain' style produces moments of surprising beauty. Shocking, brutal, disgusted, cynical, savage, satirical, but above all very, very funny.

Rating:
Summary: Still not the definitive version but buy it anyway
Review: The theatrical version has always been the best version of DOD. It is a faster smoother cut with a far superior soundtrack. I still cant decide which music I like better in one case (the scene where they first fly into the mall). Even though a few of the Zombie gore scenes are missing the atmosphere is still much stronger. I would recomend any true fan to have both US versions of the film. The previous Anchor Bay two sided version has its advantages too. Its the longest unrated version available and the sound recording and picture are slightly better (still mono though). This 138 minute version is no longer available unfortunately but you will find plenty of them up for grabs on ebay.com. Thats how I got mine. Down to the theatrical DVD. The extras arent very impressive for a start. Id like to have seen more of the Argento scenes as I still havent seen ZOMBI (European version). Also I would have liked a commentary or at least an interview of some sort. Elite entertainment always deliver great versions of classic films but Anchor bay are slacking a bit at the mo. The second very dissapointing aspect of this disk is the sound. It is recorded in a very linear mono track. Allot of the time the music goes low then high again. Also during the final Zombie battle at the end, you will notice mistakes in the sound recording. It Skips ever so slightly. You will have to listen carefully to notice these errors though so dont get too worried. Still I have got over these problems now and I worship this DVD and film. I would recommend this to any Dawn of the Dead fan. Ive heard rumours of a special edition but this wont be until 2002. No way could I wait that long. My advice is to buy this version or the old flipper long version and enjoy it. There both as good as each other. Now I just hope I can find a version of Zombi on ebay. Actually im gonna check ebay now.....

Rating:
Summary: Liked it better the second time around
Review: Now that I've viewed this movie several times already, I have to say that it is almost as good as Night! The beginning was a bit gory, and seemed even misleading, but after sticking with it the spirit of the first film kicks in. There is definitely more comedy, as I don't really recall ANY in the first one. But there are also some really intense scenes. As in Day of the Dead, the characters are less than lovable. In the first movie there were a few likable characters but the sequels lost something by not keeping that. I guess nice people just don't survive! Anyway, Definitely a great movie but ya know, it would have been nice to have picked up with these characters in the next sequel. One tends to wonder what happened to the last people we saw! I'll throw this in though, minus the zombies, haven't we all wanted to have free run of a shopping mall like that?

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Summary: the best of the best
Review: This movie is head and tails above the best when it comes to pure terror and (dated but fun) humour. The concept of the world being attacked by the undead and there is no safe place to hide adds to the overall genious of this movie. A graphically real tale that lends your imagination enough fuel to take this movie to heart and make it as savage as it appears. Mall haven+ undead hourdes= our heroes are in for a fright filled, combat frenzied, kill or be undead classic. If you are new to this series then take heart that there are others out there that also provide the basic zombie filled situations and fun. But this is the best of the best in my opinion. The crowning gem in Romero's crown. Run, hide, pray, but that's all going to amount to nothing because the undead is out there and they're hungry for the living. Fun for the horror lover in all of all us.

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Summary: PATHETIC AND STUPID = HILLAROUS!
Review: this movie is so pathetic and stupid, it is funny.... if you saw this movie and thought it was scary, you need therapy. the zombies move at aproxomatly 1/2 mph through out the movie and some how the humans get caught and killed and turned into more zombies. if you start watching this and don't beleive me for the first half hour wait until they get to the air feild. you will laugh your head off! this movie is one that should have made mst 3k for shure! if you like to laugh your head off at stupid movies. buy this, its worh anything you pay for it.

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Summary: "Scary, isn't it?" One of the Best Horror Films Ever!!!!!!!
Review: The Living Dead are back and this time they're going shopping, for live human flesh! Four survivors of the mass hysteria that ensues from the original Night of the Living Dead hole up in a Mall, feeling safe and secure (with everything they could possibly need there for the taking). Of course those pesky zombies are attracted to the living (their sustenance) and the four must contend with the slow moving hordes of the undead. George A. Romero's Dawn of the Dead is arguably as good, if not better than Night of the Living Dead, depending on who you ask. Much more graphic, and this time in living color, the zombies are even more relentless and vicious. But in this post apocalyptic nightmare it's not just the zombies that are the threat, but bands of anarchistic survivors as well. It's every man for himself as our quartet battle to save their new home from the dead and the living. A great social satire on the materialistic American ideal that in any given catastrophe could literally become a deathtrap. Violent, funny, and excruciatingly frightening, Dawn of the Dead is a must have for any Horror fan's collection. Followed by Day of the Dead and a 1990 remake of Night of the Living Dead (directed by special effects wizard Tom Savini, who was responsible for the zombie effects). "When there's no more room in Hell the Dead will walk the Earth."

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Summary: Death of the DVD
Review: First off, the movie didn't hold up to how I remembered it. But if you're considering buying the DVD, chances are you love the movie. So I am not going to review it. But I was disappointed in the DVD itself. The back cover says "5.1 Surround" but there is nothing here. I even got up and put a different DVD in my player to be sure my rear and left and right speakers were working.I didn't expect start of the art sound, but saying "5.1 Surround" on the back cover is an total lie! If you have a good quality video version of this movie, the DVD will not be any better.

Rating:
Summary: Another classic by Romero.
Review: A great sequel to Night of the Living Dead. It's not as good as Night, but it's still a classic. This time a bunch of people is hiding in a shopping mall that's eventually invaded by zombies and a biker gang. Romeros cut is a bit too long and drags down the pace, but since the film is so good it's forgiven.

Rating:
Summary: Even worse than the first offers nothing.
Review: In this one we see zombies everwhere ripping and tearing and eating flesh in fact the exccessive gore is the only thing new this one offers. Once again a band of humans stupidly barracade themselves this time in a shopping mall. And live their untill some bikers break in letting in the dead thus leading to the inevietible and preditible ending.Do your self a favor if you have not seen this don't waste your time or money. Watch Karloff's Frankenstein or any of the Universal monster classics instead.