Day of the Dead

Rating:
Summary: "C'mon you dumb f**ks!"
Review: This is a very gory, darkly humouress horror film that is worth getting. Good plot, good acting and good zombie effects (By Tom Savini)who did well here as well as good direction by George A. Romero. The ending is pretty good as well.

Rating:
Summary: What a shame.
Review: If one was to say that Day of the Dead doesn't hold a candle to the earlier two films in the dead trilogy. You probaly wouldn't have a hard time finding people to agree with you. Granted that the effects are a improvement from the other films but that is only place this film shines over the other two. Day is a very dark film with un-likeable charcters and with a very cold back drop(underground base). Romero seemed to be off a bit on this film. From what I heard DAY was supposed to have a bigger budget and was going to "live up" to NIGHT and DAWN in terms of story telling and keeping with the theme of Zombies taking over the world. But when Romero refused to cut down on the Violence and Gore in the film to secure a "R' rating he had most of his funding pulled from the film. The Script for Day of the Dead is very gripping piece of work and would have clearly been a epic of a film,but it was not to be. Instead we got a stripped down movie from Romero's orignal vision of the film. Clearly if Romero had complete control over this film then I would probably be writing about how I loved the movie. Oh well...

Rating:
Summary: Carefully crafted, intellectually superior horror.
Review: Day of the Dead, thanks to its tumultuous production history (Romero's original script had to be drastically rewritten because of budgetary constraints), falls short of the tremendous heights that Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead reached. However, ranked alongside many other '80s horror films, Day of the Dead actually holds up remarkably, looking fresh and smart, and the writing hasn't dated all that much. It is still a very effective post-apocalyptic vision that the film offers, whose ideological complexity can match modern works like The Matrix.

The acting is weaker than in Dawn of the Dead -- Joe Pilato takes the most obvious route by playing Rhodes as a megalomaniacal villain, right down to his extremely conscious enunciation of his lines, which actually detracts from the effectiveness of the character. (In Night of the Living Dead, for example, the character of Cooper had added power because we understand his fear) Lori Cardille, Terry Alexander and Jarlath Conroy are quite good, however, and Tom Savini's special effects are convincing as always, this time enhanced by Michael Gornick's dark cinematography. Visually the film creates its own niche, just as Night of the Living Dead had its stark black-and-white, low-budget, high-contrast look and Dawn of the Dead went for a garish, exaggerated colour which is almost uncinematic, alluding to comic books and paintings.

One can't help but feel that the true Living Dead series (the Return of the Living Dead series, for the record, has nothing to do with Romero and his original vision, or even the tone of the true Living Dead films) could have used an even bigger closing statement -- the ending of Day of the Dead feels slapped together and a cheap cop-out. However, that doesn't take away from the fact that this is still horror filmmaking by a master of the genre.

The DVD edition includes a documentary which, though interesting (a 1985 behind-the-scenes doc!), leaves out much that is important -- nothing on the preproduction of the film; no intimate looks at any of the stars and major above-the-line crew (Joe Pilato is the only one we get close to -- no Romero, no Cardille, no Alexander or Conroy, no Gornick). For a better look behind the scenes, hunt for the deleted book The Zombies That Ate Pittsburgh or one of Savini's memoirs.

Rating:
Summary: A film that you probably have not seen but definitely should
Review: If any of you are fans of the horror genre you will probably be aware of George A. Romero.In my opinion the director has set the standards of modern horror despite whatmany Romero's fans think (that the two earlier films in the trilogy are superior)I prefer this film because the tension created is enormous, simply because the situation in which the characters find themselves has escalated from where the previous films left off(in "night" the human population was in the majority, in "dawn" there were small human populations scattered around sparsely but in this film the cast have to concede that they may well be the only human beings left on the planet!).Sadly there have been many low budget rip offs that have given zombie films a bad name and this may be one of reasons that mainstream film audiences may not be familair with George A. Romero's work or may be put off by a film like this. But please do not let this cloud your judgement - this film is synonomous with modern horror classics such as the Texas Chainsaw Massacre and An American Werewolf in London.In fact, in an ideal world I wouldn't even class Day of the Dead as a horror film, but as a darkly realistic and symbolic study into the human psyche. A masterpiece that becomes more and more interesting with each watch.

Rating:
Summary: Tremendous effects are the best part
Review: The visual graphic effects in "Day of the Dead" are most likely the best I have ever seen an any film. Sadly to say, that is the only good thing about this film. It is filled with a bunch of unlikeable characters and a dark, dreary scenery as well as plot, that it is particularly unenjoyable with the exception of the effects. I loved "Dawn" and "Night." "Dawn of the Dead" is by far my favorite horror film ever, mainly because it was just so fun, and you cared about the characters. "Day" is the exact opposite. It's not fun, it's depressing, and even the characters you are supposed to like, you really don't care for. The only likeable character is that of a zombie named Bub, now he was cool. I thought that the villain, Jeo Pilato, was more likeable than the heros, and he was just pure evil. I love Romero, but he must have been in a bad mood when he wrote this script. It's worth watching for the effects though

Rating:
Summary: Nowhere the equal of DAWN
Review: I am somewhat disappointed by this movie. I had seen DAWN OF THE DEAD, which I loved and watched many times. I found this in a store for eight bucks. It is very talky for an hour or so, but is still mildly engaging. Soon, it gets crazy. Savini's gore effects stop the film and the last thirty minutes are some of the most entertaining moments in film history. If you are a die-hard fan of Romero, you're sure to love it; if you want battles and splatter, get DAWN.

Rating:
Summary: DAY OF THE DEAD-THE GREATEST MOVIE EVER MADE!!!!!!!!
Review: Day of the Dead is not only the best entry in the ground-breaking George Andrew Romero Dead Trilogy, it is also the greatest movie ever made! Why does Day of the Dead deseve such a moniker of high class? Well for one, it is a brilliantly executed, thoughtfully written, wonderfully acted, cerebral, brutal, in-your-face, horrific character study of mankind's inhumanity to his fellow man. This movie is unapolegeticly harsh in the way it portrays people at their worst,when order is in a severe state of disorder. When all rules and laws are non-existent. When civility and common decency are flushed right down the friggin' toliet. Day of the Dead is about man's nihilism at it's most basest. Day' plays on so many levels , far more complex then either Night of the Living Dead or even Dawn of the Dead ever hope to be. The perfomances are truly superb. Everybody shines in this baby. One of the finest casts ever assembled. Lori Cardille, Terry Alexander, Howard Sherman, and let us never ever forget Josef"The Man"Pilato, give standout,Oscar-worthy performances. The FX by Tom Savini,are bloody good! The best! Almost fiftien years since it's release, Day's special effects still hold up remarkably well in our CGI saturated age. Day's long list of legions of loyal, hardcore fans continues to grow rapidly,without fail. Frequently, I read about and run into folks who say that Day of the Dead is their favorite among the Dead trilogy. George Romero himself has stated several times that Day'is his favorite Dead flick. Romero's final(for now)installment of his Dead Trilogy, is his tightest,finest mature work to date. It is a shocking, uncompromising bleak horror movie masterpiece. This film of films is the absolute definition of the word HORROR. DAY OF THE DEAD-THE DARKEST DAY OF HORROR THE WORLD HAS EVER KNOWN AND THE GREATEST MOVIE EVER MADE!!!!!!

Rating:
Summary: The best of Romero's zombie films.
Review: "Day of the Dead" is not only a great horror film, it is ten times the film that George Romero's supposed "masterpiece", "Dawn of the Dead" is. The film showcases the brilliant work of Tom Savini, who has outdone himself in this movie. The make-up work on the zombies in the film is truly stunning. There is even one zombie that I cared about in this film. Imagine actually caring for a brain-craving dead person. The finale of "Day of the Dead" is one of the most satisfying and action-packed in my memory as a film-goer. I liked the characters in this movie. They seemed believable. The best thing about this movie is the unbelievable make-up effects by Tom Savini. I was in complete awe the entire movie of Savini's wizardry. Anyone who loves gore, pure terror and a terrific ending, rent "Day of the Dead."

Rating:
Summary: Not quite the same atmosphere as in "Dawn"... But close!
Review: This movie is has far better effects than "Dawn", but it does not have the same psychic effect... But damn close I might add. A great movie, and a very good transfer to DVD... "Two Thumbs Up"

Rating:
Summary: Good. But the least of the series.
Review: Well, the characters were unlikeable and there was no humor. But it was ok for horror.