Rating: 
Summary: Romero's 1978 shocker gets an impressive 2004 make over.
Review: Zack Snyder's fast paced remake of George Romero's 1978 low budget cult film may not win the hearts and minds of all Romero's legion of fans......however that's their bad luck. On it's own merits, the 2004 version of "Dawn of the Dead" is a genuinely scary, roller coaster ride into the genre of the living dead. What it may lack from the original in making comments about consumer greed, dysfunctional society and other social issues, it more than makes up for in being a successful meshing of blood thirsty zombies meets the action movie genre.The new film steers away from the initial reason highligted in Romero's 1967 "Night Of The Living Dead" , that radiation from an aborted Venus probe are reanimating the recently dead. This time around, an unknown virus, transmitted by bites from infected / undead humans is the cause of the deadly plague. Snyder's film starts off innocently enough in an "everyday" atmosphere surrounding a suburban hospital and an average suburban neighbourhood, however all hell suddenly breaks loose, and the landscape of Everett, Wisconsin is plunged into anarchy as neighbours attack each other and those still mobile, flee to find supposed sanctuary. The other key change is that in the original Dawn, Romero's zombies, whilst hungry for human flesh, just shuffled around the place as if they were heading home after a heavy evening at their local bar, and were only of threat to the films heroes when in weight of numbers. Snyder's zombies however, bear more resemblance to the "infected" in Danny Boyle's recent ( and much over rated ) "28 Days Later".....the zombies in "Dawn 2004" are fast on their feet, hyper aggresive and screech like ravenous hyenas when they are in pursuit of their human prey. Creative cinematography by Matthew Leonetti, razor sharp editing by Niven Howie and an excellent soundtrack including Johnny Cash singing "The Man Comes Around " over the opening credits all contribute to keep the audience entertained and on the edge of their seats. Sarah Polley & Ving Rhames are the two key leads, one a nurse, the other a police officer, and both meeting up with a rag tag bunch of survivors and taking shelter in an enormous shopping mall. In joke : One of the stores in the centre is named "Gaylen Ross".....lead actress from the first Dawn. In addition, fellow cast members from the original Dawn, Ken Foree ( Peter, the SWAT Trooper ) has a cameo as a TV evangelist, where he repeats his famous quote about "When there's no more room in hell...", and Scott H. Reiniger ( the other SWAT Trooper ) is an Army general on TV telling the populace not to panic. Plus SFX make up maestro Tom Savini, is a local sheriff out leading a posse shooting and burning corpses. Being a very keen fan of the Romero series of living dead films, I must admit I viewed the approaching remake with some apprehension, however I was more than pleased after seeing the final result. Especially given the most recent key theatrical releases surrounding the living dead ( Resident Evil & 28 Days Later ) were both rather toothless and lack lustre. So, leave your "don't mess with the classics" prejudices at home, and enjoy the latest "Dawn of the Dead" for what it is.....an intelligent, fuel injected horror / action film with just the right dose of humour and sarcasm. Highly Recommended.
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