Dawn Of The Dead (DVD)

Advantages: A lot of gore, good old fashioned horror, a classic
Disadvantages: Due to age, may not appeal to younger generation

The second of George Romero's now quadrilogy of living dead films and in my personal opinion, probably his best. I watched this film without seeing its prequal, Night of the living dead, and due to the way it is scripted, and how well put together the lines are, i soon picked up the plot very easily. This was also the very first zombie horror flick i had watched, and it is the one that i will always remember for making me want to watch more and more ...
...brief description of the film, without giving too much away, its set in a world where the dead do not lay at rest, they rise up as blood thirsty zombies, with their only purpose in life being to eat the allready living. What adds to this allready hellish vision is the cold chilling fact that as soon as one of them gets their teeth into you, no matter where, you transfer into one of these demonic creatures. With the situation getting way out of control, ... Read review

Advantages: One of the best horror films ever
Disadvantages: Spawned a ruck of useless imitations

...to get you, Barbara!" Dawn of the Dead produced the even more famous quote "When there's no more room in hell, the dead will walk the earth" and set the standard for all zombie films that were to follow. Unfortunately for us the plethora that did arise were mainly European (usually by Lucio Fulci) with terrible acting, scripts and effects. To this day only Romero has done zombie films of any quality, though the Dawn remake was exceptionally good, ...
...which is missing in the Dawn remake and many modern horrors. While I actually enjoyed the Dawn of the Dead remake, the characters were neither here nor there and it's the four protagonists; SWAT officers Roger and Peter, and husband and wife reporter-team Fran and Stephen that make this film what it is. This is probably the second most watched film in my collection (after The Lost Boys). While non-horror fans will possibly not see past the zombies, ... Read review

Advantages: Undiluted, pure horror!
Disadvantages: The only difference between it and the last one is the time of day!

What would in any other field of film be considered a dull repeat turns out to be a highly enjoyable "more of the good stuff" experience. The same gore and make-up and an ever decreasing supply of sane human life is all part of the appeal. Far from the complex plots we tend to expect of most modern films, this is simple and effective horror movie which should appeal to the wider range of horror addicts as well as provide a degree of humour at the ...
...comes in, is in trying to figure out a rational cause of the situation, which you end up being unable to come to, and hence more and more of these zombie-ilk films can be generated. Not exactly the most rewarding film in the world, and the law of deminishing returns applies if you have watched the previous films. The outcome is entirely predictable, but a good mental work out and definitely something to rid your mind of work-related thoughts at the ... Read review

Advantages: Gripping, nice range of characters
Disadvantages: umm too much gore?? but then that's the point i guess

This really isn't my normal type of film, although i do like horrors, but i'm really glad i saw this. I watched this with my boyfriend and am extremely glad i did as it scared me so much and even gave me nightmares! I loved the range of characters and thought each one was well worked out and brought something to the film, they weren't in it just as "the token balck guy" for example. I thought the ending was good as it wasn't your typical unrealistic ... Read review

Advantages: Gory, blood-spattered, violence fest
Disadvantages: Gory, blood-spattered, violence fest

...of different versions in circulation – the DVD version features the director’s cut which is almost complete (except for the child killing sequence). Dawn of the Dead could never be described as the best horror film of all time. It may well be the best zombie movie – but then the competition isn’t great. Horror fans will surely want to see this, just to find out what all the fuss was about, but I was rather disappointed. Certainly not suitable for pre-dinner viewing….... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Superb performances, visually stunning, an interesting take on the original tale.
Disadvantages: Not the same social satire element as with the original.

...George A. Romero's 1978 horror classic 'Dawn of the Dead' is without doubt one of my favourite films of all time, when it was announced then that there was to be a remake I was absolutely dreading its release. I instantly dismissed it and decided that ultimately it would not be up to very much at all. As it turns out I was wrong and the 'Dawn of the Dead' remake is in fact fantastic, better than the original in some ways even. Slow zombies have been replaced with super fast, highly powerful flesh munching machines and for that reason it is all the more scary. The social satire element has been lessened, but the film itself is a punchier and in ways more powerful offering than the original telling of the 'Dawn of the Dead' tale. The mall is still central to the film, the way it is used however is very different and an alternative... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: An excellent horror film, full of suspense and excitement.
Disadvantages: The series has plummeted downhill ever since.

...In 1968 there was 'Night of the Living Dead', George A. Romero's first film as director which would spawn a number of sequels and inevitably remakes also. Although four films have since followed, it was not until ten years later in 1978 that the man followed it up with 'Dawn of the Dead', the first of the George A. Romero zombie films that I ever saw and one that fascinated me greatly. I stumbled upon this film by chance late one night and am extremely glad that I did so. 'Dawn of the Dead' is my favourite zombie film of all time and in my opinion by far the greatest film that George A. Romero has ever directed. Thirty years on from its release and 'Dawn of the Dead' is still as excellent as ever, it's basic premise is brilliant and everything about this film impresses me hugely. Much of the film is set within an American shopping... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful