Dawn of the Dead

Dawn of the Dead Review Formula = 28 Days Later - The United Kingdom

Dawn of the Dead is an action-horror-zombie-apocalypse movie that's a remake of the 1978 original. Now, anytime there's a remake - or even a sequel, the chances of the new movie living up to the expectations set by the original are slim. There aren't many remakes in the history of the movies that trump the original.

That said, the goal of any remake is to re-capitalize on a successful concept with a modern look and feel. So here's the Box Office Talk hope for a Dawn of the Dead review: don't be terrible. Don't let the viewers leave resenting your efforts, Mr. Director.

In the case of Dawn of the Dead, they pulled it off. No, it's not the original, but that was expected. For those who don't know, Dawn of the Dead was a sequel to the very old 1968 Night of the Living Dead. In a fashion very similar to the recent Horror film 28 Days Later, zombies make a run on human civilization, and a small party of survivors struggle to escape the zombified drones by hiding in a shopping mall. In the original Dawn of the Dead, it was a party of four. Due to a population explosion, now it's more like twenty. While that takes away from some of the character development, it works in the film.

It's not the original, and it's not 28 Days Later, but it's not bad at all.

Dawn of the Dead Review, Trailer & Snapshot

Starring: Sarah Polley, Ving Rhames, Jake Weber, Mekhi Phifer

Directed by: Zack Snyder

Release Date: 3/19/2004

MPAA Rating: R

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