When Zack Snyder’s remake of George Romero’s Dawn of the Dead was initially announced, I was extremely dubious, to say the least. I generally despise remakes and this was sacrosanct ground. I didn’t see it in the theater, but I eventually relented when my girlfriend (now wife) talked me into it. I’ve been a fan ever since, even if I wish they just called it something else considering it bears only a passing similarity to its still superior source. Along with Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later, it did ignite a zombie craze for the new millennium. March 19th sees the film celebrate its 20th anniversary, so let’s take a look back!
Any fan of the genre knows the basic plot by now. The general population is taken unawares as a plague of reanimated flesh-hungry corpses suddenly throws society into disarray, ultimately leading to the end of civilization. Disparate survivors must put aside their differences to overcome the teeming hordes of grotesque unreasoning cannibals or risk being consumed or turned into zombies themselves. Romero perfected the template for the genre, lifting it from Western siege-type films. The wrinkle added to this film is that the zombies are capable of sprinting. Though still residing in the horror realm, this essentially hybridizes the film with the action genre. This is perhaps most evident in the bravura opening sequence depicting one character’s experience of societal collapse.
Performances are solid and polished across the board, giving the picture a Hollywood gleam that separates it from its grindhouse ancestors. Sarah Polley shines as the tough and humanistic nurse Ana. We also get Ving Rhames as a gruff no-nonsense cop, Jake Weber as an everyman who drifted around in his previous life but who now has a purpose, Mekhi Phifer as a stubborn soon-to-be father, Ty Burrell as a smart-ass narcissist, and Michael Kelly as a redneck security guard. Fan favorite Matt Frewer also has an extended cameo. The cast all seems game and helps sell the serious tone of the film.
Snyder has often been hobbled by poor screenplays, especially when he does his own writing. Scripter James Gunn was still mostly unknown to film fans in 2004, but he gives every character a well-defined personality and provides plenty of interpersonal conflict. His narrative is just a rock-solid, back-to-basics zombie yarn that’s a cracking good time and melds perfectly with Snyder’s velvety aesthetic.
So yes, as is ever the case with Snyder, the look of the film is also a strong point. Cinematographer Matthew Leonetti presents a warm picture with the screen tilting toward a gold spectrum. Sleek, but hazy, it gives the film an almost dreamlike ambiance. Additionally, the bird’s eye and crane shots are very cool and unique while also reminding the viewer that these events are wide-scale and not just happening to our characters. This subtly evokes anxiety and isolation. Leonetti is able to handle horror, action, and character beats admirably.
Other technical merits register mentioning, as well. The practical and special effects are exemplary, befitting a film of this relatively high budget. You need gore for a zombie film, and while it’s nowhere near as bloody or graphic as some entries in the genre, it still brings the goods in that department (at least in the uncut version). Some of the CGI is starting to show its age, but that doesn’t really bother me.
Tyler Bates’ score provides a lush and creepy background for our characters’ mounting woes. Additionally, the soundtrack is excellently deployed. Johnny Cash’s “When the Man Comes Around” evokes portent during the well-executed title sequence montage while the lounge singer version of Disturbed’s “Down with the Sickness” by Richard Cheese and Lounge Against the Machine is both funny and somehow dread-inducing.
Dawn of the Dead is Zack Snyder’s most complete film. I believe that this is because James Gunn gave him a very strong script to work with. Visually pleasing and thrilling, I greatly enjoy the film despite its unnecessary clinging to horror royalty. I’ll take Romero’s film any day of the week over this one, but that doesn’t mean this isn’t a very good flick. I understand horror fans’ reluctance about this film, though. Fast zombies, slick as opposed to grimy visuals, and the appropriation of a title screams cynical garbage. However, for me, it works. Highly recommended.
Michael Cavender