eat his skin and drink his blood
March 22, 2004 8:13 AM Subscribe
Review of the weekends two top Zombie flicks "Now it’s thousands of years later and the being-a-zombie thing that Jesus started has caught on."
I won't speak to TPotC, except to wonder whether Jesus sees his shadow when he comes out of the hole, but the new Dawn of the Dead is a surprisingly good movie, and very effective at being a zombie movie. Agile, spry zombies are very creepy -- much better than the slow, lumbering, arms-out-in-front sort of zombie. Nobody does anything super-stupid, and there are moments when people behave conspicuously sensibly. And it showed me things I'd never seen.
dejah: that reminds me of a card I saw once. On the outside, it said "If a million people jumped off the Empire State Building," and on the inside it read "...after a while it wouldn't hurt." And there was a picture of happy people bouncing on their bums down a great pile of corpses stacked to the umpty-teenth floor.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 8:50 AM on March 22, 2004
dejah: that reminds me of a card I saw once. On the outside, it said "If a million people jumped off the Empire State Building," and on the inside it read "...after a while it wouldn't hurt." And there was a picture of happy people bouncing on their bums down a great pile of corpses stacked to the umpty-teenth floor.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 8:50 AM on March 22, 2004
haha thats great, yeah all the newsfolks have been having fun with the zombies vs mel gibson theme. truly a great day for editors everywhere to let their talent shine.
posted by yeahyeahyeahwhoo at 8:52 AM on March 22, 2004
posted by yeahyeahyeahwhoo at 8:52 AM on March 22, 2004
This film is also a good take on the whole resurrection vs. undead thang.
posted by SealWyf at 8:59 AM on March 22, 2004
posted by SealWyf at 8:59 AM on March 22, 2004
ROU_Xenophobe: Nobody does anything super-stupid? Things should have been thrown at the screen when that one girl decided to take the truck on over across the street after the damned dog.
Other than, awesome movie.
posted by xmutex at 9:00 AM on March 22, 2004
Other than, awesome movie.
posted by xmutex at 9:00 AM on March 22, 2004
Nobody does anything super-stupid
Hmm. You must have seen a completely different movie than I did. Some of the things the main characters did were just boneheaded. They obviously needed to study their Zombie Survival Guides more closely (even given these zombies didn't fit the typical profile). Still, I agree with your overall sentiment: I really enjoyed Dawn of the Dead.
posted by moonbiter at 9:01 AM on March 22, 2004
Hmm. You must have seen a completely different movie than I did. Some of the things the main characters did were just boneheaded. They obviously needed to study their Zombie Survival Guides more closely (even given these zombies didn't fit the typical profile). Still, I agree with your overall sentiment: I really enjoyed Dawn of the Dead.
posted by moonbiter at 9:01 AM on March 22, 2004
Except the ending, which was terrible. Should have left it at the dock, ship sailing into the sunset. That crappy nu-metal video montage was a slap in the face. Otherwise, I agree, awesome flick.
posted by saladin at 9:03 AM on March 22, 2004
posted by saladin at 9:03 AM on March 22, 2004
but the new Dawn of the Dead is a surprisingly good movie, and very effective at being a zombie movie.
28 Days Later is much better, I feel, as Dawn of the Dead became gruelingly repetitive after the 1000th zombie was shot in the head, like the 999 before.
posted by the fire you left me at 9:30 AM on March 22, 2004
28 Days Later is much better, I feel, as Dawn of the Dead became gruelingly repetitive after the 1000th zombie was shot in the head, like the 999 before.
posted by the fire you left me at 9:30 AM on March 22, 2004
Let's hope he landed on something soft, shall we?
Except, duh, he can fly, dejah.
posted by soyjoy at 9:41 AM on March 22, 2004
Except, duh, he can fly, dejah.
posted by soyjoy at 9:41 AM on March 22, 2004
Okay, yeah, the girl was stupid. But that was stupid in a way I could sort of buy, and from someone of an age that's prone to futile/stupid gestures.
But for the most part, when the house said GET OUT, people left. IYKWIMAITYD. Wifey-nurse's reaction to her hubby being zombed-out at the beginning -- AUGH! Grab the keys! Run away! -- bought them some leeway.
And I really liked the ending. It's just so delightfully hopeless.
28 Days Later is much better, I feel,
But 28DL is yet another tired good-victims-of-a-disaster meet and deal with bad-victims-of-a-disaster setup. I liked that this DotD had a bunch of people, none of whom were really all that trustworthy except for Nurse Chick, and none of whom trusted each other very much.
as Dawn of the Dead became gruelingly repetitive after the 1000th zombie was shot in the head, like the 999 before
But... Jay Leno! Burt Reynolds!
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 9:51 AM on March 22, 2004
But for the most part, when the house said GET OUT, people left. IYKWIMAITYD. Wifey-nurse's reaction to her hubby being zombed-out at the beginning -- AUGH! Grab the keys! Run away! -- bought them some leeway.
And I really liked the ending. It's just so delightfully hopeless.
28 Days Later is much better, I feel,
But 28DL is yet another tired good-victims-of-a-disaster meet and deal with bad-victims-of-a-disaster setup. I liked that this DotD had a bunch of people, none of whom were really all that trustworthy except for Nurse Chick, and none of whom trusted each other very much.
as Dawn of the Dead became gruelingly repetitive after the 1000th zombie was shot in the head, like the 999 before
But... Jay Leno! Burt Reynolds!
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 9:51 AM on March 22, 2004
ship sailing into the sunset
You did stay through the credits, right? So you know that the ship sailing into the sunset isn't the ending at all?
posted by biscotti at 10:16 AM on March 22, 2004
You did stay through the credits, right? So you know that the ship sailing into the sunset isn't the ending at all?
posted by biscotti at 10:16 AM on March 22, 2004
Biscotti-
Yeah, that's what I'm saying, the ship sailing into the sunset should have been the ending. That crap they tacked on at the end with the handheld camcorder was really weak, and the musical choice, whatever it was, was the pits.
posted by saladin at 10:21 AM on March 22, 2004
Yeah, that's what I'm saying, the ship sailing into the sunset should have been the ending. That crap they tacked on at the end with the handheld camcorder was really weak, and the musical choice, whatever it was, was the pits.
posted by saladin at 10:21 AM on March 22, 2004
You did stay through the credits, right? So you know that the ship sailing into the sunset isn't the ending at all?
One review I read suggested that you'd be best off leaving then, however.
posted by kindall at 10:49 AM on March 22, 2004
One review I read suggested that you'd be best off leaving then, however.
posted by kindall at 10:49 AM on March 22, 2004
IYKWIMAITYD.
You've got to be kidding me.
If You Know What I Mean And I Think You Do.
the ship sailing into the sunset should have been the ending
Meh, lots of horror flicks end up with a survivor or few sailing off into the sunset, or walking out of the camp at sunrise, or ejecting from the wounded starship. I was happy to see a movie have the onions to kill everyone off. The only way I'd've liked it better would have been if they'd been killed off by some other group of survivors.
no anticonsumer message
The original would have been fine if the anticonsumer message had been more sophisticated (or even just less droolingly unsophisticated), and the filmmakers hadn't beaten us over the head with it a jillion times. But it wasn't, and they did.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 10:52 AM on March 22, 2004
You've got to be kidding me.
If You Know What I Mean And I Think You Do.
the ship sailing into the sunset should have been the ending
Meh, lots of horror flicks end up with a survivor or few sailing off into the sunset, or walking out of the camp at sunrise, or ejecting from the wounded starship. I was happy to see a movie have the onions to kill everyone off. The only way I'd've liked it better would have been if they'd been killed off by some other group of survivors.
no anticonsumer message
The original would have been fine if the anticonsumer message had been more sophisticated (or even just less droolingly unsophisticated), and the filmmakers hadn't beaten us over the head with it a jillion times. But it wasn't, and they did.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 10:52 AM on March 22, 2004
Sweet Zombie Jesus! Nobody has yet mentioned 'Shaun Of The Dead'.
posted by tapeguy at 10:59 AM on March 22, 2004
posted by tapeguy at 10:59 AM on March 22, 2004
The original Dawn of the Dead is one of my favourite movies, and I was ready to despise the remake. As it turns out, I thought it was actually fairly capable, although it was missing the nuances of the original. The mall scenes could have used some more zombies, but I liked the ending (with the coda during the credits) and the opening sequence was brilliant. I guess I'd have to say it was a poor remake, but a fine zombie movie on it's own.
I'm happy to see that recent horror movies (like the Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake from last year) seem to be regaining the streak of cruelty that was missing from all those post-Scream 'so hip it hurts' films.
posted by jess at 11:15 AM on March 22, 2004
I'm happy to see that recent horror movies (like the Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake from last year) seem to be regaining the streak of cruelty that was missing from all those post-Scream 'so hip it hurts' films.
posted by jess at 11:15 AM on March 22, 2004
Neil Cumpston's reviews are one of the few saving graces of AICN. My two cents is that Neil's really Patton Oswalt.
posted by Atom12 at 11:33 AM on March 22, 2004
posted by Atom12 at 11:33 AM on March 22, 2004
Too bad that this movie wasn't the one to do the deed.
But this way is definatly funnier.
posted by psychotic_venom at 11:45 AM on March 22, 2004
But this way is definatly funnier.
posted by psychotic_venom at 11:45 AM on March 22, 2004
Jess just wrote the post that I hope to be able to after I see the movie. I could tell (from the previews) it was going to lose what I loved about the original. My hope has been that I could enjoy this divorced from comparison to the real Dawn of the Dead.
posted by thirteen at 11:48 AM on March 22, 2004
posted by thirteen at 11:48 AM on March 22, 2004
I agree with those who liked the bleak ending. Come on people! Hell is full! So the undead must walk the earth and feast on the flesh of the living! And you expect this to have a happy ending? I would have been insulted if everything was hunky dory when I left the theater.
I completely agree that the opening sequence was brilliant, and for most of the movie I was too enthrallled in the action to try and guess what would happen next. It actually scared me enough that I had a nice, juicy zombie nightmare last night, and it's been a long time since a movie gave me nightmares.
(Well, I guess not that long. Odishon did a number on my sleep pattern for a day or two.)
And as a big fan of the original, I think that the updated effects and zombie physiology make it a good movie in its own right. You can love them both equally, but in different ways.
posted by jennyb at 12:35 PM on March 22, 2004
I completely agree that the opening sequence was brilliant, and for most of the movie I was too enthrallled in the action to try and guess what would happen next. It actually scared me enough that I had a nice, juicy zombie nightmare last night, and it's been a long time since a movie gave me nightmares.
(Well, I guess not that long. Odishon did a number on my sleep pattern for a day or two.)
And as a big fan of the original, I think that the updated effects and zombie physiology make it a good movie in its own right. You can love them both equally, but in different ways.
posted by jennyb at 12:35 PM on March 22, 2004
The original Dawn of the Dead is one of my favourite movies, and I was ready to despise the remake. As it turns out, I thought it was actually fairly capable, although it was missing the nuances of the original. The mall scenes could have used some more zombies, but I liked the ending (with the coda during the credits) and the opening sequence was brilliant. I guess I'd have to say it was a poor remake, but a fine zombie movie on it's own.
Metafilter: Could have used some more zombies
posted by tirade at 12:43 PM on March 22, 2004
Metafilter: Could have used some more zombies
posted by tirade at 12:43 PM on March 22, 2004
Loved the bleak ending! The original "Dawn" had an ending that wasn't shown that could out-bleak this ending on the bleakest day of its life. (You can read about it if you scroll down on this page.)
I'm thinking that if I was in a secure mall with food, drink and comforts, ain't no way I'm all "Ahoy for Zombie Island!"
posted by GaelFC at 12:50 PM on March 22, 2004
I'm thinking that if I was in a secure mall with food, drink and comforts, ain't no way I'm all "Ahoy for Zombie Island!"
posted by GaelFC at 12:50 PM on March 22, 2004
Everyone’s pissed at Jesus. They all want him dead. But this is back in Bible times, when they didn’t have shotguns and chainsaws, and back then when you want to kill a superhero you have to rain two hours of whomp-ass on him and then nail him to something, sort of like a message to other superheroes.
Great review, and great headline, dejah420. I really want to see the zombie movie now. 28 Days Later was excellent.
posted by onlyconnect at 12:53 PM on March 22, 2004
Great review, and great headline, dejah420. I really want to see the zombie movie now. 28 Days Later was excellent.
posted by onlyconnect at 12:53 PM on March 22, 2004
Shaun of the Dead... the romzomcom has arrived!
Trailer here
posted by pots at 1:08 PM on March 22, 2004
Trailer here
posted by pots at 1:08 PM on March 22, 2004
i'm just chuffed that a canadian girl has bumped mel and his bloodbath out of the #1 spot. way to go sarah...!
the only zombie movie in my personal collection is the original night of the living dead. it scared the crap out of me when i was little and it still unsettles me today.
posted by t r a c y at 1:21 PM on March 22, 2004
the only zombie movie in my personal collection is the original night of the living dead. it scared the crap out of me when i was little and it still unsettles me today.
posted by t r a c y at 1:21 PM on March 22, 2004
Well if nobody else is going to say it... Shaun of the Dead looks FANTASTIC.
posted by seanyboy at 2:50 PM on March 22, 2004
posted by seanyboy at 2:50 PM on March 22, 2004
Oh. And nobodys mentioned Resident Evil. Which, (if you'll allow me to buck the perceived wisdom) , was an Ace film.
posted by seanyboy at 2:51 PM on March 22, 2004
posted by seanyboy at 2:51 PM on March 22, 2004
The original "Dawn" had an ending that wasn't shown that could out-bleak this ending on the bleakest day of its life.
Wow! Thanks for linking that, Gael -- I had no idea there was such a different alternate ending. Hopefully this will be on the really big DVD edition of DotD that's coming out later in the year. (It's also supposed to feature the Dario Argento-edited version, which is apparently lighter on the humour and heavier on the gore.)
posted by jess at 3:12 PM on March 22, 2004
Wow! Thanks for linking that, Gael -- I had no idea there was such a different alternate ending. Hopefully this will be on the really big DVD edition of DotD that's coming out later in the year. (It's also supposed to feature the Dario Argento-edited version, which is apparently lighter on the humour and heavier on the gore.)
posted by jess at 3:12 PM on March 22, 2004
I'm thinking that if I was in a secure mall with food, drink and comforts, ain't no way I'm all "Ahoy for Zombie Island!"
Yeah, I didn't quite understand that either. I mean, how long would it take for the zombies to decompose to crippled bits and pieces? A month? Just wait it out folks, and enjoy the Food Court.
posted by moonbiter at 3:44 PM on March 22, 2004
Yeah, I didn't quite understand that either. I mean, how long would it take for the zombies to decompose to crippled bits and pieces? A month? Just wait it out folks, and enjoy the Food Court.
posted by moonbiter at 3:44 PM on March 22, 2004
I'm confused. Didn't a new edition of DotD just come out on DVD?
posted by keswick at 3:50 PM on March 22, 2004
posted by keswick at 3:50 PM on March 22, 2004
I'm confused. Didn't a new edition of DotD just come out on DVD?
I bought it Friday. I assumed it was the one I have been waiting for for the better part of a year. Has a Romero commentary that I am looking forward to, and it is cleaned up nice. Last time I rented it, I was surprised by how murkey the picture and sound were.
posted by thirteen at 3:55 PM on March 22, 2004
I'm confused. Didn't a new edition of DotD just come out on DVD?
You're not confused -- there was a new edition put out just in time for the remake. (I bought it as well.) However, apparently in September there is going to be a super 3-disc edition released by Anchor Bay, which, sadly, I will probably also buy.
posted by jess at 8:39 PM on March 22, 2004
You're not confused -- there was a new edition put out just in time for the remake. (I bought it as well.) However, apparently in September there is going to be a super 3-disc edition released by Anchor Bay, which, sadly, I will probably also buy.
posted by jess at 8:39 PM on March 22, 2004
You're not confused -- there was a new edition put out just in time for the remake. (I bought it as well.) However, apparently in September there is going to be a super 3-disc edition released by Anchor Bay, which, sadly, I will probably also buy.
Oh fucking hell. I hate that I fell for that. At least it was cheap.
posted by thirteen at 1:00 AM on March 23, 2004
Bittorrent, my friend. Bittorrent.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 6:29 AM on March 23, 2004
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 6:29 AM on March 23, 2004
Worst Case Scenario.. because someone has to bring up nazis....
posted by oninochuck at 11:28 AM on March 23, 2004
posted by oninochuck at 11:28 AM on March 23, 2004
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Zombies Push Jesus from Top of North American Box Office
Let's hope he landed on something soft, shall we?
posted by dejah420 at 8:41 AM on March 22, 2004