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82%
Overall Rating
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Ranked #1,189
...out of 13,217 movies
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During an ever-growing epidemic of zombies that have risen from the dead, two Philadelphia SWAT team members, a traffic reporter, and his television-executive girlfriend seek refuge in a secluded shopping mall.
--TMDb
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Review by Chad
Added: March 11, 2004
Romero's grand return to zombie movies did not disappoint one iota... let's hope the remake can be a fraction of the goodness that this is, though for some reason, I don't see that happening.
We start off in a TV station, where the newsmen are attempting to keep broadcasts going, but with outdated information. Francine puts a quick end to all that, and chaos ensues. Her boyfriend, Flyboy, pops in and lets her know that he snagged a helicopter, and they're leaving tonight. Cut scene over to an apartment building, where the National Guard is trying to restore some order. Roger and Peter team up, and Roger lets Peter in on the helicopter deal, so they'll be leaving with Flyboy. The gang eventually get into the chopper, fly around for a bit, and touch down on top of a mall. The movie deals with them taking care of the zombies found there, and making a nice little home... until the finale, when something quite unexpected happens.
I can't quite decide which of the series (Night OG, Dawn, Day) is the better of the trio. Each has something going on for it, with this one focusing more on what the average joe would do in this situation. That made it a bit more realistic, or about as realistic as you could get with a zombie movie. It was full of little nods to the original Night Of The Living Dead, with references to the town and such, which is always nice to have.
The acting / casting was excellently executed throughout. Not a sign of overacting, all the characters were played nicely, and all the decisions made were logical. Tom Savini makes a small cameo appearance, and is also great in his short appearances. One amusing thing though, the guy who played Peter (Ken Foree) looks strikingly similar to OJ Simpson, but that's all fine and dandy. Dario Argento had a hand in the script, so you know that's played out nicely as well. The soundtrack, done by Argento and a group called Goblin, was also excellent; I don't think anything could ever replace that mall theme, or the main song that's played here and there.
10/10, no doubts.
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#1:
Siphon
- added 09/23/2004, 02:09 AM
I'm surprised to see no comments on one of
Romero's greatest movies. The editing may have
been a little off-kilter, the angles a little shot
through, and the make-up not so believable, but
this is one of my favorite movies. The acting is
sincere and well thought out--as well as the
dialogue...confusing at times when everyone is
speaking, but isn't that the same in real life as
it is in a supernatural situation? The music also
played a large part in the movie. The
juxtaposition at the end with the tinkling, jolly
music and the overrunning of the mall by the
hordes of living dead feasting upon what scraps
they could find is true genius--Signore Argento
is, indeed, a smooth operator. The Goblins, an
Italian band (I believe) were recruited to spook
you with their almost surreal music set to an all
too surreal setting. For a few laughs, a few
scares, and seeing Tom Savini (Romero's Number One
Make-up man) wielding a machete, pick up this
movie where you can find it and watch it.
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#2:
Bluesummers
- added 12/26/2004, 07:11 AM
Yeah, so now I've discovered I can rant about
movies. And oh, the joy that fills me. Let's start
with what everyone considers a great, great
classic. Sure, there's no CG, but A. you get your
social commentar, B. some of the zombies do look
good. The acting is pretty okay, and you get Tom
Savini acting. And making gore shoot everywhere.
Romero is, always has been, and shall be forever
more the master of zombies - and other such creepy
things. It doesn't have the sheer gut-punching (or
should that be munching? Let's laugh at the bad
joke and humor the author...please?) impact that
Night of the Living Dead had. But that's totally
relative. Why don't we pass up the "re-imagining"
for this, and see that horror (or, in some
circles, you could count this as a black comedy)
doesn't have to be shiny. All hail zombies that
don't run!
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#3:
bluemeanie
- added 11/02/2005, 07:34 PM
Sorry to disappoint you Romero fans, but this is
Dario Argento's cut of the film, and it far
surpasses Romero's cut. As far as I am concerned,
Argento is the master of horror, and this cut is
so different and so cerebral. Amazing. 10/10.
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#4:
Ginose
- added 12/17/2005, 12:28 PM
I found no flaws in this movie at all. George
Romero did a great job at showing us how racism
and commercialism can ruin our world.
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#5:
Tristan
- added 04/07/2007, 01:18 PM
Well actually bluemeanie, there's several
different cuts of the film. The European cut is
Zombi, then there's the US theatrical and
Director's Cuts, which are called Dawn of the
Dead. I'm sure for the purposes of this review,
we'll assume it's the US theatrical cut, which is
the most commonly seen.
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#6:
bluemeanie
- added 05/12/2007, 06:42 PM
I didn't care much for Romero's cut. I very much
enjoyed Argento's cut and thought it was far more
interesting and creative. Romero's cut of the
film was too boggish and was boring at times.
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#7:
Tristan
- added 06/04/2007, 03:02 PM
Romero's cut of the film that was the Extended Cut
was great. Little extra gore, lots more fun.
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#8:
Nirrad
- added 11/30/2007, 03:13 PM
Well, finally watched the movie from start to end.
I'd have to say that I didn't really like it. Some
of the acting was laughable, the blood looked like
paint and made it seem even more cheesey, and I
found the movie annoying as a whole. I hated the
characters except for the 2 soldiers, or whatever
they were. The comedy parts seemed completely out
of place. There were some parts that I liked, but
this is probably a case where I like the Remake
better than the original. The walking Zombies are
not scary at all. If there was an outbreak, and it
invloves something like these zombies, then I say
bring it on as everyone would most likely survive.
I give the movie 5/10, it had some moments, but it
was nearly painful to watch. I would have to give
the extended cut a chance though as it seems
better.
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#9:
Crispy
- added 11/30/2007, 05:24 PM
Yeah well, fuck Jaws.
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#10:
Nirrad
- added 11/30/2007, 05:44 PM
Ouch man. In all honesty, I CAN understand why
people love this movie, and why it's a classic.
But it just isn't the right movie for me, just as
it seems Jaws isn't the right movie for you. I'm
gonna watch Day of the Dead, I've seen parts of it
before, so I'm pretty sure I'll like that
one......and I'll give this movie another chance,
if Tristan lends me another cut of the film.
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#11:
Tristan
- added 11/30/2007, 06:12 PM
Dammit Chad, this needs a re-reviewing. So yeah,
with all this new activity I suppose I should give
an official comment. This is my favourite movie of
all time, matched only by Clockwork Orange. As far
as what Darrin said, I really have nothing to say.
I don't feel like trying to argue this or anything
other Romero film, as they are all excellent, and
can't be judged the same way as a regular movie.
But since I'm such a good lad, I'll chime in my
two cents.
First of all, Dario
Argento. He had a big part in the writing of the
script, which you can clearly see in the satirical
way Romero approaches his own brand of 70's social
commentary. The second most noticeable thing is
the acting. A superb job from everyone. Like Chad
said, not a hint of overacting, and everyone was
believable in their parts. I must tip my hat to
Ken Foree, as he is certainly the standout
character of this movie. A lot of people complain
about the montages in this film, but it's a
perfect example of what people do to kill time.
You're locked up in a mall, what do you do? You
ice skate, dress up in fine clothing, prepare
large dinners, and generally goof around. And the
soundtrack. Oh the soundtrack. Goblin is quickly
becoming one of my favourite bands ever, and they
breathed the same life into this movie as they did
Suspiria with their vibrant and eerie
melodies.
And to try and attack a 30
year old movie for it's effects or makeup is just
childish. Aside from Martin, this was Savini's
first real movie, and I thought he did a fantastic
job. Maybe it all seems cheesy now, but back then,
this stuff was like cutting edge. Savini is
marveled for his work in this movie, and I think
he did a great job of making the movie realistic
without relying on buckets of blood and gore.
Quite long winded, but hopefully it got
the point across. 10/10.
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#12:
Nirrad
- added 11/30/2007, 06:31 PM
I thought the effects were nice, it was just the
blood that bugged me. I also liked the montages,
theres really nothing else you can put in the
movie to show time passing, I thought it fitted
well. While I don;t agree the acting was perfect,
it was still fine, and as I said, some of it was
bad. I did find that the people did make logical
choices that were realistic, but there were still
some parts that were not, for some reason these
people lack peripheral vision....and it annoyed me
at some parts. The part when Fly Boy is in the
boiler room or something, and hes shooting at a
shadow was just dumb. Maybe he WAS shooting at the
zombie, but the editing made it look like he was
firing random bullets at nothing, that and the
fact that even though it shows Fly Boys point of
view within a few feet of the zombie, somehow in
the next shot they're across the room. Another
part that bugged me was when Roger is getting
attacked by a female zombie in the truck, Peter
shoots her and the blood pours on Rogers face, but
then in the next shot his face is completely
clean. Not a big problem as many movies do that,
but I thought it was a blooper that shouldn't have
been as everyone will notice it, then make you
laugh at the movie for it. Oh, and one last one,
the part near the beginning when they stop to get
fuel, when Fly Boy hits that zombie outside with a
big side swing is just idiotic....yet hilarious.
Just to make you happy Tristan, I'll watch it
again alone this time and leave the nitpicking to
someone else....and I'm sure I will like it.
That blood pressure scene is still my
favorite..lol
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#13:
Crispy
- added 11/30/2007, 07:30 PM
I have no problem with Jaws, just making a
childish remark.
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#14:
bluemeanie
- added 12/01/2007, 07:33 PM
I am going to get ridiculed for this, but I don't
care -- I preferred the remake. I thought "Night
of the Living Dead" was a masterpiece. I thought
"Day of the Dead" was goofy fun, and I thought
"Land of the Dead" was more campy than anything
else, but "Dawn of the Dead" did the least for me.
Then, the remake came around and just blew me
away. I thought it was far scarier than the
original and it was a creative change from the
original.
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#15:
Zombieboy
- added 12/30/2008, 10:43 AM
My personal favorite movie of all time hands down!
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#17:
Nirrad
- added 10/02/2010, 11:26 PM
Hmm, gonna change me opinion here. Maybe all of a
sudden I just "get" it. While its still
not the best, it definitely grown on me. I still
think the movie is awful near the beginning
though.
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