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Movie Review - Land of the Dead (2005)
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(What this rating means)
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| Director: |
George A. Romero |
| Starring: |
Simon Baker, John Leguizamo, Asia Argento, and Dennis Hopper |
| Rated: |
R (for pervasive strong violence and gore, language, brief sexuality and some drug use) |
| Length: |
93 minutes |
| Genre: |
Horror/Zombie Movie |
| Tagline: |
The Legendary Filmmaker Brings You His Ultimate Zombie Masterpiece |
| Studio: |
Universal |
| Website: |
Land of the Dead |
| Release: |
June 24, 2005 |
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PLOT
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It's a zombie movie; what do you expect? The world's being overrun by zombies, what's left of mankind is now
hoarded up in a fortified city, and some of the remaining rich folk are trying to maintain the high life in a
skyscraper known as Fiddler's Green. This, of course, causes resentment from some of the humans in the lower
class.
Meanwhile, the zombies are learning to organize and coordinate and now have a leader known as "Big Daddy."
Mercenaries kill zombies, zombies dismember humans, and Dennis Hopper hams it up as the rich bad guy. George
Romero's latest attempt to capitalize on the zombie genre ensues.
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JOHNNY'S TAKE
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Wow, it's already June and there haven't been any zombie movies yet this year? Weird. I don't know what the hold
up is. Oh, perhaps that people might finally be running out of ideas. I have to give George Romero credit though -
he's shown exactly how easy it is to make a zombie movie. He's found a formula and he's stuck to following
that well-trodden zombie path:
* Make up a title that has "of the Dead" at the end of it.
* Assume everybody's mother is already familiar with your zombie world.
* Show multiple body parts being ripped off various no-name characters.
* Throw in some comic relief.
* Have at least one character chew the scenery as if he's Star Jones at a catfish buffet.
* Have humans running away from lots of zombies.
* Mix in a little faux social commentary to trick people into thinking you have a message to send.
* Watch fanboys go home happy.
But let's be honest, how many times can you show a zombie ripping somebody's arm off or chomping through a finger
before it loses its charm? I think I'm going to make my own zombie movie. I'll call it Apocalypse of the
Dead, (Copyright © 2005) and I'll include a scene in which a zombie rips off someone's buttock and plays
basketball with it (Copyright © 2005). At least THAT would be something you hadn't seen before.
The lack of anything really new is exactly why Land of the Dead was a letdown to me coming off the heels of
the superior (in my opinion) Dawn of the Dead remake. Land of the
Dead is entertaining, and it kept my interest and attention, but it's more focused on gore, dismemberment, and
funny one-liners than on building any sort of smothering fear.
I do like the idea of looking ahead in the future to see how people have learned to live with zombies. The answer?
They use them for sport, of course! They have their pictures taken next to chained up zombies, they use them for
paint ball target practice, and they throw them into a big cage with prostitutes and take bets on how it'll all
turn out. Plus, it's interesting that the zombies are slowly developing enough intelligence to comprehend a
Jean-Claude Van Damme movie - they're even learning how to use weapons and how to ever so slightly use
reasoning. But I was disappointed because Romero doesn't really explore the subject that deeply.
My biggest complaint with the movie is Romero's odd attempt at trying to create sympathetic zombies, particularly
when he forces one human character to be such a jerk that he manipulates the audience into cheering for the zombie
leader. It completely removes any real threat from the zombies. Sure, they're deft at ripping people's heads off
and extricating spinal cords (which is indeed cringe-inducing at times), so if that's all you're in the mood for
then you'll be satisfied. Just don't expect to be scared (although there are a couple of decent jump scenes), and
don't expect any of the tension that was prevalent in 2004's Dawn of the
Dead. These are kinder, gentler zombies who are merely trying to sustain their way of life.
I also have to admit that I'm not a big fan of social commentary in zombie movies. I HATED the whole "let's try to
learn to live with the zombies because they're just trying to find a place to go" storyline that unfolds. What is
this, a Zombie civil rights movement? THEY'RE ZOMBIES! You know what that means? THEY WANT TO
EAT HUMAN FLESH! Sheesh. They're not "just looking for a place to go," they're looking for human brains so
that they can sup. Come on. For a moment I was scared the zombies were going to start chanting, "We're here,
we're undead, and we're in your face!"
What's next? Zombie unions? I haven't received word yet on what kind of health and dental plans Big Daddy's
been able to secure for his legion of zombies, but I'm sure that's coming. After all, they have to make sure
those teeth are good and strong for chewing through human flesh and bone.
I assume Romero wants the zombies to serve as a metaphor for an oppressed group that society discriminates
against, but let's be honest, are undead, brain-eating creatures really the best type of characters to use to
send some sort of weird message? It just felt out of place. I like my zombies dead. Well, you know what I
mean. I'm not interested in learning how to coexist with them anymore than I'd be interested in learning how
to coexist with a legion of cannibalistic serial killers were they to be released into society. Just blow
the zombies up and move on.
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ODDS & ENDS
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- Simon Pegg of Shaun of the Dead fame appears briefly as a zombie. Good luck spotting him.
- One of the working titles for the film was Dead Reckoning, but it wasn't used because the filmmakers
didn't want it to be confused with the Humphrey Bogart film of the same name. Johnny seriously doubts anybody
would confuse this with a Humphrey Bogart film.
- This is Romero's fourth zombie movie, but he gives it no specific time frame, merely claiming it's sometime
after his original Night of the Living Dead.
- John Leguizamo isn't as annoying as usual.
- I rather liked Asia "I Look Like a Combination of Rachel Weisz and Leah Remini" Argento's character.
- Simon Baker was in Ride with the Devil with Skeet Ulrich who was in Into the West with Josh
Brolin who was in Hollow Man with Kevin Bacon.
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MAMA'S APPROVAL
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This is in no way suitable for mama or the kids. It is rated R for a reason. There is loads of profanity (yes,
that includes the ol' f-bomb), there is brief nudity, and the gore is abundant and plentiful. The parents who
brought their 5-year-old to the screening I attended should be slapped.
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TRAILER COMPARISON
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No really big surprises. You pretty much get what you expect.
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THE GIST
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If you're a fan of zombie movies, particularly Romero's brand, then Land of the Dead will most likely
satisfy you. There's plenty of gore, gunfire, and gratuitous flesh-eating to keep you happy. But if you're
looking for anything in the way of a tantalizing story, and if you have no familiarity with Romero's previous
zombie movies, or just zombie movies in general, then this isn't for you.
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