Barnes & Noble

George Romero's 1978 classic Dawn of the Dead is probably the greatest zombie movie of all time, as well as one of the best horror movies of the last 30 years. Set mainly in a suburban mall, it was as much a critique/satire on rampant consumerism as it was a chilling gore-fest. Though our country's capitalistic nature has only escalated in the last 25 years, the satirical content has been slashed in Zack Snyder's 2004 remake -- but the zombies are more ferocious than ever. Unlike your parents' undead, lumbering around aimlessly in search of brains, these zombies are fast, mean, and -- relatively speaking -- smart. Otherwise, this hi-tech update sticks pretty close to the source material. A visceral, violent pre-credit sequence brilliantly sets the stage: A strange plague infects much of the population overnight, causing the dead to rise and attack the living. Those not infected manage to hole up in a mall while the bloodthirsty corpses converge outside like shoppers on the day after Thanksgiving. Among the group of survivors are Sarah Polley, Ving Rhames, Mekhi Phifer, and Jake Weber. Who are they and what do they do? They fight zombies, of course -- and therein lies the problem with this remake. The script is nearly as mindless as the zombies, heading down the predictable path of offing the leads one by one as they fight to escape. Snyder is a skilled visual stylist, however, and makes up for it with sheer thrills. Adrenaline levels run high the entire film, and the jolts come fast and furious with plenty of squeamish delights for gore fans. With a little more care and attention to story, Dawn of the Dead could have truly rivaled the original; instead we merely get a real good scare. Bill Pearis

All Movie Guide

The feature-film debut of director Zack Snyder, Dawn of the Dead is a modern retelling of George Romero's 1978 horror classic, which was actually the second film in a trilogy that began with Night of the Living Dead and concluded with Day of the Dead. Sarah Polley and Ving Rhames star as two of the last remaining people on an earth that has been ravaged by flesh-eating zombies. After escaping to a shopping mall with a handful of other survivors, they decide that they only way to truly elude the approaching throng of undead is to somehow make their way to an island that is supposedly zombie-free. Jake Weber and Mekhi Phifer also star. Matthew Tobey

Product Details

• UPC: 025192581922
• Source: UNIVERSAL STUDIOS
• Region Code: 1
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Sound: Dolby AC-3 Surround Sound
• Language: Français, Spanish, English
• Subtitles: Spanish, Français
• Editions: Director's Cut, Subtitled, Uncensored, Dubbed
• Time: 1:50:00
• Sales Rank: 17,484

This DVD is also available as part of a box set:

• Dawn of the Dead (2004) / Land of the Dead
• Blu-Ray Hi-Def Horror Starter 3-Pack

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