George A. Romero's Land Of The Dead DVD Review

"LAND OF THE DEAD" reviews

DVD

LAND OF THE DEAD

Author

anonymous

Date reviewed

2005-12-23 16:32:15

Provider

DVD Review

Master of the Zombie genre, George A Romero is back with a new Dead movie.

Wealthy New Yorkers try to live a normal life high above the city in a shopping mall/hotel. Below them the walking dead rule. Power-mad president Kaufman (Dennis Hopper) runs the high security complex, with the poor left outside in the squalor to fend for themselves. To keep the residents in a style to which they wish to be accustomed teams of Kaufman's troops collect provisions from outside the complex. The Zombies are none too happy about this and, having apparently developed telepathic communication, are intent on penetrating the robust defences.

The haves and the have-nots of Dubya's USA are in his anti-establishment sights with both internal and foreign policies coming under attack. Whilst there's no doubting the undertones of the movie's plot, horror and schlock action has moved on since Romero's last outing and it feels as if we're in something of a timewarp. The film's look and scripting is dated and a little on the B-movie budget-side from the outset, while the decision to evolve the zombies beyond their walk-and-eat limitations seems a bit forced.

Admittedly, this Director's Cut is better than the theatrical release, loaded with extra features for fans, including the obligatory Making Of featurettes such as When Shaun Met George and Bringing the Storyboards To Life. There are early treatments including green screen development work and the casting of the zombies plus a commentary from Romero with his producer and editor.