Four survivors on the run, hold up in a shopping mall for survival where they encounter zombies and blistering commentary on consumerism.
In 1968, George Romero cemented himself as the master of all zombies with legions of Horror buffs, when he wrote and directed Night of the Living Dead. When legendary Italian filmmaker Dario Argento approached Romero about doing a sequel some ten years later, it led to my personal favorite of Romero’s Dead films and one of my favorite zombie films of all time (along with Fulci’s Zombi 2). It’s difficult to write a review for a classic film such as this, due to everyone already having done it and pretty much saying everything there is to say. The only way for your review to stand out is if you hate the film. But hopefully, our readers will humor me here.
Fans of Night will notice right away the differences between that film and this one; which stretch far beyond Dawn being filmed in color. The sequel doesn’t have the same dread throughout as its predecessor, and like a lot of follow ups, took the tact of having more action and more fun. The blood in the film resembles the paint-like blood in some of the older Hammer Horror films and the music, at times, sounds like it could have come out of an old video game. Romero wanted a comic book feel to this installment, and he succeeded.
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that at all, and it’s certainly entertaining; however I do think they went a little far with the comedy in respect to the zombies, making them appear too bumbling in some instances. Some have expressed displeasure with the majority of the undead appearing with a simple gray-faced makeup (often appearing as blue). I can see how they would feel that way after seeing more recent films, however the zombie outbreak was still at an early stage here, so it would make sense to have a lot of the freshly dead. There are a couple of “hero” zombies that feature more elaborate makeups, however.
The cast here is mostly enjoyable. Out of our soldiers, Peter (Ken Foree) and Roger (Scott Reiniger) deliver perfectly. Foree brings an authoritative presence to his role; while Reiniger is energetic and helps keep the spirit of the film up between action scenes. Fran (Gaylen Ross) and “Fly Boy” (David Emge) who have fled from a news station and joined up with them, are more of a mixed bag. I didn’t care for Emge’s portrayal or his character at first, but he turns it around in time and had me rooting for him.
The same cannot be said for Gaylen Ross. She remained the weak link throughout the film. Ross is like a living zombie who never really shows any emotion. She refused to scream for Romero during her scenes and to the detriment of her character, I think. It makes his attempt at giving her a character arc fall somewhat flat. She clearly thought this was a stand for strong women in Horror films (she mentions several times in the supplements that this was pre-Sigourney Weaver in Alien), but you don’t have to be stoic to be strong. When she picked up a gun later, I didn’t buy it.
One similarity in both Night and Dawn is Romero’s trademark social commentary. While he claims it wasn’t really intentional in the former, it was very much so in Dawn. Even though the characters are in a life and death struggle, they are surrounded by a wonderland of material goods and can’t help but partaking. It’s somewhat amusing, but I have to admit, that I’ve never been enamored with these type of statements. It doesn’t hurt the film certainly, but if it wasn’t there, I wouldn’t miss it. This was the first entry to delve into over the top death scenes and violence, which are provided with great glee by Tom Savini. Most of these work their way into the last act, which acts as a nice payoff.
If you’re a fan of Dawn, you likely already own this 4-disc Ultimate Edition set from Anchor Bay. If not, then trust that this is the release to pick up; as it is overflowing with special features, such as documentaries, commentaries, and easter eggs that cover everything you could ever want to know; as well as two alternate cuts of the movie. The Extended Cut is pretty much a rough cut of the film that runs 139 minutes versus the theatrical’s 127 minutes. Honestly, I’ve watched this version two times; once when I got this set and the second for this review. It doesn’t really add anything that I felt was a real attribute to the film.
The European Version, known as Zombi, was recut by Argento to fit the International marketplace; which meant more action and less talking, essentially. While I greatly enjoy Romero’s theatrical cut, I do prefer some of the pacing changes and cuts made by Dario in this 118 minute version. Another change that I liked, was how this cut features more of Goblin’s soundtrack as opposed to a lot of the cost cutting stock music that Romero used for several sequences.
Dawn of the Dead is a great fun ride, with a tight cast of characters that I (mostly) care about. It definitely upped the ante for the zombie films to come. The film was remade in 2004 in association with the original’s producer Richard Rubinstein, and directed by Zack Snyder. Some felt it stacked up to the original and praised it for introducing the “fast zombie”. I saw fast zombies in Return of the Living Dead, so I wasn’t very impressed with that aspect; and simply saw the film as an average zombie yarn with a big budget. If it’s anything like Night of the Living Dead, we’ll be seeing further remakes. But, there is just something about the original and the means by which it was made, that make it stand out as one of the seminal icons in a sea of zombie films.
Directed by: George A. Romero
Starring: Ken Foree, Scott Reiniger, Gaylen Ross, David Emge
Released by: Anchor Bay
Special Features:
Dawn of the Dead Comic Book
Disc One (US Theatrical Version)
- Audio Commentary by George A. Romero, Tom Savini, Chris Romero, and Moderated by Perry Martin
- Trailers
- TV Spots
- Radio Spots
- Poster & Advertising Gallery
- George A. Romero Bio
Disc Two (Extended Version)
- Audio Commentary with Richard P. Rubinstein, Moderated by Perry Martin
- Monroeville Mall Commercial
- Still Galleries
Disc Three (European Version)
- Audio Commentary with Stars David Emge, Ken Foree, Scott H. Reiniger, and Gaylen Ross
- Trailers
- TV Spots
- Poster & Still Galleries
- Dario Argento Bio
Disc Four
- The Dead Will Walk (75 minute Retro Documentary)
- Roy Fumkes’ Document of the Dead (92 minute On-Set Documentary)
- On-Set Home Movies
- Monroeville Mall Tour
