George Romero is already a legend to fans of his “Dead Trilogy”. Often called “The Master” by the genre’s faithful, he is an iconic figure. His newest addition is “Land of the Dead” and with it Romero has raised the bar so high that it almost seems silly for anybody (save Romero himself) to ever make another zombie film again.
The plot stays true to his previous “Dead” films which have been variations on the same theme. The living dead have taken over the world and the last humans live in a walled city doing the best they can to survive while trying to live life as normally as possible. The wealthiest people live in huge luxury “Trump style” Skyscrapers while the rest of the population lives on the streets in what is essentially a glorified shanty town. Besides the usual remnants of the army and trained mercenaries defending the borders of the city there is the “Dead Reckoning” a huge armored war machine that could almost be described as a mini “Death Star”. It’s a fantastic creation that Romero uses to maximum effect and it’s something to see as it rumbles down the road spewing fire and smoke. The city’s protectors are led by “Riley” (Simon Baker) and all is well until he loses command and control of The “Dead Reckoning” which is hijacked by an unstable and greedy mercenary (John Leguizamo) who threatens to use it to destroy the city while, of course, the now evolving zombie army awaits.
The Zombies in this film are not the mindless shambling flesh eaters we are used to. These Zombies are evolving and learning to communicate. They are led by the unquestionable star of the film “Big Daddy” (Played AMAZINGLY by Eugene Clark) He gives Big Daddy a soul and I found myself actually rooting for the zombies this time around. Although I do have a tendency to root for the bad guy these zombies actually gain our sympathy which is one of the reasons this film blew me away. The cast in general is superb. Dennis Hopper is the evil mastermind behind the walled city is fantastic and has 2 all time great one liners. Simon Baker as Riley, Asia Argento as Slack ,John Leguizamo as Cholo and Robert Joy as Charlie are refreshingly brilliant. There’s not a wooden or bad performance to be found in fact.
As usual Romero has laced the film with scathing social and political commentary without ever seeming preachy and while very scary at times this film is down right funny! Maybe Romero was inspired by “Shaun of the Dead” who’s creators have amusing cameos.
For the gorehounds out there you can relax, there is plenty and it’s ALL top flight thanks to Greg Nicotero’s KNB EFX team. Man they didn’t leave anything in the tank. I can’t wait to see what was not allowed in by the censors when the DVD comes out! This Dead film is by far the most creative in terms of kills. The almost headless zombie scene will surely become a classic. The zombies overall are realistic and a lot nastier looking than in any of GAR’s previous films. These ain’t your daddy’s zombies! I’m sure that zombie purists will be happy to know that these zombies are not world class athletes as they have been in some recent films. No 100 yard dash champions here.
It’s too bad that the major studios have not seen fit till now to give Romero a proper budget for his zombie masterpieces. This film is the first in the series that truly allows the audience to experience the Zombie Apocalypse as Romero intended.
I’m a horror freak and obviously I love the Zombie Genre but this movie is better than ANY film I’ve seen in quite some time. period.. I loved last year’s “Dawn” remake and this just puts that to shame. It’s edge of your seat scary, side splittingly funny and socially and politically aware while also causing you to lose your lunch on numerous occasions . What more do you want from the master!
Ok now to the Blu-ray extra’s!! While it’s only a single disc they didn’t skimp in this area at all. None of the extras are what I would call filler. There are some great interactive features with the cast and crew that go along with the film while your watching it. A zombie FX Featurettes with Greg Nicotero, “When Shawn Meet George”, highlighting the cameo’s with SHAWN OF THE DEAD actors Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright . An awesome ditty called “SCENES OF CARNAGE” (need I say more! ) , “Zombie Casting Call” and “Remaining Bits” which is scenes that Romero didn’t incorporate into his “Cut” but that I guess he felt were worthy of being seen (a point with which I agree!!) Also watching the film with the very cool commentary really helps one understand what Romero was trying to do as well as being pretty funny at times. It’s a pretty good disc, that pretty much has the same features as the unrated DVD that came out a few years ago, but is more interactive on the blu-ray disc.
– Zombielover
- Interview with J.R. Bookwalter - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Andrew J. Rausch - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Rick Popko and Dan West - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Director Stevan Mena (Malevolence) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Screenwriter Jeffery Reddick (Day of the Dead 2007) - January 22, 2015
- Teleconference interview with Mick Garris (Masters of Horror) - January 22, 2015
- A Day at the Morgue with Corri English (Unrest) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Writer/Director Nacho Cerda (The Abandoned, Aftermath) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actress Thora Birch (Dark Corners, The Hole, American Beauty) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actor Jason Behr, Plus Skinwalkers Press Coverage - January 22, 2015
