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Dawn of the Dead, 2004
Nurse Ana (Sarah Polley) runs for her life when a zombie infection turns her husband and daughter into undead monsters. Ana ends up in a large shopping mall along with police officer Kenneth (Ving Rhames), the subdued Michael (Jake Weber), father-to-be Andre (Mekhi Phifer), and power-hungry security guard CJ (Michael Kelly). The mall only provides temporary relief, as a zombie horde forms outside the mall doors and tensions inside grow.
I think that if I hadn't seen (and really enjoyed) the original film, I probably would have enjoyed this remake/update a bit more. But when I think about the fundamental problems I had with it, it's not really a case of standing in the shadow of the original so much as it is stylistic choices that took me out of the film.
There is a lot to like here, including Polley's performance as Ana and the quasi-romance she develops with Michael. Likewise, I absolutely loved the subplot of the long-distance friendship that grows between Kenneth and a man named Andy (Bruce Bohne) who is trapped alone on the roof of his apartment building. The two communicate via large whiteboards, playing chess and generally bonding over their shared plight. Kelly is appropriately hateable as the security guard who enjoys having authority over the people who come into the mall.
There were also some pretty decent suspense sequences, such as when the group tries to get supplies to Andy in an unconventional manner.
But despite good work from the actors--including many more people I could name, like Kevin Zegers as a baby-faced security guard who helps wrest power away from CJ, or Jayne Eastwood as the driver of a big-rig who brings several people to safety--a lot of the choices of the film kept pulling me out of the moment.
I didn't mind at all the use of "When the Man Comes Around" in the opening credits, but just about every musical choice after that made me roll my eyes. The jazzy version of "Get Down with the Sickness" was a particular lowlight, but generally it was a series of missteps.
And I also wasn't a fan of how the action sequences were shot. Too many cuts, too many angle changes. I don't like it when I become hyper-aware of how a movie is being shot (unless it's a "wow--this is so cool!" kind of thing). I found the editing and filming of the action frustrating. I will grant the film that these sequences do have stakes, and there is some good suspense at points.
Finally, and I will stay really vague here, I did not appreciate the movie "ending" only to unfold more plot during the closing credits. It felt like a cheap trick and after the movie had really nailed the last 10 or so minutes, it felt like a slap in the face of the good emotional work done by the actors leading into the conclusion.
Credit where credit is due (mainly to the actors), but I can't imagine wanting to watch this one again.
Dawn of the Dead, 2004
Nurse Ana (Sarah Polley) runs for her life when a zombie infection turns her husband and daughter into undead monsters. Ana ends up in a large shopping mall along with police officer Kenneth (Ving Rhames), the subdued Michael (Jake Weber), father-to-be Andre (Mekhi Phifer), and power-hungry security guard CJ (Michael Kelly). The mall only provides temporary relief, as a zombie horde forms outside the mall doors and tensions inside grow.
I think that if I hadn't seen (and really enjoyed) the original film, I probably would have enjoyed this remake/update a bit more. But when I think about the fundamental problems I had with it, it's not really a case of standing in the shadow of the original so much as it is stylistic choices that took me out of the film.
There is a lot to like here, including Polley's performance as Ana and the quasi-romance she develops with Michael. Likewise, I absolutely loved the subplot of the long-distance friendship that grows between Kenneth and a man named Andy (Bruce Bohne) who is trapped alone on the roof of his apartment building. The two communicate via large whiteboards, playing chess and generally bonding over their shared plight. Kelly is appropriately hateable as the security guard who enjoys having authority over the people who come into the mall.
There were also some pretty decent suspense sequences, such as when the group tries to get supplies to Andy in an unconventional manner.
But despite good work from the actors--including many more people I could name, like Kevin Zegers as a baby-faced security guard who helps wrest power away from CJ, or Jayne Eastwood as the driver of a big-rig who brings several people to safety--a lot of the choices of the film kept pulling me out of the moment.
I didn't mind at all the use of "When the Man Comes Around" in the opening credits, but just about every musical choice after that made me roll my eyes. The jazzy version of "Get Down with the Sickness" was a particular lowlight, but generally it was a series of missteps.
And I also wasn't a fan of how the action sequences were shot. Too many cuts, too many angle changes. I don't like it when I become hyper-aware of how a movie is being shot (unless it's a "wow--this is so cool!" kind of thing). I found the editing and filming of the action frustrating. I will grant the film that these sequences do have stakes, and there is some good suspense at points.
Finally, and I will stay really vague here, I did not appreciate the movie "ending" only to unfold more plot during the closing credits. It felt like a cheap trick and after the movie had really nailed the last 10 or so minutes, it felt like a slap in the face of the good emotional work done by the actors leading into the conclusion.
Credit where credit is due (mainly to the actors), but I can't imagine wanting to watch this one again.