Brian's Review - Land of the Dead

A horror legend's lackluster resurrection.

Released: 2005
Genre(s): Horror, Action

The first time I saw George A. Romero's original "Night of the Living Dead" the reasons for its status as a timeless horror classic became instantly apparent to me: the movie boasted a dark, frantic atmosphere, the characters exhibited a believable range of human emotions, and the entire experience was so profound in its bleakness that the dread actually fermented into something more sweet than sour; an ambrosia of sorts. After the close of his groundbreaking first trilogy, the arrival of Romero's fourth zombie apocalypse flick brought with it high expectations that had been brewing for twenty years. Unfortunately, the film does little to match the established quality of its pedigree, failing time and time again to capitalize on its potential for both thrills and chills. While billed as a horror movie, there's really nothing frightening here; the survivors seem to just meander aimlessly about, with scarcely a care in the world regarding their undead enemy. The zombies are parallels of their living counterparts, yet their plotline ironically seems to speak far more eloquently without any dialogue involved - granted, our sympathy for their plight is somewhat contrived, thanks to Romero's not-so-subtle cultural commentary about national social issues, but in all honesty, I found their sub-story far more engaging to watch than the main characters' quest, which is as linear and cardboard as they come. The action scenes are intense and wildly fun, but they're marred by random CGI graphics spliced in with the more realistic, traditional gore effects - the result is somewhat cartoonish, and while this technique is sometimes intentional, there are moments "Land of the Dead" takes itself far too seriously to try to add the dark humor of over-the-top zombie kills to the mix. Don't get me wrong, this isn't a bad movie, not by a long stretch; but when all is said and done, this isn't high-quality Romero, and that inadequacy alone is a letdown. It's worth an evening of enjoyment, but not memorable enough to provide a lasting zombie fix (instead, try the 2004 remake of "Dawn of the Dead").

Rating (out of 5): 3