Dawn of the Dead is Zack Snyder’s best film, but it’s still not great

It takes a certain level of ambition to remake a film from a director whose contributions are highly valued by many. In 2004, Zack Snyder set out to do this with a remake of Dawn of the Dead. George Romero’s 1978 film, a sequel to the 1968 film Night of the Living Deadis considered by many to be the pinnacle of what is sometimes referred to as the zombie apocalypse genre. Snyder certainly had a lot of work to do. Romero, who had written Dawn of the Dead Alongside the Italian horror maestro Dario Argento, he brought zombies to the fore in a commentary on consumer behavior.

What audiences got in 2004 was a fast-paced film with lots of daring gore effects and action sequences that provided a rollercoaster ride of entertainment. Praised by many critics and audiences, Snyder’s 2004 remake didn’t miss a beat when it came to delivering an all-out action frenzy that’s on par with other modern zombie films such as: 28 days later. There’s a lack of quality behind the flesh-eating enemies and blood-soaked celluloid that makes Snyder’s performance disappointing, especially compared to Romero’s original vision.

Too much familiarity to stand out

With any subgenre of horror, it can be observed that the success of one entry means that several more will follow it. Zack Snyder’s Dawn of the Deaddidn’t arrive until two years later 28 days later, A film that sometimes has the honor of reinvigorating the zombie apocalypse film by replacing the slow, lumbering zombies with predatory creatures that move with a speed that matches their ferocity. The credit for this change in the depiction of zombies actually goes to the Italian director Umberto Lenzi, who introduced this aspect in Nightmare Cityitself a wild, fast-paced film, its remake from 2004 Dawn of the Dead And 28 days later have a lot to be grateful for.

Both films were also made at a time when video games were becoming increasingly sophisticated and visually stimulating. Title like resident Evil certainly made the zombie apocalypse more familiar to a new generation that might not otherwise have been familiar with the films of Romero and Lucio Fulci. Since the entertainment industry tends to be guided by trends and familiarity, it only makes sense that the 2004 remake Dawn of the Dead would use these variables in its overall presentation, which is an aspect that hinders it significantly. If the original Dawn of the Dead It was like reading a graphic novel with clever subtext, while Snyder’s remake was like watching someone play a video game on the most challenging difficulty setting.

Romero’s previous experience in the media enabled him to make the presentation Night of the Living Dead in such a way that an almost documentary approach was created to the events that took place within the narrative. Until he did it Dawn of the Dead In 1978 he had the advantage of working with former combat medic and effects maestro Tom Savini, whose skills allowed for a comic-book-like approach to much of the carnage, balancing color and chaos to weave a compelling look at a world in the, like the trailer for the original Dawn of the Dead implied: “Something went terribly wrong.” With a greater focus on entertainment than subversive commentary, Snyder’s efforts stimulate the senses but satisfy rather than challenge the audience’s expectations.

Both of Romero’s films offer an in-depth character study of how different people might react in the face of a crisis. Putting ordinary people in extraordinary events is part of some of the most compelling stories in film. While Snyder attempts to recapture this important aspect of Romero’s previous entries, his attempt doesn’t quite work. The characters that Snyder places in Crisis are more or less one-dimensional and there is very little to remember. In fact, they become more or less afterthoughts as order breaks down and the dead prey on the living.

Not every horror film has to be satirical or provide a running commentary on socio-political issues. Finally, many viewers enjoy the thrill of sacred and fast-paced action, which provides a way to escape the stress and pressures of reality. The mall is an essential character in both versions Dawn of the Dead. A bastion of mindless consumerism and a place that had once become a mass phenomenon. Romero’s use of the mall highlights the masses’ need for consumer goods. The zombies themselves take the form of consumers, driven to the place by instinct. One need look no further than the trailer for Romero’s version to note this comment, particularly with the line: “We have brought forth our own savagery.”

Snyder’s version contains no commentary on the pursuit of mass consumption. It uses the mall as a location for the siege by the zombie hordes, offering a cavalcade of clever killing scenarios, but unfortunately not much else. If the remake fails to recognize the importance of highlighting the madness and addiction to consumer culture, there is a cameo from one of the original actors from Romero’s film, whose line of dialogue is rehashed in a way that echoes its impact in the original weakens.

Ken Foree’s text in the original Dawn of the Dead: “When there is no more room in Hell, the dead will walk the earth,” is accompanied by additional dialogue about the true origins of the zombie that exists in Voodoo. In a scene less than two minutes long, Romero is able to connect the modern zombie, a symbol of the modern consumer, with its roots in mythology and folklore. Foree’s cameo in the 2004 remake as a televangelist who equates the zombie apocalypse with divine punishment for human immorality certainly reflects the Puritan thought that has been present in the United States for several generations. Despite the effort to tie both films together, it serves no purpose other than making a cameo appearance and reciting one of the original’s most memorable lines of dialogue.

An ambitious but disappointing undertaking

One of the most cynical things a viewer can do is reject any remake or new adaptation of pre-existing source material without considering the ambition or effort required to achieve it. Zack Snyder’s update of George Romero’s groundbreaking 2004 classic finds a director eager to offer an updated version of a film beloved by many.

Ultimately, the 2004 version of Dawn of the Dead is a rollercoaster ride of entertainment that many viewers are drawn to, but which offers no sound or commentarysomething that is the original Dawn of the Dead had more than its fair share. Given the anguish and fear that permeated the United States after 9/11 and the escalating conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan, there was a possibility that many of these issues could be addressed in subversive ways.

As a means of escapism and a page in the ever-evolving story of the zombie apocalypse subgenre, it is one of many that overcompensated for visual presentation rather than exploring the human response in a crisis, something that The battery did a much better job less than a decade later. If George Romero’s films use the zombie as a means of exploring the human condition and a vehicle for social commentary, Zack Snyder’s efforts can best be described as the byproduct of a vision that didn’t quite capture the bigger picture. Stream on Peacock.