Steineded How sad is this?

Pluskylang Great Film overall

AnhartLinkin This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

Mandeep Tyson The acting in this movie is really good.

classicsoncall I'm probably not the best judge of films like this because I just don't care about zombie flicks. There's something iconic about the original "Night of the Living Dead" that couldn't be duplicated in this sequel; part of it could be the use of iconic black and white in filming NOTLD, part of it could simply be the attempt at exploiting a formula that worked in the past. There was hardly even a story here, as it was all about four people trapped in a shopping mall knocking off the undead, and doing a poor job of it in many cases. I couldn't count the number of times I would have used a handgun or a rifle to dispatch a zombie only a few feet away that the principal characters allowed to walk on by. And not too quickly either I might add. Gosh but these zombies were slow. In the future, I think I'll take my zombie cinema in the way of pictures like "Shaun of the Dead", that is, with a great big heaping of satirical fun. Not to mention deadpan humor, although I just did.

Aaron1375 This film is the second of Romero's "Dead" trilogy; granted, he did make a few other zombie films after this one: "Land of the Dead", "Diary of the Dead" and "Survival of the Dead", but I do not really count those three as part of his first three dead films. They just seem in a separate world as this series shows us the beginning of the zombies, the zombies taking over and gaining more footing and the end of civilization as we know it as by the last film the zombies outnumber the humans. This is the second film and it shows the structure we humans have established beginning to crumble. This one is also the most action oriented of the three "Dead" films. I would say the first is the most horror oriented and the third has elements of horror, action and science fiction. Of the original three, this is my favorite one. It has really cool zombie action and I like the main characters especially Peter and Roger...Fran and Stephen got on my nerves from time to time. The third film would have a myriad of annoying and unlikable characters with the most likable by far being Bub. Bub also happens to be a zombie so that should tell you how they are. That one features some really good zombie action and a better climax than this film though. The climax here almost seems like Romero thought he had to have some zombie munching and could not quite figure out a way to do so seeing as how there were only four main characters and so the ending, while featuring some awesome zombie munching, also seems kind of thrown in as an after thought.The story has things beginning to break down rapidly as two people working at television station plan to nab the company chopper to try and escape the horror that the city has now become as marshal law is in effect and things are going badly quickly. Two guys who are in a raid of an apartment complex that goes horribly also join the two reporters and there are some tensions at first as they fly through the countryside and witness the growing number of zombies first hand. They soon find a mall with a helicopter landing pad on top of it and decide to stay and rest a bit at first, but then Roger and Peter decide that perhaps they should stay a little longer as the place has everything one could need to survive out the zombie outbreak. They convince Stephen, though Fran is never too on board with the idea as apparently her and Stephen's original plan was to get to Canada. Soon they all work together to try and blockade the mall, lock down the mall and then rid the mall of the zombie infestation. All looks well until the here some people on the radio who do not have the best of intentions.This one is the most action oriented of the first three films as I have said and I liked the characters in this one more than the other two films as well. The zombie effects are okay and there are some good kills, but both of those two things would be improved upon in the next entry. I am always a bit surprised that the guy playing Roger did not appear in all that many films as he was actually really good. About the only one who would go on to appear in several films is Ken Foree who would appear in a lot of horror films during his career.So this film is rather good, but it is dated a bit. You watch this film and you are looking at a time capsule of the 70's that is for sure. The fact that they reference the indoor mall makes it seem like that was a relatively new and happening thing thing when these days it is the outdoor malls that thrive more often. I would hate to get stuck in a mall these days as you just could not find the supplies that a mall had back in those days. Not even talking about guns, I am talking about food, tools and several other essential items that just are not going to be in a mall nowadays. Most malls only really have clothing shops so you are not going to survive very long unless you are good at crafting hangers into weapons or eating clothing and converting it to energy! Still, it is a fun ride and a very good zombie film.

Leofwine_draca George A. Romero's follow-up to his cult classic NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD arrived some ten years later and featured a greatly expanded budget. While DAWN OF THE DEAD is a direct continuation of where the previous one left off (it's a few weeks later, the zombie virus is spreading rapidly, the rescue stations are closing down), the style of the two films couldn't be more different. While NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD was a basically a low-budget movie, filmed on just one set, DAWN OF THE DEAD in comparison feels like an epic; a huge setting, tons of zombies and plenty of special effects. We can only be grateful that Romero finally got the budget to do his zombie movies justice.This time around the film doesn't really concentrate on the conflict between the band of survivors (everybody gets along). Romero injects many of his own political views on feminism, society, etc., and also puts the film on multiple levels. In the first instance it's an action/horror movie, in the second it's a scathing satire on consumerism. Thankfully all this subtext don't detract from the main story, and once again the film succeeds in giving us characters to care about. While some might complain that the film might be a little long, cutting would have resulted in us perhaps losing some sympathy with the characters, losing their little ticks and habits, their expressions, their mentalities.To a mainstream viewer, the cast is completely obscure and unknown. However, Romero picks his actors well and everybody fits their role like a glove. Scott H. Reiniger plays probably the most one-dimensional character of the bunch, a SWAT man who gradually loses his grip with reality and suffers the consequences. David Emge is charismatic as an atypical action man with a conscience, who starts off as a novice and learns how to fend for himself throughout the course of the film. Gaylen Ross is the realist of the group, always in touch with the situation, excluded because of her gender, seeing that the mall they occupy isn't a play area but a prison. However it's Ken Foree who excels as the action man who's also intelligent, quick thinking and kind. The only other notable cast members are Tom Savini, SFX master, cameoing as a biker, and a small role for Joe Pilato, who went on to play Captain Rhodes in the next dead film, DAY OF THE DEAD.The special effects are emphasised as the real star of this film, and much is made of the high gore content. Not five minutes go by without zombies getting shot in the head and blood splattering, although all the real cannibalistic gore is saved until the finale and immediately follows some light relief, Romero cruelly playing with our feelings. Arms are torn off, sockets spraying gore, flesh is ripped from legs and necks. It's all pretty horrible and gruesome, and in some ways depressing too. So many zombies and people get killed in this film that you'll need a strong stomach to watch the prolonged bloodshed. It's most horrible when characters we care about get bitten, and Romero works up a lot of suspense from putting them in danger; the truck driving scene being a prime example, plus the lift bit at the end.The music is by Goblin, and is excellent; simplistic, yes, but catchy and downbeat. There are many comedic moments in the film to counter the horror (Romero obviously believed that comic relief should be included intentionally, so that rather than having viewers laugh at a film, they laugh with it instead), such as a zombie getting the top of his head sliced off by a helicopter rotor blade, or zombies falling off balconies and stumbling on escalators. However these silly bits never get in the way of the violence or true horror of the situation, and some bits are painful to watch, especially one scene where a sympathetic character is due to come back from the dead. The wait is unbearable. It is in these moments that we see the genius of Romero's film, as he explores all possibilities and facets of life in a world full of monsters. It's a huge film, it requires a concentrated effort to get through, but will reward on many levels depending on how you watch it.

Giallo Fanatic Seriously, is it? I mean, it is hard to find another movie like 'Dawn of the Dead'. Whether it is or not I can't tell but it is definitely one of the most influential movies ever made. Many living dead movies have copied George A. Romero's Living Dead Trilogy and among the three I find it hard to decide which is best, 'Night of the Living Dead' or 'Dawn of the Dead'. But anyway I found myself liking this movie more and more as time passes and it keeps getting better and better with each viewing. With 'The Walking Dead' being one of the most popular series in our modern times, I can't help but think 'Dawn of the Dead' was far ahead of its time. Many of the gimmicks in 'The Walking Dead' have surely been inspired by this movie. The relationship between characters, the way tension is built, the way the living dead behaves, people's tendency to murder each other even at the face of extinction. I can mention more similarities but let us concentrate on the movie, genre: horror, themes: society, culture, extinction, survival, year of release: 1978, director/writer: George A. Romero, main characters: Stephen, Peter, Roger and Francine.Plot: Four survivors trying to survive in a shopping mall amidst a living dead apocalypse. Summary: Peter and Roger escapes in a helicopter with pilot Stephen and journalist(?) Francine. After some time of flying around they inhabit a shopping mall which they clear out of the living dead and starts living a life isolated from the rest of the world. Now the strength of the movie is the relationship between the characters. Without it the demise of the characters would have had less impact. What happens to the characters gives me goosebumps and fills me with dread at the end. One of the other things that gives the movie strength is atmosphere. Usually movies in this genre tend to be more driven by gore and violence with little to no atmosphere with characters you do not care about. The atmosphere in this movie is full of dread and full of a sense of imminent doom. But it also has sense of humor, comic book style. Almost like a parody, "What are they doing? Why do they come here? ", "Some kind of instinct. Memory of what they used to do. This was an important place in their lives" was part of the dialogue on top of the mall between Francine and Stephen.At that point the director was comparing shoppers at shopping malls to zombies. Although not originally natural to us it had become so common within society shopping malls became an important part of society's life. It is a social commentary, where shoppers go to shopping malls without wondering why and never seem to question why they go there in the first place. Like mindless zombies, controlled by black magic or what we usually call Voodoo. So although the movie on the surface seems like just another horror movie, it really isn't. It appears to be more like a study and questioning of society's modern culture. Anyway, the movie is magnificently directed by George A. Romero and the cast acts amazingly too. So amazing I find it to get better and better after each viewing. It also has a big influence on modern culture, from the first Resident Evil game to The Walking Dead. I am 25 years old and I find it a little sad people from my generation doesn't recognize the importance of this movie, simply because it is old, because the blood looks fake, because the acting isn't like today and it is not a fast paced movie full of explosions and gunfights with zombies. Like the okay-at-best remake of Dawn of the Dead from 2004. I am tempted to say society's standards have degenerated like the living dead in this movie, but that is just my opinion.P.S. I once watched the German version DVD and it took away all the gory violence, which is sad since the violence is part of the movie's charm. A small plus to the atmosphere and relationship between the characters. Awesome movie.