Movie Review: Land of the Dead

By Frank H. Woodward Jun 24, 2005, 16:26 GMT

A lot has changed in the world since the zombie menace shambled from night to day.  "Walkers" (as the undead are now called) have taken up residence in most of the outlying areas around major cities.  Those still living stick to urban sanctuaries (in this case it seems to be Romero's native Pittsburgh... as played by Ontario).  Three rivers form a natural boundary that keeps the zombies from getting downtown. 

Unfortunately, humanity hasn't learned to get along any better during the undead apocalypse.  The age old struggle of the "haves" and the "have-nots" plays itself out in LAND OF THE DEAD.  The rich live in a hi-rise luxury tower called Fiddler's Green.  Everyone else scrounges in the streets below, imbibing in post-apocalyptic vices provided by the Fiddler's Green kingpin, Kaufman (Dennis Hopper). 

Some survivors venture into the dead zones to scrounge for Kaufman and his elite.  Riley (Simon Baker) is the leader of these ROAD WARRIOR-like raids. To avoid getting eaten, Riley and his team travel in an armoured RV called 'Dead Reckoning'.  Armed to the hilt, Dead Reckoning can mow down zombies in a flurry of bullets and blood.  For the most part, the walkers are easy targets.  Some team members go a little overboard in their zombie kill sprees.  Their slaughter is almost as indiscriminate as an undead feeding frenzy.  Only Riley and his slightly dim protector Charlie (Robert Joy) exhibit any respect for the dead.  Opportunists like Cholo (John Leguizamo) could care less.

This wholesale slaughter of innocent "walkers" doesn't go unnoticed, however.  Surprisingly, it's actually a zombie named "Big Daddy" (Eugene Clark) who sees the injustice and, like a revolutionary, organizes the other zombies to  storm the castle.

LAND OF THE DEAD is a classically told horror story. It even opens with the old Universal logo that heralded Karloff and Lugosi.  It's a nice nod to the forefathers of horror.  LAND OF THE DEAD, however, is much more than your grandfather's fright fest.

This is by far the best looking of the DEAD movies thanks not only to Romero, but cinematographer Miroslaw Baszak, editor Michael Doherty and make-up supervisor Greg Nicotero.  The moonlit sets are perfectly haunting (the zombie's crossing of the river is a stand out sequence).  Attack scenes are intense without resorting to MTV cutting.  The zombie make up blends old school and CG to give us some of the most memorable creatures in recent cinema.

Romero's unrivaled talent for creative gross outs will leave gore hounds salivating for the unrated DVD edition.  Not that LAND OF THE DEAD skimps on the blood.  Some of the zombie feasts are quite nauseating.  Still, with an "R" rating, you get the feeling there was some holding back or perhaps we've grown accustomed to zombies biting off rubbery strands of throat. 

The level of grue doesn't make LAND OF THE DEAD any less enjoyable or its zombies any less fun.  As in Romero's own DAY OF THE DEAD, you find yourself identifying more with the zombie characters than you do with the living.  You actually cheer when the undead start gnawing. 

As in DAWN OF THE DEAD, there's also a bit of social commentary behind all the flesh eating.  This time, though, it's a little more than obvious.  LAND OF THE DEAD clearly has a class struggle bent depicting the zombies as the peasants and the humans (especially the privileged few in Fiddler's Green) as the bourgeoisie.  To underline who the real villains are, some head scratching anomalies creep in.  For instance, what possible worth could money have in a post-apocalyptic world like this?  Since civilization has all but crumbled, you wonder what Kaufman and Cholo intend to do with all the Benjamins.  Their obsession is clearly present to support LAND OF THE DEAD's "eat the rich" agenda, but it's not too bothersome... especially if you agree with it.

But you don't go to a film called LAND OF THE DEAD for the living or socialist ideas.  The real stars of LAND OF THE DEAD are the "walkers" and the zombie performers achieve a lot through their rotting make up.  "Big Daddy", for example, actually emotes beyond moaning.  He shows an emerging compassion and moral outrage which, for a flesh eating zombie, is involving and terrifying.  Kudos to Eugene Clark!

There's even a high level of good zombie humor.  The film opens on a sign that simply says, "Eats".  It gets even more comical as the zombies learn to communicate, organize, and even shoot guns.  Add in a few star cameos, like DEAD make-up veteran Tom Savini, and you're left with a theatre full of giddy fans. 

LAND OF THE DEAD shows us how engaging a film about the walking dead can be.  It's been some time since George A. Romero has helmed a film and this makes LAND OF THE DEAD that much more of an event.  Let's hope LAND OF THE DEAD wakes some of the deceased at the studios.  Maybe they'll let Romero do what he does best... make entertaining movies.

The film opens today in the U.S. For further details and media visit our database.

You can also view photos from the premiere on this page and an interview with the director in this article.