Land of the Dead

Starring: Dennis Hopper, John Leguizamo, Asia Argento
Directed by: George A. Romero
Rating: R
Genre: Horror, Thriller, Action
2005

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Zombies have taken over the world and the last remaining human survivors have barricading themselves in a walled city. As the zombies mount an attempt to break in, the humans must find a way to keep them out or face extinction.

Review:

Tim: I actually felt pretty excited about this film. Zombie movies have enjoyed a renaissance as of late, and Zombie master George A. Romero was writing and directing a zombie movie after literally defining the genre. This also came one year after 2004's amazing remake of Dawn of the Dead, based on Romero's legendary 1978 screenplay. Alas, as so often happens with these things, this movie comes out as slightly disappointing.

The movie follows the progression of Romero's "Dead" series. The few remaining humans are living in a walled-in city, safe from the huge populations of zombies outside. While this sounds like a decent-enough premise, the film falters on execution. Not enough is new or original to warrant this film being made. Especially compared to such recent releases like Dawn of the Dead, 28 Days Later, and Resident Evil, this film just doesn't hold up. Even with Romero in the director's chair, this film just doesn't have enough to be anything but a disappointment.

Now, fans of the genre should find enough here to at least stay interested. There is enough action and horror here to please most people, but sadly, the plot is lacking, the surprises aren't new or interesting, and we're left with only a so-so movie. We watch as our heroes fight the villains while zombies lurk around every corner, and we're supposed to care about all of this. Why, we don't know, and honestly, we don't really care. That makes it hard for us to take this seriously, and it makes it very hard to enjoy this film or to call it a success. Land of the Dead is, at the end, not worth your time.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Dawn of the Dead, 28 Days Later, Resident Evil