I have to admit, I did not grow up watching the Romero trilogy like many other reviewers here, as NOTLD was the only film of the 3 that I had seen (and many times at that). So my comments are coming from someone with a fresh set of
eyes watching today, and not from the jaded eyes of those with nostalgia on
their minds.
I have watched all 3 films now, and I still maintain that NOTLD is the best of the 3 films. After reading so many positive reviews of Dawn, I picked it up on DVD and was sufficiently unimpressed. You'd think that after a decade between the two films Romero would have learned some professionalism! Dawn is marred
by bad acting, bad makeup, and not much of a script. Other than the cool factor of having an empty mall to run around in, the film is extremely overrated.
Which brings us to Day of the Dead. Despite the continuing claustrophic
environment of an underground bunker (which is one of the main reasons why
NOTLD is so effective), the acting, zombie makeup, and plot are much much
improved over Dawn. Here, we have the slightly disturbed Dr. Logan who is
trying to communicate with the zombies to learn about them and, hopefully,
control their propensity for eating us, while bull-headed military men do all they can to thwart that plan (once they learn of it). This film presents new concepts in the zombie theme that keep it interesting and even plausible. we see more
personality in the zombies and even gain further realization that they are not just mindless flesh eaters, but thinking individuals (lest we forget that they were human at one time). So the scientists plan is a perfectly logical option to
controlling the zombies, until you realize just how demented he has become in his plight to learn more about them. Even Capt. Rhodes, despite being
despicable and evil megalomania, has moments of reasoning, as who doesn't
agree that perhaps the real solution is just to blow all of the mofos away.
Overall, a much more satisfying sequel to original.
eyes watching today, and not from the jaded eyes of those with nostalgia on
their minds.
I have watched all 3 films now, and I still maintain that NOTLD is the best of the 3 films. After reading so many positive reviews of Dawn, I picked it up on DVD and was sufficiently unimpressed. You'd think that after a decade between the two films Romero would have learned some professionalism! Dawn is marred
by bad acting, bad makeup, and not much of a script. Other than the cool factor of having an empty mall to run around in, the film is extremely overrated.
Which brings us to Day of the Dead. Despite the continuing claustrophic
environment of an underground bunker (which is one of the main reasons why
NOTLD is so effective), the acting, zombie makeup, and plot are much much
improved over Dawn. Here, we have the slightly disturbed Dr. Logan who is
trying to communicate with the zombies to learn about them and, hopefully,
control their propensity for eating us, while bull-headed military men do all they can to thwart that plan (once they learn of it). This film presents new concepts in the zombie theme that keep it interesting and even plausible. we see more
personality in the zombies and even gain further realization that they are not just mindless flesh eaters, but thinking individuals (lest we forget that they were human at one time). So the scientists plan is a perfectly logical option to
controlling the zombies, until you realize just how demented he has become in his plight to learn more about them. Even Capt. Rhodes, despite being
despicable and evil megalomania, has moments of reasoning, as who doesn't
agree that perhaps the real solution is just to blow all of the mofos away.
Overall, a much more satisfying sequel to original.