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Land of the Dead, The
(2005) |
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George A Romero's latest zombie extravaganza is his fourth of a chain that began way back in the late 60's when Night of the Living Dead exploded onto screens; shocking, revolting and terrifying audiences like never before. That film introduced a heavy socio-political undercurrent which was set to intensify with the release of the long awaited follow up Dawn of the Dead that arrived a decade after Night. Dawn of the Dead drew rave reviews for its social commentary and sharp wit but also kept the hardcore horror crowd well satisfied with an operatic display of gore thanks largely to the ground breaking work of SFX genius Tom Savini. Day of the Dead that followed on from Dawn was much of the same with a slower pacing perhaps than its predecessors. In the interim we have had a remake of Dawn of the Dead that was a fair success box office wise and embraced by many horror fans as an adequate if not brilliant remake. Now this year Romero – the godfather of modern zombies has returned with his highly anticipated (well, by in certain circles) new slice of zombie mayhem – Land of the Dead. Once again the socio-political undercurrents are very tangible right from the outset. The setting is a sort of post apocalyptic world where the affluent live in complexes cut off from the poverty stricken slums that house the majority of the population. Then there are the stenches (the zombies) who are on the periphery of the social order and operate in a zone somewhat like the “security wall” that the Israeli's have built to keep the vile terrorist elements out of their pristine land. In fact the film, perhaps not by design, but in effect is beautifully symbolic of the whole Palestine issue – the parallels are startling in numerous ways. Politics aside, the film rolls along at a relentless pace with some hokey, cheesy lines being spouted by some distinctly familiar if B-grade actors. However, it's a cheerful if unlikely bunch and the chemistry and banter is not intrusive which is as much as one can expect. The film has a spectacularly high gore factor and there are scores of scenes of zombies chowing down on all sorts of horrendous body parts – it's a total riot. The film could be faulted perhaps for not bringing any freshness to its message, yet there are slight differences and changed nuances here and there. The acting is far from award winning but its perfect for what the film demands. The action is spectacular and the pace is torrid throughout. Dennis Hopper provides the only star-power and appears to relish his role. It's a jolly old zombie romp – thoroughly entertaining and without a dull moment. Highly recommended but not for the feint hearted.
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