Feature: The Dead Return Subscribe to this RSS feed

George Romero's horror trilogy--Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead and Day of the Dead--are often seen as a dark parallel to the Star Wars trilogy. The newest flick, Land of the Dead, opens nationwide today. Here's the official word.

Oh Big Daddy!
Few horror movies have resonated with movie fans like George A. Romero's zombie trilogy. Combining sharp social commentary with gore-drenched horror, Romero's films have always provoked. Night of the Living Dead theorized that man was his own worst enemy, particularly when in the midst of crisis. Later, Dawn of the Dead explored the mindless, unconscious influence of the modern consumer culture. Even the shallower Day of the Dead ruminated on man's ruthless, savage tendencies.

Land of the Dead continues that tradition. In Romero's new film, the undead now rule the vast majority of America (and, presumably, the world). Only Fiddler's Green, a magnificent skyscraper surrounded by garbage-strewn slums, remains standing. Naturally, the elites inhabit the elegant central structure; the poor citizens dwell in the ghettos.

Dead Reckoning is the name of this tank, but was originally proposed as the film's title
But what's interesting is that Romero's zombies actually inhabit the very lowest rung on Romero's social ladder. They're shot, mocked, scorned, and abused. And they're not going to take it anymore. When they eventually storm the human city and begin chomping on the aristocrats, it's hard to not be reminded of historical uprisings like the French Revolution.

Okay, so maybe we're digging in a bit too deep. First and foremost, Land of the Dead is a horror movie, and at that task, it succeeds admirably. It's gory, funny, and scary, roughly in that order. It's also smart. That's not to say it doesn't stumble from time to time--the more intelligent "Big Daddy" zombie comes across as a bit hokey from time to time. But Romero deserves real props for making Land of the Dead a modern, relevant film.

Roger Ebert's review is surprisingly positive, which only provides more proof that Ebert looks deeper than most knee-jerk movie critics.

That gun fires nasty metal darts. I'll take two
BRAAAAAAWWWWWR!!!!!