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Day of the Dead (2008)
Terribly Terrible Fun
Directed By: Steve Miner
Starring: Mena Suvari, Nick Cannon, & Ving Rhames
MPAA Rating: “R” (for strong pervasive horror violence and gore, and language)
Starring: Mena Suvari, Nick Cannon, & Ving Rhames
MPAA Rating: “R” (for strong pervasive horror violence and gore, and language)
I expected to hate Day of the Dead (2008)...and, honestly, I should have. In fact, I would venture to say that this is one of the most technically-incompetent films I have reviewed for this site. It is directed with all of the skill of an elementary school play, has awful special effects, and features a storyline that really amounts to nothing more than a jumbled mess. As it was, I wanted nothing to do with this film for a multitude of reasons. First and foremost, George A. Romero’s Day of the Dead did not need a remake. On top of that, nothing about this film seemed appetizing With the exception of Mena Suvari and Ving Rhames (and, yes, AnnaLynne McCord...but on a more visual level), the film screamed mediocrity. So, the question is: why did I like it as much as I did?
Having very little resemblance to Romero’s film, Day of the Dead (2008) only retains a few names and a hint at the Bud subplot. Sarah Bowman (Suvari) is a tough military woman who has been ordered to quarantine her hometown in order to keep a viral outbreak under control. People everywhere are having flu-like symptoms coupled with bloody noses; and it is spreading like wildfire. Suddenly, all of the infected go catatonic and, when they are revived, they turn into mutilated zombies that begin to feast on the flesh of the living. Sarah and a small group of survivors, including her brother (Michael Welch) and his girlfriend (AnnaLynne McCord), realize that they must escape the town quickly before they find themselves on the dinner menu.
Was this a remake? It certainly didn’t feel like one and all of the nods to the original film were groan-inducing. When one character revealed his name to be Bud, I rolled my eyes. When Bud’s character arc revealed itself to be similar to that of the same-named character in the first film, I was practically vomiting. Other than those few nods, it bared no resemblance to its predecessor and, though I found this to be fortunate on one front, it also made me wonder why any connection was necessary. If anything, it just made the film seem even more desperate to attract credibility, without doing anything to deserve it. The film also slows its rocket-fast pace every once in a while to include some semblance of emotional relevance; these moments clashed with the blood and guts that permeated the rest of the film and these scenes just didn’t work.
So, now that you know why I had all the reason in the world to hate this movie, allow me to go onto why I am giving it a semi-favorable review. With all of the terrible special effects and the pretty lame plot, Day of the Dead manages to keep its lightning-quick pace flowing smoothly (with the exception of a few hiccups every now and then). Once it kicked off at about the twenty minute mark, it rarely slowed down. The film just kept delivering scene after scene of zombie carnage and, quite honestly, I had fun watching it all go down. If Romero’s film was a more dialog-driven character study set against a zombie infestation, Steve Miner’s film is pure gore-coated entertainment. Tyler Bates also does do a great job with the musical score, which is perhaps far too classy and respectable to be tacked onto such a tasteless movie. This isn’t the kind of film I would ever buy or even watch again but, for a single viewing, it’s hard to deny the guilt-covered pleasure that comes from watching Day of the Dead (2008).
Having very little resemblance to Romero’s film, Day of the Dead (2008) only retains a few names and a hint at the Bud subplot. Sarah Bowman (Suvari) is a tough military woman who has been ordered to quarantine her hometown in order to keep a viral outbreak under control. People everywhere are having flu-like symptoms coupled with bloody noses; and it is spreading like wildfire. Suddenly, all of the infected go catatonic and, when they are revived, they turn into mutilated zombies that begin to feast on the flesh of the living. Sarah and a small group of survivors, including her brother (Michael Welch) and his girlfriend (AnnaLynne McCord), realize that they must escape the town quickly before they find themselves on the dinner menu.
Was this a remake? It certainly didn’t feel like one and all of the nods to the original film were groan-inducing. When one character revealed his name to be Bud, I rolled my eyes. When Bud’s character arc revealed itself to be similar to that of the same-named character in the first film, I was practically vomiting. Other than those few nods, it bared no resemblance to its predecessor and, though I found this to be fortunate on one front, it also made me wonder why any connection was necessary. If anything, it just made the film seem even more desperate to attract credibility, without doing anything to deserve it. The film also slows its rocket-fast pace every once in a while to include some semblance of emotional relevance; these moments clashed with the blood and guts that permeated the rest of the film and these scenes just didn’t work.
So, now that you know why I had all the reason in the world to hate this movie, allow me to go onto why I am giving it a semi-favorable review. With all of the terrible special effects and the pretty lame plot, Day of the Dead manages to keep its lightning-quick pace flowing smoothly (with the exception of a few hiccups every now and then). Once it kicked off at about the twenty minute mark, it rarely slowed down. The film just kept delivering scene after scene of zombie carnage and, quite honestly, I had fun watching it all go down. If Romero’s film was a more dialog-driven character study set against a zombie infestation, Steve Miner’s film is pure gore-coated entertainment. Tyler Bates also does do a great job with the musical score, which is perhaps far too classy and respectable to be tacked onto such a tasteless movie. This isn’t the kind of film I would ever buy or even watch again but, for a single viewing, it’s hard to deny the guilt-covered pleasure that comes from watching Day of the Dead (2008).
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