Dawn breaks, dead walking
by Amanda Gruidl
reporter

   The recent remake of the 1970s horror film Dawn of the Dead gets the job done.
   The plot involves a strange plague that turns recently infected or dead into flesh-eating zombies.
   In this version the survivors trek to a nearby mall somewhere in Wisconsin, where they isolate themselves. There they bide their time and make their way to a private zombie-free island.
   The group includes a nurse, played by Sarah Polley (My Life Without Me); a police officer, played by Ving Rhames (Secret Window), and a street-tough Andre, Mekhi Phifer (8 Mile).
   While the movie supports an ensemble cast, the best performance is by Ty Burrell (Blackhawk Down), who plays Steve, a sarcastic, pretentious businessman.
   The original Dawn of the Dead was the second movie in the Dead trilogy, with Night of the Living Dead being the first and eventually ending with Day of the Dead.
To show respect for the original, the filmmakers included cameo appearances by original cast members Ken Foree and Scott Reiniger and makeup effects man and cast member Tom Savini.
   While this movie thrives on situational humor, reliving those viewers easily left affright, the gore and violence will give some viewers nightmares because the only way to kill the zombies is to shoot them in the head.
   The audience may understand such a gory end is the only way to dispose of zombies (although fire seems to work too), but the movie seems to depend on this aspect.
   The humor is great. For example, when the living group arrives at the shopping mall after realizing everyone around them is turning into zombies. a Musak version of “Don’t Worry Be Happy” plays in the background.
   The favorite scene among critics is the rooftop scene in which survivors pick off celebrity-look-alike zombies. Unfortunately, there needed to be more humor to balance out the violence.
   If cinematography can apply to a horror movie, it certainly does in this case. The exceptional work can be credited to award-winning commercial director/cinematographer Zack Snyder, making his directorial debut. Snyder is not afraid to capture this movie using the grainy visual effects seen in many recent war epics such as Black-hawk Down and Saving Private Ryan.
   Filmmakers found a 20-year-old mall scheduled for demolition in Toronto, Canada, stripped it to its steel beams and turned it into a fully functioning modern shopping Mecca.
   The movie is rated R for strong language, violence and sexuality. Running time is approximately 100 minutes.
   While a good movie, I would not rush out and see it just yet.