George A. Romero's 1978 film Dawn of the Dead has a reputation as being the craeme de la craeme of zombie movies, and rightfully so. With its intelligent allegory of a plot, sensitive performances by Ken Foree, Scott H. Reiniger, David Emge and Gaylen Ross, and revolutionary makeup artistry by legendary special effects guy Tom Savini, Dawn of the Dead is nothing less than a cinematic masterpiece. Therefore, of course, it was only a matter of time before a remake would be attempted. If only they would institute anti-cloning laws in Hollywood. The 21st century version of Dawn of the Dead, directed by first-timer Zack Snyder, sticks fairly to the original plot for the first two acts. The world is being overrun by the mindless, but flesh-hungry, undead. Meanwhile, a ragtag band of survivors takes refuge in an empty mall to hide and to wait. Still, there's more than one way a zombie invasion can be potrayed, especially now that the speed of the zombies has been amped up from that of a sloth after Thanksgiving dinner to a zebra on speed.

The two films differ very greatly in theme and mood; the first one is a brilliantly constructed metaphor for the dangers inherent in consumerism, whereas the new Dawn is typical zombie shoot-'em-up action. Neither of the two alternatives is bad; each has its own separate charm. Even the most die-hard Dawn of the Dead fan may find it hard to hate this remake which features some truly phenomenal gore scenes. The croquet mallet through the head and pole through the eye are particular favorites of mine.

It's difficult to speak of a remake without comparison it to its predecessor. Dawn of the Dead is no exception, especially since the filmmakers often abet the process immeasurably by throwing in countless allusions to the so-called Dead Trilogy. Some scenes from the pre-credits sequence, for example, are based on moments from Night of the Living Dead, and an entire anti-authority subplot is lifted directly from Day of the Dead. Foree and Reiniger pop up in small roles, as does the ever-cool Savini in an amusing cameo as the cop who helpfully explains what "a twitcher" is.

This constant winking at the screen would soon grow tiresome if there was no more to the movie than nonstop in-jokes and gore, but fortunately all of this style is not without its fair share of substance.
Although the large ensemble cast means many of the characters pass through without much development, or even names, a few members of the cast actually do leave quite lasting impressions. Definitely worth mentioning is Ving Rhames, who most moviegoers know from his turn as crime boss Marsellus Wallace in Pulp Fiction. Rhames, who plays Kenneth, a no-nonsense cop out for survival and for the increasingly doubtful hope that he'll locate his loved ones, gives a performance of both strength and sensitivity. Attempting to flag down passing helicopters from the roof of the mall, he spies a single, trapped survivor (Bruce Bohne, Fargo) on a nearby apartment top, who is attempting to ask for help via the large whiteboard he carries with him. It is impossible for Ken to even get within speaking range of this man, but nevertheless, the two manage to build up a friendship entirely by writing to each other. This entire subplot is perhaps the best part of the film as it provides an honestly touching look at two lost souls who, even when faced with what is essentially the apocalypse of mankind, reach out toward one another in a last attempt to find a friend.

For all its moments of quiet dignity, the 2004 Dawn of the Dead comes
laden with moments of embarrassment. The high amount of respect that the original Dawn commands is at least partially due to the fact that it values restraint over exploitation-the concluding zombie and biker pie fight notwithstanding. The original film's lone female survivor happens to be pregnant, but instead of being used for a cheap scare, her presence is used to address the painful but thoughtful question as to the morality and logic of bringing a child into a world with no future. While there is a pregnant woman (Inna Korobkina, How to Deal) in this Dawn of the Dead as well, she eventually becomes nothing more than the basis for a dreadfully over-the-top set piece that the audience can spot coming a mile away. It is in such bad taste that it tests even the boundaries of the normally open-minded horror genre itself.

As a whole, Dawn of the Dead is enjoyable enough and contains quite a few fine scares. However, one is tempted to ask the following question: If the creators of this film are so easily able to expand upon the great idea of another, was it so impossible for them to have come up with a new concept of their own?