Land of the Dead

The master has returned to the genre he created, and it was worth the wait. George A. Romero started his zombie series in 1968 with Night of the Living Dead, which shattered many expectations of the day by featuring a black man in the hero role, and using flesh eating undead as a symbol of the punishment our complacent society potentially deserves. Romero went on to direct Dawn of the Dead and Day of the Dead to complete a living dead trilogy. It has now been years since he was given the opportunity to make a film, and his many years of societal observation and gleeful dreams of zombie carnage make their way to the screen in Land of the Dead.
In this fourth installment in the series, the Undead have overrun most all of the earth, but the living have carved out pockets of safety and the beginnings of a new world order are evident. Unfortunately for the living, a new world order is also evident among the zombies! In Land of the Dead we are introduced to several fledgling civilizations, one civilization is a wealthy upper class who have taken control of a high rise building and have become the new American dream even as zombies continue to plague the rest of the world. Living in the dangerous portions of the city beneath this upper class are the living who are struggling to survive. Among them is a team of scavengers who are our protagonists…they plunge into the zombie world with weapons and a mission: to gather supplies and commodities to trade with the rest of the city. This team is owned by the wealthy business man Kaufman (Dennis Hopper), and run by Riley (Simon Baker) and Cholo (John Leguizamo). The final civilization in the film is the one burgeoning among the living dead. As food becomes more scarce, the zombies’ frustration and desperation gives rise to something brand new: thought. Throughout this film we watch human society evolve to fit this new world, and we watch as zombie society evolves in order to kill and eat the living more efficiently. To say the least, George Romero paints a dark and gritty world in this zombie epic.
There are several traits that are essential to the zombie genre which are upheld or turned on their heads in this latest entry by Romero. First of all, as noted above, zombie films are bleak, painting a hopeless picture of the world. An interesting idea that Romero introduces to this film is to continue documenting the hopeless plight of the living, yet still leaving the audience with a “happy ending� sort of feel. It seems Romero did this by actually making his zombies the heroes of the story! Sure, we cared about the team lead by Riley, and we wanted to see this team save the innocent civilians within the city limits. Yet as the zombies evolved they became their own characters. Romero even seeks to create a sympathy for their plight…it isn’t their fault they want to feed on human flesh! So even as human society’s future remains in question throughout the film, an interestingly happy ending is achieved.
Another essential Romero trait is an obvious social commentary running through his films. Dawn of the Dead perhaps succeeded the most in this as it skewered America’s rampant consumerism by setting the zombie carnage in a shopping mall. Land of the Dead remains culturally relevant, with Romero making many statements about the state of America today. The class struggle between the wealthy and the poor, not to mention the dead, is a sad reflection of the growing divide between the rich and poor in our own nation and world. Romero seems to be making the statement that eventually wealth and power will yield to the masses of underprivileged actually organizing themselves and rebelling. In Romero’s worldview, the pride of the wealthy comes before their inevitable fall. Consumerism continues to be skewered as we watch the wealthy to try buy happiness by turning a blind eye to the world outside. They buy safety and in turn forget about the needs of the rest of the world.
The final piece of the zombie genre that is masterfully handled is the quest of a small group to survive. In this film our protagonists have lived long in this new world. They are hardened, they are survivors. Some have been deeply scarred, but some have risen to the occasion and watch out for the rest of humankind. Simon Baker does a great job of leading his team of soldiers against not only the zombies, but against the worst symbol of human greed, Kaufman and his “Fiddler’s Green�. The tension between Riley, Cholo, and Kaufman is formidable and each character goes through a significant journey as Big Daddy (Eugene Clark) and his army of zombies closes in.
Romero has been waiting years to make this film. It is a worthwhile entry into his series of films. It also shows why Romero is called the master of the zombie genre. His observations on culture, his use of modern special effects to create the grim appearance of the zombies, his wit and great sense of pacing all combine to create the best zombie film since his own Dawn of the Dead.
NOTE: This review contained nothing of the amazing vehicle, weapon, set piece, and plot device known as Dead Reckoning. Geeks across the land will go crazy over this awesome creation.