 |
|
| George
Romero creates a harrowing vision of a modern-day world where the
walking dead roam an uninhabited wasteland and the living try to lead
"normal" lives behind the walls of a fortified city. A new
society has been built by a handful of enterprising, ruthless opportunists,
who live in the towers of a skyscraper, high above the hard-scrabble
existence on the streets below. But outside the city walls, an army
of the dead is evolving. Inside, anarchy is on the rise. With the
very survival of the city at stake, a group of hardened mercenaries
is called into action to protect the living from an army of the dead. |
(2005) Film Review |
| This
page was created on June 13, 2005
This page was last updated on
July 7, 2005
—Overview
—Photos
—About
this Film
—Spiritual Connections
Dial up modems will take a few moments |
| CREDITS |
| Directed
by George A. Romero
Writen
by George A. Romero
Cast
(in credits order)
Simon Baker .... Riley
John Leguizamo .... Cholo
Asia Argento .... Slack
Robert Joy .... Charlie
Dennis Hopper .... Kaufman
Eugene Clark .... Big Daddy
Boyd Banks .... Butcher
Krista Bridges .... Teahouse
Pedro Miguel Arce .... Pillsbury
Phil Fondacaro .... Chihuahua
Max McCabe .... Mouse
Jason Gautreau .... Gus
Darrin Brown .... Bettor
Sasha Roiz .... Manolete
Christopher Russell .... Barrett
Alan Van Sprang .... Brubaker
Jonathan Walker .... Cliff Woods
Simon Pegg .... Zombie Cameo
Tom Savini .... Blade (Zombie)
Edgar Wright .... Zombie Cameo
Produced
by
Steve Barnett .... executive producer
Mark Canton .... producer
Neil Canton .... co-executive producer
Bernie Goldmann .... producer
Peter Grunwald .... producer
Dennis E. Jones .... executive producer
Dennis E. Jones .... line producer
Ryan Kavanaugh .... co-executive producer
Silenn Thomas .... associate producer
Original
Music by Reinhold Heil and Johnny Klimek
Cinematography by Miroslaw Baszak
Film Editing by Michael Doherty
MPAA: Rated R for pervasive
strong violence and gore, language, brief sexuality and some drug
use.
For rating reasons, go to FILMRATINGS.COM,
and MPAA.ORG.
Parents, please refer to PARENTALGUIDE.ORG
|
| TRAILERS
AND CLIPS |
Trailer:
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Uncut Trailer (Rated R):
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Featurette - 'George A. Romero Tribute':
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Media Player, Med-Res
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Media Player, Lo-Res |
| CD |
Land
of the Dead
|
| POSTER |
|
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ON VIDEO AND DVD |
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|
| SYNOPSIS
|
 "George
A. Romero's Land of the Dead" is the acclaimed director's long-awaited
return to the horror genre he invented, beginning with the seminal
"Night of the Living Dead" and continuing with "Dawn
of the Dead" and "Day of the Dead". In
this new tale, Romero creates a harrowing vision of a modern-day
world where the walking dead roam an uninhabited wasteland and the
living try to lead "normal" lives behind the walls of
a fortified city. A new society has been built by a handful of enterprising,
ruthless opportunists, who live in the towers of a skyscraper, high
above the hard-scrabble existence on the streets below. But outside
the city walls, an army of the dead is evolving. Inside, anarchy
is on the rise. With the very survival of the city at stake, a group
of hardened mercenaries is called into action to protect the living
from an army 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.
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