DAWN
OF
THE
DEAD:
PERSONAL VIEWS
CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED AS "ONE OF THE BEST HORROR FILMS EVER MADE" BY THE CHICAGO SUN TIMES, I KNEW THIS WAS GOING TO BE A SPECIAL FILM.
I FIRST CAME TO HEAR OF ROMERO'S WORK THROUGH THE 'SFX' ARTICLE PUBLISHED IN THE MAY 1997 EDITION. IT TOLD OF HIS WORK AND SO ON, AND INSTANTLY I WAS FIXED. I HAD TO SEE HIS MOVIES.
AT THE AGE OF 14/15, MY KNOWLEDGE OF THE HORROR GENRE, PARTICULARLY ZOMBIE MOVIES WAS VERY LIMITED. I REMEMBER THE FIRST ZOMBIE MOVIE I EVER WATCHED, IT WAS A HAMMER HORROR MOVIE FROM THE MID SIXTIES CALLED 'PLAGUE OF THE ZOMBIES.' GOD, IT WAS TERRIBLE, THE FILM WAS SET IN AN UNREALISTIC LOOKING TIME, BACK A COUPLE OF CENTURIES I THINK, AND I ACTUALLY STAYED UP TO WATCH IT. WHAT A WASTE OF TIME. ZOMBIES WITH CARDBOARD HEADS ARE NOT ZOMBIES, BUT I KNEW THERE WAS MORE TO IT. SO, THE FIRST 'PROPER' ZOMBIE HORROR I VIEWED WAS SAM RAIMI'S 'THE EVIL DEAD.' I REMEMBER IT VIVIDLY, AFTER BUYING IT IN MY LOCAL POST OFFICE FOR �5, I CAME HOME AND STUCK IT IN THE VCR IMMEDIATELY AND WATCHED IT ALL THE WAY THROUGH. IT WAS THE GORIEST FILM I HAD EVER SEEN AND INITIALLY SCARED THE PANTS OFF ME. THIS WAS THE BEGINNING OF MY FIXATION WITH ZOMBIE MOVIES, AND SOON I HAD BOUGHT AND VIEWED ROMERO'S 'DAY OF THE DEAD.' �5.99 IT COST FROM A LOCAL WOOLWORTHS AND I TOOK IT HOME, NOW THIS WAS THE GORIEST AND COOLEST FILM I HAD EVER SEEN. OH MY GOD, I REMEMBER THE EXCITEMENT OF WATCHING IT. AFTER THAT, I HAD TO GET THE OTHER TWO FROM THE TRILOGY. SO, AFTER A LONG WAIT, AND MANY HOURS OF SEARCHING, I RECEIVED DAWN OF THE DEAD FOR MY BIRTHDAY. I ALSO GOT FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 3, SO I WATCHED THAT FIRST AND GOT IT OUT OF THE WAY, SAVE THE BEST FOR LAST SORT OF THING. SO THEN THE TIME CAME, AT 7PM I SAT DOWN AND BEGAN WATCHING IT, FROM THE MOMENT THE TITLE FLASHED UP ON SCREEN I WAS TRANSFIXED TO THE SCREEN. I WAS LITERALLY ON THE EDGE OF MY SEAT, AND ACTUALLY, SO I WAS FOR THE ENTIRETY OF THE FILM. I DIDN'T REALISE UNTIL THE END, BUT FOR A STRAIGHT 2 HOURS AND 20 MINUTES, I HADN'T MOVED A MUSCLE, UNBELIEVABLE SO IT WAS. THEN, FOR MY BIRTHDAY THE FOLLOWING YEAR, A FRIEND GAVE ME A COPY OF HIS COPY OF NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD AND WE WATCHED IT TOGETHER. IT WAS GREAT. FROM MY FIRST WATCH OF DAWN OF THE DEAD, I HAVE BEEN A HUGE LOVER OF ZOMBIE MOVIES.
DAWN OF THE DEAD, WHAT CAN I SAY. THIS HAS TO BE THE SINGLE MOST-GREATEST MOVIE THE WORLD HAS EVER KNOWN. WORDS CAN'T DESCRIBE HOW I WAS EFFECTED BY THIS FILM. THIS WAS THE REASON FOR MY LIVING, TO SEE THIS MOVIE.
PERSONALLY, THIS IS MY ALL TIME FAVOURITE MOVIE, SO THIS MIGHT BE A LITTLE BIASED, BUT OH MY GOD IT'S FANTASTIC!
THE MALL SETTING, BRILLIANT, THE PORTAL THROUGH WHICH OUR COMMERCIAL SELVES BECOME APPARENT, THE ZOMBIES ALMOST ACTING AS A METAPHOR OF OUR FIXATION WITH THE COMMERCIALISED WORLD. THE ZOMBIE INVASION, IN FACT, ACTS AS A METAPHOR FOR HOW THE HUMAN RACE TOOK OVER THE WORLD, DESTROYING MANY THINGS IN ITS PATH, POSSIBLY BRINGING THE WORLD INTO A WORSE PLACE, POLLUTION AND VIOLENCE, SELFISH MEMBERS OF THE SAME WORLD, FIGHTING AND WARING WITH EACH OTHER, NOW WE ARE THE PREY OF SOMETHING HIGHER IN THE FOOD CHAIN. NO LONGER ARE WE THE KINGS OF OUR WORLD.
THE FOUR PROTAGONISTS ARE THE GENERALISED VERSIONS OF ALL OF US. WEAK AND IN NEED OF SAFETY, THE NEED TO 'RUN' FROM A BAD SITUATION INSTEAD OF CONFRONTING IT. OUR INABILITY TO ACT WITHOUT REMORSE CAUSES THE DOWNFALL OF CIVILISATION. OUR GREED STILL DRIVES US TO LOOT AND KILL. IS THIS WHAT SOCIETY MAY COME TO?
THE ENTIRE FILM IS ONE LONG TESTAMENT TO THE HUMAN RACE. THEIR TRAMPLEMENT OF THE WORLD, THEIR DISREGARD FOR THE GREATER GOOD. DAWN OF THE DEAD TELLS IT LIKE IT IS AND USES THE MEDIUM, KNOWN TO MANY AVERAGE JOES AS 'SOME DUMB OLD ZOMBIE MOVIE' TO TRANSGRESS THE MESSAGE THAT WE AREN'T IN FACT ALL THAT GREAT. WE ARE SHALLOW, SELF-CENTERED PEOPLE, BUT THEN ON THE OTHER HAND, WE HAVE BROUGHT MANY THINGS TO SOCIETY, WAYS OF ADVANCING OURSELVES INTO THE NEW MILLENIUM.
THE DIRECTION IS METICULOUS IN THE DEPICTION OF THE FALL OF SOCIETY. THE ACTING IS REALISTIC AND WELL PORTRAYED IN CLOSE, CONFINED, CLAUSTROPHOBIC SITUATIONS. THE EFFECTS ARE BRILLIANT, DESPITE ALL THE CLAIMS OF 'BLUE SKIN,' IT'S ACTUALLY A COLD GREY!
THE FILM, WHILE DEPICTING A PACKAGED SOCIETY BEING RIPPED APART BY THE CHILD-LIKE ZOMBIES, IS ACTUALLY PACKAGED ITSELF, THE NEAT STORY UNFOLDS CAREFULLY BEFORE YOUR EYES LIKE REAL LIFE, UNCOVERING THE REAL, HORRIFIC SITUATION.
ONE OF THE THINGS I LOVE MOST ABOUT THIS MOVIE IS THE FACT THAT PEOPLE DON'T TURN ON THE RADIO OR TELEVISION AND IMMEDIATELY FIND WHAT THEY WANT, LIKE THE CHARACTERS, THE VIEWER IS SPUN INTO A CONFUSING NEW WORLD WITH A NEW ORDER.
WORDS CANNOT DESCRIBE HOW TRULY AMAZING THIS FILM IS, IT MUST BE VIEWED ON MANY LEVELS AND WITH AN OPEN MIND. AND AS I CANNOT DESCRIBE THE BRILLIANCE THAT IS DAWN OF THE DEAD ANY FURTHER, I WILL STOP HERE. JUST LIKE THE FILM, SUDDEN AND WITH A POINT.
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