Dawn of the Dead (2004)
HD DVD Title: Dawn of the Dead (2004) Rated: Unrated (theatrically R) Screen format: 1080P 2.35:1 VC-1 Encoded High Def Studio: Universal First theatrical release: 19 March 2004 Previously released on DVD/BluRay: Multiple, including R rated and Unrated Anamorphic Widescreen DVDs Director: Zach Snyder Starring: Sarah Polley, Ving Rhames, Jake Weber, Mekhi Phifer Sound Formats: English Dolby TrueHD, English & French Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 Length: 1 Hour 50 Minutes Subtitles: English, French |
Plot: 4/5
In Zach Snyder’s re-imagining of this, the second in George A. Romero’s ‘Dead Trilogy’, the effects of a Zombie infection is rapidly spread on an international scale. Pockets of survivors are holing up, banding together and trying to avoid infection and death. ‘Dawn’ follows a group of survivors who have taken refuge at the local shopping mall. Primary among these are Ana (Sarah Polley, a nurse, Kenneth (Ving Rhames) a cop, Andre (Mekhi Phifer) a reformed thief, Luda (Inna Korobkina) Andre’s pregnant wife, and Michael (Jake Weber) a TV salesman. This parallels the original version well enough, but gone however is Romero’s biting criticism of American Consumerism (which was parodied brilliantly in ‘Dead Rising’ on the Xbox 360) and black humor, but what is left is a tale of nihilistic survival keeping the gore and tension high the whole way through. With no place to run, emotionally exhausted, and supplies running short the group will plan a daring escape to the sea and hopefully beyond.
Two things struck me about this film. First, like Cube, a slightly obscure Canadian film, Dawn shows that a tight multicultural cast can actually add significant depth to the story of a horror movie without the concept of race ever once appearing. Second, Ving Rhames has the capability to anchor a film and also carry out action sequences as well as any other modern actor. Despite his appearances in the Mission Impossible films I can’t think of any other recent roles where his potential has matched what he exhibits here in Dawn and I’m actually surprised to not have seen more of him since this film was released, as he handled both the stunts and emotional pressure extraordinarily well here.
In the end, while Dawn doesn’t really add anything new to the whole Zombie film genre, it does so many small things well, is consistent, perfectly paced, and has a scale, intensity and highly polished look that few other similar films have come close to matching, Universal’s Land of the Dead being the closest competition that comes to mind. In particular the legion of extras that were required and their sheer dedication and sacrifice being in makeup for such long periods really goes to show the lengths both the makers and the fans have for this type of movie and this HD DVD captures that energy and enthusiasm that went into its creation.
Sound Quality: 3.5/5
While Dawn’s soundtrack doesn’t call attention to itself that often, it is a fully realized three dimensional soundfield that uses subtle positional effects exactly when they are most needed, starting with the mundane world of Ana’s routine, escalates as the outbreak spreads, chills with environmental effects to raise tension, such as when the survivors are in the parking garage, and escalates as the characters plan their escape. While ammunition runs tight for the mall dwellers, their neighbor across the street has access to vast stockpiles, a portion of which is used to great effect sniping zombies on call, the guttural sound of which is also a highlight. The final escape sequence then allows the audio to take another major leap as the carnage builds up as they drive to what they hope will be their salvation. Again, it’s a subtle build and one which sneaks up on you but does delivery some meaty thumps and good scares in the end.
Visual Quality: 5/5
Dawn is the first Zombie film that I can think of where the sharpness of the equipment used almost ruins the efforts of makeup and prosthetics, as some of the blood spatters and other elements looked just a little bit fake when shown up close. It is extraordinarily sharp and detailed, down to revealing facial pores and intricate costume elements at the same time it captures a stunning depth of field in the wider shots. Color rendition is fantastic, especially for such a dark film and noise is very well controlled. I was on lookout for noise or other issues because it was such a crisp capture, but none were to be found. While the material doesn’t lend itself to real reference material due to the muted color palette present throughout, as an example of how sharp and detailed HD can get, there are few films that can match this one.
Outside of the actual transfer qualities, Dawn needs to be commended for continuing to utilize all of the tools available for modern visual effects in lieu of massive CGI. It all simply looks believable and consistant and is leaps and bounds ahead of the original and most other horror films in general. Again, the passion and artistry that went in behind the scenes drips off and flows through again and again.
Extra Features: 4/5
To start off with Dawn includes a new introduction from director Zach Snyder and a feature length commentary by Snyder and producer Eric Newman. While I did not get through most of the commentary, the new introduction was a great chance for Snyder to explain his motives for making an unrated version and to describe what this cut contains that the theatrically released version did not. Next up is “Andy’s lost tape” which is a goofy add on that tries to capture the story from the other side of the street from the mall and just isn’t very well done. Extended versions of the Zombie Invasion news footage are likewise not all that compelling. What IS good however are the 12 minutes of deleted scenes (including commentary!) and the 3 behind the scenes featurettes on the making of the Zombies. One goes into detail on how the sniper head shots were done, one profiles the ‘signature’ zombies in the film and how they are killed, and one features the army of extras and actors who played the undead. While not all of the extras are solid gold, all together it’s a pretty entertaining collection.
Overall: 4/5 (not an average)
It’s always tempting to pre-judge a remake (or re-imagining) of a film which one has seen before, but this version of Dawn of the Dead has just enough different to be worth more than a passing look. The feel of the movie is significantly different from the original, the audio takes a bit to get cooking but once it does it’s more than adequate, and the level of detail in the transfer is simply shocking. Pair that with the capable batch of extras included and Dawn of the Dead 2004 is solid all around, and is definitely worthy of at least a rental, and if you are a fan of the genre it squarely gets a full ‘buy’ nod.
