Dawn of the Dead Review

Hold on to your popcorn because zombies are back. A remake - no sorry, apparently a re-envisioning - of the 1979 horror classic from legendary director George Romero, the new take on "Dawn of the Dead" is unapologetically, gleefully apocalyptic. Boasting more gnashing teeth, bucketloads of blood and putrefying flesh than its undead predecessors, the flick finds a group of survivors, including Sarah Polley's nurse and Ving Rhames' cop, taking refuge in a shopping mall when Wisconsin is hit by a plague: an inexplicable infection that overnight turns the world into a living nightmare where corpses stalk the earth looking for their next human victim. But as source after source of help disappears, the not so happy shoppers realise they might just have to stop squabbling amongst themselves and bring the battle to the zombies.

And before Romero fanboys start shouting sacrilege, it has to be said that director Zack Snyder has done a fantastic job. The original's satiric take on capitalist consumerism may have gone but what remains is a snappy, genuinely petrifying fast-food snack of a horror for you all to feast upon. There's no "Scream" style ironies here, thank you very much; just straight, no-holds-barred terror that's kicked off by a brilliant opening as Polley's nurse experiences a very scary wake-up call indeed. And while the rest of the movie doesn't hit such terrifying heights and the few attempts at gallows humour don't quite work, you'd be hard pressed to find a more fun, not to mention blood-filled, night out.