LAND OF THE DEAD (2005)
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It has taken 20 years for Romero to finally make a new Zombie film, not that he didn’t have something to say, but that no one was offering him financing. Finally, Universal Pictures came forth and gave Romero the financing he needed to get his long awaited fourth zombie movie off the ground. This would mark the first time a Romero zombie film would be financed with a major film corporation and that meant that Romero, long an independent rebel, would have to compromise and work under the umbrella of a company with demands.
The result is a sleek looking and the biggest budgeted Romero zombie film ever. But he had to cast some recognizable names such as Dennis Hopper, John Leguizamo, and Simon Baker to help draw in an audience. Using known actors immediately tosses out the realism of Romero’s work. In the past, the unknown casts have helped to create an “anybody” feel to the movie as if it was really happening to normal, everyday folk. Now we feel like we are getting the Big Screen version of a real world event.
Land of the Dead also marks a sad departure of Tom Savini as Make -up FX creator. The reasons for Romero and Savini’s separation is not known publically, but without Savini, Romero starts to rely on Computer Animation, something I despise and abhor. Romero has gone on to say that Computer FX are easier and less time consuming, but he sacrifices a great deal of realism for this.
Land of the Dead takes place within a walled up city surrounded on three sides by water. This is the perfect place to live while only having to protect one potential weak spot. Simon Baker and John Leguizamo star as two men who work for Dennis Hopper, here a complete reversal from the Easy Rider days where he fought the Man and now has become the Man. Hopper is in charge of the city and lives in a skyscraper with many other wealthy tenants. Funny how money, power and glamour even plays a part in the world at this point with all that is happening, but Romero is creating a Have and Have Not situation.
Baker ‘s character Riley wants to leave the city and Leguizamo’s character Cholo feels he has earned himself a place in that tall tower to live like a king. Both men decide this is their last trip out to fetch things, but during their trek they seem to “wake up” the zombies who are all just hanging around doing nothing. The main zombie is referred to in credits as Big Daddy, and thankfully never in the film. Bid Daddy represents a continuation of the Bub character from Day of the Dead. Big Daddy has feelings, seems to remember parts of his previous life and soon leads a group of zombies on a journey toward the city.
The performances in this film are competent, but the story itself has a sort of déjà vu feeling to it. Romero doesn’t seem to be covering any new ground. The zombie make up isn’t as good as previous outings, and the zombies all seem to be a bit too human in their actions. I miss the dazed and confused look they use to have.
This film has lots of gore, which was toned down for the theatrical release, but put back for the DVD release.
Romero has changed in 20 years, as most people will, and Land is not a bad movie, it’s just we don’t get that commentary that we got from the previous three films, and when Romero is trying to say something he is less subtle about his messages and more in your face as if he doesn’t trust his audience to read between the lines. This isn’t a film about ego, or gender roles or infighting, it’s basically just a horror film to entertain, and it does entertain.
Sadly, Romero would follow this up with two more zombie films, Diary of the Dead and Survival of the Dead, two movies which would prove that the creator and master of the zombie genre had lost his way.
GRADE: B
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