:
Simon Baker,
Simon Baker,
John Leguizamo,
more...
:
George A. Romero,
George A. Romero
see all cast/crew...
: Not Rated
: Universal Studios
: Horror, Post-Apocalypse, Zombies, Killer Critters
: 97 min.
: English
: English, Spanish, French
see additional details...
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George A. Romero, who revolutionized the American horror film in 1968 with the instant classic Night of the Living Dead, returns to his dystopian zombie cycle with this horror thriller. In Land of the Dead, the zombies whose numbers had been slowly but steadily growing through Dawn of the Dead and Day of the Dead now dominate the streets of most American cities, while urban skyscrapers have been taken over by surviving humans, usually greed-addled opportunists who allow the living to stay in their fortified compounds for a price. Guarding the buildings are rough-and-tumble mercenaries who have learned to do battle with the zombies, making use of powerful weapons to gain advantage. But as the zombie civilization grows, the creatures have begun to slowly evolve, with their dormant thought processes beginning to awaken, and as unrest begins to ferment among the mercenaries and the entrepreneurs who pay them, the ghouls may have found a way to defeat the last stronghold of humanity. Land of the Dead stars Dennis Hopper as arch capitalist Kaufman, and Simon Baker, John Leguizamo, Robert Joy, and Asia Argento as some of the mercenaries; Asia Argento's father, Dario Argento, served as a producer on one of the earlier films in the series, Dawn of the Dead. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Read GreenCine's exclusive interview with George Romero.
In 1968, with Night of the Living Dead, George A. Romero not only "turned zombies into metaphors for societal decay," as Liz Cole writes in her zombies primer, he also "[changed] the face of American horror for good." So says Sean Axmaker, who talks with Romero about that landmark film and his latest, Land of the Dead.
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| The Zombie Zone
by talltale
October 18, 2005 - 3:15 PM PDT
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5 out of 5 members found this review helpful
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Did George Romero take a fast look at last year's French socio-political-economic zombie film "They Came Back"? Just wondering, because his LAND OF THE DEAD seems more obviously loaded with side issues than usual. While subtext has always been there (it adds a little "redeeming social value" to the feasting-on-human-flesh), formerly it seemed to exist as throw-away grace notes. Here it's front and center, helping to make the latest installment more interesting (though not nearly up to the level of Robin Campillo's film).
Given Romero's increased agility regarding pacing and--thankfully--his understanding that audiences don't need any walk-down-memory-lane exposition, the movie manages to be quick, grizzly and mostly fun. Robert Joy lives up to his last name as the fire-scarred sidekick, John Leguizamo has his Leguizamo impersonation down pat, Dennis Hopper is relatively low-key and Simon Baker and Asia Argento neither add nor detract to the proceedings. Critics did their usual kow-tow upon theatrical release, but audiences remained aloof. If you're a zombie/gore aficionado, you'll need to see for yourself. If not, rent "They Came Back." |
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GreenCine Member Rating
(Average 6.48)
127 Votes
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