Apr 22, 2019
Hi everyone!
All right, so maybe yesterday’s throwback review for “Tomb Raider” wasn’t a great idea. But I think I’ve made up for it today. Today’s film is “Land of the Dead”, the zombie film from... I’m sorry, what’s that? Reviewing a film about flesh-eating people back from the dead isn’t a great idea either? Okay, you know what, tomorrow I’ll pick a film that won’t get me into trouble, or I’ll just stay silent.
For a few other zombie films, one of my favorite genres, check out “Ravenous” (Episode #066), “Cargo” (Episode #139), “Day of the Dead: Bloodline” (Episode #140), “White Zombie” (Episode #152), “Overlord” (Episode #316), “The Night Eats The World” (Episode #372), and Stephanie Campbell’s sneak attack review for “Anna and the Apocalypse” (Episode #425). Told you I loved zombies!
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Here we go!
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Today’s movie is “Land of the Dead”, the 2005 zombie thriller written and directed by the legendary George A. Romero. The film follows the remaining residents within the walled confines of Pittsburgh, who have survived the initial zombie outbreak. After a suburban raiding team discovers a pack of zombies acting strangely, a chain of events is set in motion as the dead come to claim Pittsburgh.
No spoilers.
While I was participating in the 2017 #DLMChallenge to watch 365 movies in 365 days, I was absolutely heartbroken by the death of George A. Romero, a guy who reinvigorated the zombie genre with the release of “Night of the Living Dead”. Zombies prior to Romero were either entranced living humans, or servants raised from the dead having a varying level of intelligence. Whether living or dead, their presence had a purpose, usually under the control of some nefarious villain. Romero removed the why, however, when it came to zombies, replacing the manipulated servant zombie with a constant, unceasing hunger for human flesh. It borrows heavily from Richard Matheson’s “I Am Legend”, but arguably makes enough changes to be a standalone work, and it has spawned an entire genre of flesh-eating zombie films, and their hyper-aggressive cousins, the zoombies.
In my review for “Day of the Dead: Bloodline” (Episode #140), I threw out an idea for a reboot of the first three Romero zombie films. It would be great to have a planned trilogy, using the same scenarios, but maintaining a persistent cast, at least until they succumb. The first three films were produced so far apart from one another that the trilogy, while still being one of my favorites, also seemed to lose momentum. After seeing today’s film, I believe the fourth film could and probably should be considered, as it exists within the same continuity, and remains thematically interesting, even after a twenty-year gap in returning to the genre he defined.
“Land of the Dead” maintains the same look and feel of the first three films, riding the border of b-movie territory in dialogue and settings, and going well over the line when it comes to gruesome practical effects. The cast is a collection of top talent and working actors, including Simon Baker, John Leguizamo, Dennis Hopper, Asia Argento, Robert Joy, and Eugene Clark, each giving just enough overacting to fit the tone. In the twenty years since Romero’s “Day of the Dead”, there were literally hundreds of flesh-eating zombie films, some exploiting the copyright battles between Romero and Russo over the concept, others just straight ripping off the ideas and styles. If anyone but Romero had put together this film, it would have been thrown on the heap of pretenders. But this *is* Romero, and as godfather of the genre, we know it’s not really about the quality so much as the message.
The films have always held deeper meanings, with the zombies serving different purposes. “Night of the Living Dead”, through a combination of guerilla filmmaking and inspired casting, can be viewed through multiple lenses, including the monstrous activities of white supremacist mobs. “Dawn of the Dead” was a clear indictment of consumerism. “Day of the Dead” a clear indictment of our prison system. And “Land of the Dead”, through some pretty direct dialogue, looks at our own stratified society, and about what really separates us from the zombie hordes, endlessly consuming, like hungry ghosts from Buddhist philosophy. Most zombie films focus on the terror of the chase, or the gore of the kill, or the horror of the loss, but Romero always adds in that extra layer of meaning, and this film is no exception.
“Land of the Dead” is George A. Romero’s fourth installment in his Living Dead franchise, coming twenty years after the previous installment, but bringing the same aesthetics, with perhaps an upgrade in the practical effects department. It’s not the best zombie film, but it is definitely a Romero zombie film, and pretends to be nothing else. Zombie film fans will definitely love this film, but so will fans of socially subversive films, if they can stomach the gore.
Rotten Tomatoes: 74% (CERTIFIED FRESH)
Metacritic: 71
One Movie Punch: 7.5/10
“Land Of The Dead” (2005) is rated Rand is currently playing on HBO.