Day of the Dead (2008)

Director: Steve Miner

Synopsis: A group of survivors are looking for a place to bunker down when the zombie outbreak begins.

My Take: This movie got terrible reviews. I almost wrote it off when I found out Nick Cannon plays a main character. I watched it out of curiosity and I am so glad I did. While it was lacking in story, Day offers great action. The fight scenes are great and the zombie kills are imaginative. Nick Cannon even does a good job. He was very convincing as the reluctant hero.

The writing is pretty poor and I didn't like the zombies so much in this one but the action and imagination save it from being all that bad.

Straight to video. Probably for the best, but still worth your time to check it out.

The Rundown:

• My Favorite Scene: The fight scene when Balthazar (Nick Cannon) rigs a spear out of a bone saw when they leave the hospital.
• My Second Favorite Scene: The chaos at the hospital when the outbreak first occurs is interesting to see.
• Worst Part: The zombies are not only "fast zombies", they can climb walls and ceilings like Spiderman on crack. This completely defies zombie physics.

Rating:

Day of the Dead (1985)

Director: George A. Romero

Synopsis: A new crew of survivors to Romero's zombie outbreak series battle the creatures from an underground military bunker.

My Take: This SUPER-LOW budget, third installment seemed more of an open forum for Romero than did the previous films in the series. Day, through the mix of scientists and soldiers, explains the zombie outbreak's effect on individual psychology and on society. Also, this movie takes a scientific look at the zombies' behavior.

I am not sure how I feel about "Bub" in this movie, but he is the inspiration for Fido (a 2006 movie with an interesting take on post-zombie outbreak life).

Everyone except for helicopter pilot (essential) and the radio operator made me sick. They were all crazy. But then again, this is the point. Who wouldn't go a little bonkers in seclusion, during the apocalypse?

The low budget kept this one from being as good as it could have been.

The Rundown:

• Worst Part: Once again in a horror movie, everyone in the military is a bunch of raging assholes.
• What made me sad: The only two people that had a grip on sanity, the pilot and radio operator, secluded themselves from everyone. That left only the morons to make decisions. This is the sad truth about society that Romero portrays so subtly.
• Best Death: Not only did I like the fact that the jack-ass leader, Captain Rhodes, met his just end, he stayed in character while being eaten. After hating him all along, we can love him with his last words to the zombies eating his innards: "Choke on 'em!"

Rating: