Day of the Dead (2008)

User Rating:

4.5/10   

Director:

Steve Miner

Writers (WGA):

Jeffrey Reddick (screenplay)
George A. Romero (motion picture "Day of the Dead")

Release Date:

8 April 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

This spring, the dead will rise!

Plot:

When a small Colorado town is overrun by the flesh hungry dead a small group of survivors try to escape in a last ditch effort to stay alive.

Plot Keywords:

Colorado | Fall From Height | Bitten In The Neck | Gore | Barricade

Cast

Mena Suvari	...	Sarah Bowman
Nick Cannon	...	Salazar
Michael Welch	...	Trevor Bowman
AnnaLynne McCord	...	Nina
Stark Sands	...	Bud Crain
Matt Rippy	...	Doctor Logan
Pat Kilbane	...	Scientist
Taylor Hoover	...	Local Girl
Christa Campbell	...	Mrs. Leitner
Ian McNeice	...	Paul - DJ
Ving Rhames	...	Captain Rhodes
Robert Rais	...	Mr. Leitner
Michael McCoy	...	Mr. Noble
Laura Giosh	...	Mrs. Nobel (as Laura Goish Markov)
Vanessa Johansson	...	Receptionist

Also Known As:

Day of the Dead: The Need to Feed (USA) (DVD title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong pervasive horror violence and gore, and language.

Runtime:

86 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:R | Germany:18 | Japan:R-15 | Australia:MA | Netherlands:16 | Finland:K-18 (self applied)

Filming Locations:

New Boyana Film Studios, Sofia, Bulgaria

Company:

Millennium Films

Trivia:

The Radio Station is on the Elm Street. This is a reference to A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984).

Goofs:

Factual errors: When Sarah pulls up to her house, you see a license plate on the HMMWV. When in fact, military vehicles do not have plates. They are marked with a black star where the plates go.

Movie Connections:

References "Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C." (1964)

If only it hadn't carried the name Day of the Dead

Steve Miner, as a director, isn't bad. He directed my favorite entries in the Friday the 13th series, Halloween: H20, and Lake Placid. None of these movies are Oscar worthy, but they are all good, fun horror films. What he was thinking when he directed the Day of the Dead redux is beyond me.

A small Colorado town is overrun with the living dead, following a flu like virus that has swept across the land. As soon as the virus kills someone, their skin immediately decays and they become superhuman beasts. These zombies don't just run (a modern zombie element which has caused a lot of controversy in recent years) they jump, shoot weapons, and somehow manage to crawl on walls and ceilings. At the forefront of this super-zombie apocalypse is Mena Suvari (who phoned in her part) and Nick Cannon (who should have) as well as a few other meaningless characters. People die, things explode, and an hour and a half of your life is wasted as you watch this deplorable film.

Honestly, if this film had carried any moniker other than the classic Day of the Dead, I would have given it a bit higher of a rating. I'm thinking 3 or 4, mostly because some of the make-up fx are pretty nifty. Instead, the filmmakers decided to take everything Romero created and turn it on its head. Experimentation is a good thing, but not in this case. This should not be called a remake...or even a reimagining for that matter. It has nothing to do with the original film, aside that there are zombies involved and the military has a presence. I say, pull it from the shelves now, and send it out retitled. George Romero really shouldn't have to put up with this nonsense anymore.