DAWN OF THE DEAD

Yes, the new DAWN OF THE DEAD is a remake of the George Romero horror classic, itself a follow-up to his earlier groundbreaking NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD. And yes, this new DAWN is derivative of or at least shares concepts with other zombie films, specifically 28 DAYS LATER, which introduced scary-eyed, growling creatures that are dangerously speedy rather than lumbering (given the amount of time film development takes, it's entirely possible that the two movies simply evolved with some parallel innovations).

Never mind all that. Director Zack Snyder and screenwriter James Gunn look at the genre with clear eyes and have seemingly taken every good idea anyone has ever had and distilled it into a movie that is unapologetically, full-tilt-boogie terrifying.

DAWN opens in a Milwaukee, WI hospital, where we detect a few harbingers of the oncoming apocalypse, though the staff are so far oblivious. Nurse Ana (Sarah Polley) greets a little neighbor girl in the street and goes home to cuddle up to her husband. The next morning at 6:37 AM, the little neighbor girl comes into the house ...

What happens next is a type of sequence we've seen innumerable times before, but it is written, played and directed unironically, taking Ana from incomprehension to incredulity to terror-grief-terror and finally numbness. This is all before the opening credits, which are bracingly intercut with news clips that give us an idea of what's going on in the larger world before we get back to Ana.

As in the original DAWN, a group of survivors including Ana, imposing and capable policeman Kenneth (Ving Rhames), quiet salesman Michael (Jake Weber) and parents-to-be Andre and Luda (Mekhi Phifer and Inna Korobkina) hole up at a sprawling suburban mall. They have to contend with a trio of security guards, headed up by the aggressive, hostile (and armed) C.J. (Michael Kelly), as well as zombies trapped in the mall.

This new DAWN reminds us all over again of how wonderful any subject, however familiar, can be when approached by intelligent people who take it seriously. For starters, the cast is excellent and we understand why they've taken the roles they get strong dramatic material to play that feels fresh and dangerous. Weber is a standout as a man without much of a life who discovers he's good in a crisis, while Polley is naturalistic and persuasive. Rhames is powerful without seeming superhuman and everyone else is on the money. Original DAWN cast members Ken Foree and Scott Reiniger and makeup master Tom Savini all have cameos.

Gunn's script creates suspense by letting the situation speak for itself there are no artificial crises created by people behaving idiotically. Moreover, the movie doesn't take the typical horror film position on attempts to "do the right thing" sometimes the characters are successful and sometimes they meet with bloody disaster, which keeps things unpredictable. The punchy, jagged editing by Niven Howie (so swift that it has an almost strobelike effect at times) and the makeup effects by David Leroy Anderson are strong assets.

It should be noted that the movie proper continues through the closing credits viewers who leave at fadeout will have a considerably different experience of the film than those who stay through the final moments.

2004's DAWN OF THE DEAD is bracing, fast, suspenseful, smart and in all ways registers both as strong subversive horror and as a genuinely engrossing drama. It's worth seeing more than once.