Having been impressed with this movie since first seeing it in the early eighties on video I feel compelled to write a review of the reviews on IMDB, it deservedly gets a high score, with 10 out of 10 user reviews one after the other, until you hit the spate of 1 out of 10 reviews. Who are these people? Surely they're not movie fans, the big problem with the internet is that you see everybody's opinion, including those of blithering idiots. Some people are even complaining about the zombies not running about after people! I blame this modern idea of zombies, the DOTD remake and 28 Days Later etc. They aren't zombie films, dead people running about whilst they slowly decompose is just stupid. The fear is in that even though they only shuffle about they are so vast in number that there is no escape no matter where you run, they only have that burst of speed when they're close to the victim in true zombie films. The idea is that you can escape for a while and try to avoid them, but eventually they close in and get you. The exciting parts of this movie work because they don't move fast, allowing the protagonists to do things that fill the film with interesting possibilities, like what would it be like to live in a shopping mall with no customers and nobody charging you for anything? It's a black comedy about consumerism and it wouldn't work if all those zombies ran around like Olympic athletes, making for quick deaths and desperate hiding as seen in the remake, it took the fun out of it.

I am generally not a fan of horror movies, but I really do make exceptions for zombie films. I absolutely adore them and think they're wonderfully creative. I used to say that "Night Of The Living Dead" was my favorite horror movie and it would obviously be a tough act to follow. They did in fact top it with one of the best movies I've seen in my life! The first one was great because of the psychological horrors the characters went through and this manages to make it even better. It's not so much a horror movie as more of an action movie with pretty funny scenes and even great drama with characters I truly care about. It really is the horror movie for everybody.I remember watching the final scene and thinking that it could only get better if the last guy lived and decided not to commit suicide...and he did! It's certainly a much happier ending than the previous movie. It was great to see how ten years of special effects have improved the series. This really doesn't have much connection to "Night Of The Living Dead", probably because that movie killed off every main character! Instead, they give us a much nicer ending which really did work out better, if it was bittersweet. What's great about this movie is that there are so many scenes where the characters are just having fun.Seriously, there's a point where this whole zombie thing just becomes casual for them. They even manage to find a nice lifestyle in the mall they hang out in. It's great to change the location because we get a whole lot more room for the characters and us viewers to explore. It still manages to get that feeling of an enclosed space, only bigger. It's great to see the different ways the zombies die. It's hard to tell if we're supposed to feel sympathetic to them. It's like the bikers are the only truly evil people. Then again, they do help get rid of a lot of them, but there's always more. The fact that this movie is so unwilling to take sides is what makes it a classic.This is one of the best depiction of zombies I've ever seen. There's only a few subtle references to the original movie, but that's fine. It's great to see the mythology of something being expanded so much. There were even some interesting thoughts on racism here. It seemed to wander around for the first 15 minutes, but even those parts were great! A lot of us know what it's like to want to be alone in any scenario. Loved the dialogue, loved the music, loved the action, just loved everything! ****

As an avid fan of classic horror movies, Dawn of the Dead has been one of my favourites for many years now. I first saw the film when I was 13 years old when a newspaper was giving away copies of classic films each Sunday and this was the first one released. I played that disc to death until it simply refused to work anymore, which led me to purchase the film on DVD so that I could continue to admire George A. Romero's storytelling and the fact that, though a zombie movie on the surface, Dawn of the Dead is a lighthearted comedy which asks viewers; 'what would you do if you had a mall to yourself?'It's this aspect of the film that I take the most enjoyment from. While other zombie films, such as 28 Days Later and Zack Snyder's 2004 remake of Dawn of the Dead, present a bleak view of a world ravaged by flesh eating creatures, which is an undeniably apt yet overused technique, Romero instead focuses upon the relationships that can be built when a small group of people are brought together and given free reign to do whatever they want. Mega malls were relatively new in America at the time of the film's release so there was much intrigue surrounding them, something that Romero uses to add a sense of fun to the film as the characters utilise the vast amount of items available to them. Though it is first and foremost a post-apocalyptic tale, the tone it establishes never feels out of place and though it never goes quite as far as Zombieland in terms of it's comedic moments, it proves to be hugely entertaining and allows the film to be watched countless times.Another aspect of the film I find extremely satisfying is the zombies themselves. Modern horror films always try and up the ante when it comes to providing scares which, when it comes to the zombie genre, means faster creatures in order to increase the tension felt by the audience. Dawn of the Dead, however, manages to provide a great amount of tension without relying on physically superior zombies, instead having it's creatures appear much slower than their modern day counterparts. The scene in which Peter (Ken Foree) and Roger (Scott Reiniger) block the entrances to the mall is a great example of how slower zombies can still provide tension and offer the characters a very real threat, one that though not always present within the film should always be kept in mind. Modern takes on the genre also provide audiences with a much more visceral experience through the use of violence and, though considered extreme at the time of its release, the zombie make up effects provided by Tom Savini, who also portrays a biker in the film, are rather simplistic and manage to keep the gore to a minimum, compared to contemporary horrors, while ensuring the creatures are taken seriously. Remember, a zombie isn't scary because it's covered in blood and has missing limbs, it's scary because it wants to eat you and won't stop until you've managed to destroy its brain, something which is realised within the film.While Zack Snyder's remake was a success both commercially and critically, it doesn't even come close to the magic that was captured within the 1978 original. Sure, the acting may be of a higher standard and the practical effects may be more impressive, if not slightly unnecessary depending who you ask, but as a complete product it failed to provide any social commentary or hidden message, instead opting to be an all out gore fest. Romero's Dawn of the Dead, however, has something very interesting to say about consumerism, a relatively new concept at the time. Peter states, upon their arrival at the mall, that the reanimated corpses of the deceased have begun to congregate there due to its significance to them whilst they were alive. Consumerism was such a large part of their day-to-day life that even in death; they continue to associate it with feelings of joy, despite not being able to feel much at all. Perhaps it is almost ironic that these people who consumed so many products within the mall whilst alive now consume the bodies of the living as they attempt to seek refuge from the apocalyptic world outside. The zombies within the film are used effectively as an example of the effect that consumerism has on people. If we were to remove the blue and grey makeup from the faces of the extras, they would not look too different from the general public shopping in a mall during the Boxing Day sales.The zombies alone, however, are not the sole example of consumerism on offer within the film. The four central characters, Peter, Roger, Steven and Francis, exist to show that even when society may be crumbling, people still rely on material items to make themselves feel comfortable. An example of this can be seen within the movie on one of the many 'supply runs' that the characters participate in. Rather than focus solely on the items that will be needed in order to help them survive, such as food, water, etc. – they also find time to do some 'light shopping'. It's a perfect example of how films can reflect our everyday lives and our values as a society and though it may not have been necessary to tell an entertaining story, it certainly makes it a more rewarding experience overall.

Seriously, is it? I mean, it is hard to find another movie like 'Dawn of the Dead'. Whether it is or not I can't tell but it is definitely one of the most influential movies ever made. Many living dead movies have copied George A. Romero's Living Dead Trilogy and among the three I find it hard to decide which is best, 'Night of the Living Dead' or 'Dawn of the Dead'. But anyway I found myself liking this movie more and more as time passes and it keeps getting better and better with each viewing. With 'The Walking Dead' being one of the most popular series in our modern times, I can't help but think 'Dawn of the Dead' was far ahead of its time. Many of the gimmicks in 'The Walking Dead' have surely been inspired by this movie. The relationship between characters, the way tension is built, the way the living dead behaves, people's tendency to murder each other even at the face of extinction. I can mention more similarities but let us concentrate on the movie, genre: horror, themes: society, culture, extinction, survival, year of release: 1978, director/writer: George A. Romero, main characters: Stephen, Peter, Roger and Francine.Plot: Four survivors trying to survive in a shopping mall amidst a living dead apocalypse. Summary: Peter and Roger escapes in a helicopter with pilot Stephen and journalist(?) Francine. After some time of flying around they inhabit a shopping mall which they clear out of the living dead and starts living a life isolated from the rest of the world. Now the strength of the movie is the relationship between the characters. Without it the demise of the characters would have had less impact. What happens to the characters gives me goosebumps and fills me with dread at the end. One of the other things that gives the movie strength is atmosphere. Usually movies in this genre tend to be more driven by gore and violence with little to no atmosphere with characters you do not care about. The atmosphere in this movie is full of dread and full of a sense of imminent doom. But it also has sense of humor, comic book style. Almost like a parody, "What are they doing? Why do they come here? ", "Some kind of instinct. Memory of what they used to do. This was an important place in their lives" was part of the dialogue on top of the mall between Francine and Stephen.At that point the director was comparing shoppers at shopping malls to zombies. Although not originally natural to us it had become so common within society shopping malls became an important part of society's life. It is a social commentary, where shoppers go to shopping malls without wondering why and never seem to question why they go there in the first place. Like mindless zombies, controlled by black magic or what we usually call Voodoo. So although the movie on the surface seems like just another horror movie, it really isn't. It appears to be more like a study and questioning of society's modern culture. Anyway, the movie is magnificently directed by George A. Romero and the cast acts amazingly too. So amazing I find it to get better and better after each viewing. It also has a big influence on modern culture, from the first Resident Evil game to The Walking Dead. I am 25 years old and I find it a little sad people from my generation doesn't recognize the importance of this movie, simply because it is old, because the blood looks fake, because the acting isn't like today and it is not a fast paced movie full of explosions and gunfights with zombies. Like the okay-at-best remake of Dawn of the Dead from 2004. I am tempted to say society's standards have degenerated like the living dead in this movie, but that is just my opinion.P.S. I once watched the German version DVD and it took away all the gory violence, which is sad since the violence is part of the movie's charm. A small plus to the atmosphere and relationship between the characters. Awesome movie.