Day of the Dead (Divimax Special Edition)

They walk, they moan, they bite chunks of meat off of living human beings- What's not to love about zombies? George Romero seems to adore them because this is his third installment of the "Dead" series and possibly his best. I have to admit that I got downright giddy when I heard this movie was being released on DVD. Not only did I get to see the unrated version of the film in Widescreen format, but I also got a wealth of DVD extras. Although many are critical of Romero for setting this movie underground, I find it more than fitting. While the Dead have left their graves to frolic in the sun, the living are forced to fill them to fight amongst each other. In one corner, Romero places a band of wigged out Army goons. In the other corner, a handful of mad scientist research nerds patiently await the sound of the bell. When the bell finally rings, both groups come out swinging only to blow the ceiling off their underground refuge. The open ceiling invites a sea of hungry zombies to feast off their innards, fingers, eyeballs, gizzards, and other icky oogy body parts. It's really quite disgusting, but I have to admit that I love it.

Once you finish watching the movie, you can dive into the extras. Both commentaries are worth a listen. I highly recommend the Behind the Scenes footage of Tom Savini and his army of Special Make-up Effects Artists. Having never been a fan of digital special effects, it's good to learn how they did it in the good ole days.

P.S. I do not recommend the eating of naturally-cased frankfurters while watching this film.

Day of the Dead had some MIGHTY big zombie boots to fill when it was released in the mid-1980's. All zombie buffs knew what great films Romero had put together with small budgets (Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead). With the largest budget yet for a Romero zombie film, all had high hopes. Unfortunately, some of the hopes were dashed with Day of the Dead. The film follows the tribulations of a small team of scientists and soldiers who are assigned to find a way to stop the zombie plague. The two groups are increasingly at odds, and this isn't helped by the fact that the chief scientist (Dr. Logan aka Dr. Frankenstein) is losing his grip on reality and the leader of the soldiers (Captain Rhodes) is an overbearing tyrant. The soldiers clearly want some scientific results for their sacrifices, however the scientists are unable to comply given the primitive nature of their labs (which apparently are in an underground storage facility in the Everglades). Clearly the two forces are on the road to a major blow-up. The only question is when the explosion will happen.

Day of the Dead has some very good moments. The opening scene is well done, the gore is VERY realistic (even more so than in Dawn of the Dead), and there is a subplot involving Dr. Logan and a zombie called "Bub" that is surprisingly touching. The major flaws in the film are 1) lack of likable characters (I found myself disliking practically all of the characters with the exception of Lori Cardille's character and that of Bishop and 2) the confining of almost the entire film to the underground base (some excursions to kill zombies in the Everglades might have been interesting). Still, Day of the Dead wasn't a bad entry into Romero's trilogy.

Utterly worthwhile and now an all-time classic in its own right, "Day of the Dead" has fought a long uphill battle toward redemption in the minds of Horror movie fans. If, like me, you walk into this film for the first time expecting vast amounts of Suck, you may be surprised to find that:
a) this movie sucks nowhere near as badly as some would have you believe, and
b) in fact, it's actually rather good

Moreover, the movie practically demands repeated viewings, which reveal that this is a much more multifaceted and deeper work than one would perceive at first glance. For example: on initial viewing one's tendencies may be directed towards the high-minded and hard working scientists as the film's main sympathetic leads. But try watching it again from the viewpoint of the "evil" military characters and you'll see that a lot of what they say actually makes sense.

As far as the much-criticized dialogue scenes go, these reveal nuggets of information and a well thought out rumination on the events of the previous two films. These are people in extremis, trapped for months (possibly even a year or more) in a very unappealing underground environment with death overhead, under foot, and with nothing but death in their futures. Forced to essentially write their own epitaphs, these people have a lot to say to each other (much of it, quite nastily).

As to the rather Industrial Strength swearing on hand, lets just say that frustration breeds salty tongues and leave it at that. Tom Savini's makeup effects, amply -- and graphically -- showcased throughout the film, are simply amazing (one might even say they're unsurpassed).

So, should you buy this DVD? If you're a serious Horror fan, perhaps. If you're a fan of George A. Romero's work, then definitely if for no other reason than to simply round out your Romero "Dead" experience.