Customer Reviews

Dawn of the Dead (Divimax Edition) [Import]

5 star:		(140)
4 star:		(49)
3 star:		(18)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(15)

 

 

A four disc edition? Who can ask for more? Obviously we saw it coming... the remake was there... the Divimax edition early this year... everybody was saying a big multi-disc edition was coming... and here it is!

To start analyzing this film we must take a look at NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD. This film was a landmark as it introduced the zombies as we know today. Now, DAWN OF THE DEAD set a new landmark. In it, the zombies were a mature (sub)genre in modern cinema.

What makes this film so important? Everything! First it is the brilliant screenplay. The story... you already know: as the zombie population increases more and more, four people barricate themselves inside a big shopping mall, where they endulge themselves with all consumering desires they can think of.

Sounds simple? It is, but there is more than meets the eye: as the zombies try to get in (you'll have to wonder why) the four heroes inside discover their paradise makes them more empty than they would have thought it would... and slowly, life start making no sense.

DAWN OF THE DEAD is the kind of film that has been changing as the decades pass. Its violence seems to have softened if we think of all the action and horror films who came in the decades that followed (just like it happened with other horror landmarks like THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, FRIDAY THE 13TH, HALLOWEEN and NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD). Its makeup is not comparable to the vast majority of horror films that came after (who had bigger makeup budgets)... but on the other hand, elements like tension, drama, character development and social critique have all grown more powerful then in all of the films that followed.

In other words, audiences who see this film today, many times discover the fact that its weight is changing fields... from graphic horror to social horror. And this kind of horror is no less potent and much more rare.

Mr. Romero is one of those rare horror screenwriter/directors who do have a strong critic point of view (and we can see it as he continues to deliver so in his later third zombie film - the sadly underated gem - DAY OF THE DEAD).

Clearly, this is a multi-layered film that demands multiple levels of reading. You must be aware of all the issues put inside this film. Otherwise, if you're in just for the cheap thrills, gore and violence, you'll probably be disappointed.

As a product of the late seventies, this is a production triumph because it manages to deliver a lot with minimum budget. The remake released early this year made a great update on this basic premisse.

I loved them both.

This edition seems to be more than we've all asked for (now that the simpler Divimax edition made all the money it could...). Here, you'll find all the versions and lots of extras.

But again... DAWN OF THE DEAD is a film that I am sure will be seen and celebrated for years to come. See it with an open mind and you too will discover why.

This movie is a classic horror action drama that set the new standard for zombie movies back in the late 70's. It's set after the events of " Night of the Living Dead" ( 1968), zombies have taken over the country and a group of human survivors hide out in a shopping mall for shelter and combats against the hordes of the undead.

A brilliant, entertaining and violent horror action movie with human drama, satire, black comedy, gore by Tom Savini ( of " Friday The 13th" fame) and a message that we ourselves created monsters that make literally death in society. George Romero has done a wonderful job on this movie including with his partner Dario Argento and a great music score by The Goblins.

The DVD is quite excellent in picture and sound quality, the extras are out of this world such as Commentary, Trailers, TV Spots, Radio Spots, Bio of George Romero, Comic Book Preview and a couple of Easter Eggs. This is a must own movie if you love the genre, but in September there is going to be a super 3-disc edition featuring the director's cut, Theatrical Cut and Italian Argento Zombi cut.

See this movie now before you see the remake.

Similar movies recommended: " The Evil Dead", " Zombie", " Day of the Dead", " Night of the Living Dead" ( 1968), " Scanners", " Nightmare City ( a.k.a. City of the Walking Dead)", " Burial Ground", " City of the Living Dead ( a.k.a. The Gates of Hell)", " House By The Cemetery", " Mallrats", " Night of the Living Dead ( 1990 remake)", " From Dusk Till Dawn", " Resident Evil", " 28 Days Later", " The Omega Man", " Let Sleeping Corpses Lie", " Freddy Vs Jason", " Evil Dead II", " The Road Warrior", " Akira", " Hell of the Living Dead ( a.k.a. Night of the Zombies)", " Demons", " Cannibal Ferox", " Cannibal Holocaust", " Zombi 3", " Undead", " House of the Dead", " Cannibal Apocalypse", " Cemetery Man", and " The Beyond ( a.k.a. The Seven Doors of Death)".

best Horror box out there, amazing stuff! go get this one now!

A GREAT ZOMBIE MOVIE AND SEQUEL TO NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD. THIS IS A MUST HAVE FOR ANYONE WHO ENJOYS GUT RIPPING,FLESH TEARING ZOMBIE FILMS.VERY WELL DONE AND ACTED WITH LOTS OF GORE.ANOTHER MASTERPIECE FROM GEORGE ROMERO. GET IT!!!! A++++

DAWN OF THE DEAD ... EN TROIS VERSIONS ET EN ANGLAIS SEULEMENT , MAIS PAS GRAVE , CAR CE FILM LÀ EST RENDU UN CLASSIQUE DES FILMS DE ZOMBIES , CAR IL A EUX AU PAR AVANT ( NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD ) DE M. ROMERO ET LÀ IL EST REVENU EN PLUS GRANDE FORME AVEC DAWN OF THE DEAD ... BRAVO M. GEORGE A. ROMERO POUR TOUT VOS BONS FILMS DE ZOMBIES ET BRAVO !

My favourite movie movie of all time on Blu-ray and it's beautiful!

I only wish it was the extended version, which is the one I prefer, having once owned the 4-disc "Ultimate Edition" DVD. I really miss things like Joe Pilato's scene at the police dock. I'll have to wait for the Ultimate Blu-ray Edition I guess.

George Romero has a style of his own ,stylish camera styles, goriest makeup and of course the scariest zombies you will see compared to all the other zombie films.

I bought this DVD and I must say - WOW!!! Thank goodness I didn't get suckered into buying the previous releases on DVD. I already had the theatrical cut and the extended cut on VHS, so I waited for a DVD with that extended cut to be released. 'Director's Cut' according to the liner note's of this DVD package is a bit confusing because the theatrical cut WAS the director's cut. My experience with Anchor Bay's release style (re-releasing the same cash cow titles under different packages over and over again) told me to hold on for a definitive release - and here it is!!!!
I haven't watched all the extras, but I did sit through the European cut disk, watching it with the commentary on by the four main actors David Emge (Stephen) Ken Foree (Peter) Scott Reiniger (Roger) and Gaylen Ross (Francine). And I must say, that audio commentary is ALMOST (almost) worth the price of the DVD set alone. It's a lot of fun to hear these guys recollect their days on the movie set, and making fun of each other's character's on the screen. It sounds like they had an awesome time doing the commentary. What's also great is that they even know what was happening on the screen. At some points, they even recite the dialogue before it is spoken. I've heard a lot of commentaries, and usually the actors or directors who do them don't have such clear recollections of what's going to happen on screen. Also, certain scenes they commented on didn't even show up because they were only in the US cut, like the nun zombie scene, which I thought was also great because it showed they really paid attention to the film and didn't just treat it like another job.
While the price is kind of high (perhaps 10 bucks cheaper) I think you have to look at the cost of paying for the people to do the audio commentaries, plus restoring the films, and I guess paying off both Romero and Argento for their respective cuts of the film. Too bad neither director contributes audio commentary.
Anchor Bay rarely drops their prices after a year, unlike some of the big companies. In fact, they'll probably delete this title before making it cheaper. Just an fyi, in case you were debating whether to get the DVD now or wait a year or two for it to drop in price.
If you really love Dawn of The Dead, you definitely won't be disappointed in this incredible set!

I was allways a Day of the Dead fan still is my favorite out the series but having seen the first edition of Dawn earlier this year for the 1st time in allmost ten years I couldnt beleive how well it has withstood the test of time.
I knew then that a box set was coming so I waited and waited and I have to say it is by far the most complete no frills deluxe edition in my collection.
Ok I know that some of the make-up fx and dialouge are a bit dated but the overall integrity all around is solid.
The documentries and poster and image galleries and not to mention the crisp quality of the picture and sound are rich and fascinating to watch.
I have only watched the extended version there are two others one edited by Dario Argento and the other is Romeros original theatrical version.
This is zombie geek-dom at its finest!!!!
By the way even though Romero himself had nothing to do with the Dawn remake I still was blown away at the direction they took his vision.

I must be honest, I almost got tricked into buying the DiviMax edition aswell, but after taking a look at what features it had on it and hearing rumours about this four-disc edition, I decided not to bother. All in all by looking at the cover art and reading about what will be on it, I believe that this edition will be a great buy for the month of September and for any Dead fan out there and, hopefully it will be the last edition for this particular movie. I can just see it now, six months from now, brand new "SIX DISC" Special Edition, that would be quite a sight .