George A. Romero's Survival of the Dead
Directed By: George A. Romero
Starring: Alan Van Sprang, Kenneth Walsh, Richard Fitzpatrick
Rated: R
1 hr. 30 min.
In the latest of George A. Romero's "Dead" Series, a small group of soldiers hope to find a place to get away from the current zombie scourge. They meet up with a boy who shows them a video by Patrick O'Flynn, AKA Captain Courageous (Kenneth Walsh), who advertises Plum Island. When the group meets up with O'Flynn, they find out the truth behind Plum Island, and the Hatfield-and-McCoy-style feud between the O'Flynns and the Muldoons. The soldiers and the boy become thrust in the middle of this battle between families over what is to be done about the zombies shuffling around the island.
The previous "Dead" film, Diary of the Dead, is a bit of a disappointment, which is shocking considering what a legend Romero has become. However, Survival of the Dead completely makes up for it. The plot is not one you find in most zombie films, once again proving what an ultimate storyteller Romero is. While not necessarily frightening, it still manages to create suspense in moments throughout. Because Romero masterfully makes us care about the characters, we care what happens to them as they are forced to join a side in the Plum Island battle.
Survival of the Dead does have its share of cheesy moments and dialogue. The zombies themselves, the classic slow-moving type, are rather ridiculous and make for a good laugh, especially when one of them manages to remember to start his car, only to have the ability to go forward and backward on the deck of a ferry. It is the cheesy campiness, though, that makes a horror film, or a Romero film, the greatest. Although a small bit of the acting is lackluster, the overall film is still completely brilliant.
Grade: A
Survival of the Dead hits theaters Friday, May 28th, but you can see it now on HDNet on Demand.
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