'Dawn of the Dead' (1978)

Yesterday was pretty much wall to wall meetings and trying to get outstanding documentation written. Not the worst day of work but one of those days where I get to the end of it and all I'm good for is watching a movie rather than reading books. I've already had to process a lot of information and I don't want to process any more, I just want loads of moving pictures to tell me the story instead ;o)

Which handily leads me onto the latest instalment of the 'Romero Re-Watch', it's time for 'Dawn of the Dead'. While I've got loads of time for 'Dawn of the Dead', at over two hours long I rarely have the actual time to sit down and watch it. Not last night though. An evening with absolutely nothing to do is the perfect time to sit down and watch 'Dawn of the Dead' so that's exactly what I did.

It is now three weeks since the dead started walking; we know this as an angry government official mentions this as part of his rant at the talk show host who is clearly thinking ratings rather than working with his guest to perhaps, you know... offer useful advice to the viewers. What's killing us here isn't the zombies so much as it is our refusal to accept what is happening in front of us. Out of date details for rescue centres are being broadcast while the crew are literally leaving cameras running and getting the hell out. As the natural consequence of people's refusal to accept the obvious (and be able to do something about it), the resulting chaos works perfectly no matter what order you're watching the films in. I've had three films to get to this point and it works just as well here as it would have done if I'd only watched 'Night' first.

And it's not just people losing their shit in a TV studio. Out in the city, people's refusal to accept the 'new normal' is tying down police and National Guard as they are going through apartment blocks, looking for dead bodies (to destroy) only to find that those dead bodies are now moving. Add 'Willy the Racist SWAT Guy' letting his jealousy (at their better apartments) get the better of him and the apartment clearance becomes a tense, murderous affair that is probably my favourite bit of the whole film. As the old priest says, 'When the dead walk, senores, we must stop the killing... or lose the war.' No-one is able to listen though and that's the tragedy. It could have been kept under control but when the first zombie walked, it was already too late.

And then, outside the city, you've got the red-necks who think this is great as they've finally got an excuse to shoot actual people while necking beer. Again, you either have people who can't stop the inevitable or people who are enjoying themselves too much to care. Romero may lay it on a bit thick but these opening scenes are brilliant in terms of laying it on the line how much trouble we're in. I could watch these scenes over and over again to be honest.

So... When the world is collapsing all around you, where do you go? Well, if you're Fran, Stephen, Roger and Peter, you land your helicopter on top of the nearest shopping mall, lock it down and set up home. Easy, right? Well, yes but...

I get that there's a whole load of stuff being said here about naked consumerism, whether it's the zombies milling through the aisles or the bikers storming into the mall like there's a Black Friday event. I also get that there's also a lesson here that if you shut yourself away, you're automatically limiting your options if the zombies break in. Even the most beautiful place can become a prison if you're not careful (and there's the message about consumerism again...)

It's all handled very well and I liked how Roger and Peter's SWAT training is used to lock the mall down and then clear it. What I've never got on with though is what comes next which is... nothing really until the bikers show up. Again, there's a part of me that can appreciate how this is handled; you are going to get bored stuck in a mall and mistakes will happen. I also liked the way that contact is slowly lost with the outside world until they are on their own. What I don't like is the way that it is dragged out just a little bit too long. To be frank, it stops being interesting and becomes the equivalent of being dragged round the town centre, as a five year old, by your Mum. It's not interesting but you've got no choice but to put up with it until something good happens. And something good does happen to be fair; the bikers are a reminder that while the zombies want to eat us, it's humans that should really concern us in this brutal new world. There will always be someone who wants what you have (or to get their blood pressure taken before being eaten by a zombie, what was that all about?)

Romero likes to end his films on a hopeful note and 'Dawn' is no exception. I quite like that hint of a 'don't give up' message, the sense that if you have at least one escape route to hand then zombies aren't that big a problem, just don't let them corner you...

'Dawn of the Dead' is a film with a great opening and a near perfect end (for me, anyway). It's just the bit in the middle that drags on just a little bit too long and spoils things a little. I will not be going to the mall if the dead start walking; well, maybe if there's a decent bookshop ;o)

Next up is 'Land of the Dead'...