Land of the Dead

(2005) ****

"In a world where the dead are returning to life, the word 'trouble' loses much of its meaning. "

I'll just mention right here that I have a thing for Asia Argento.

Maybe I should have watched the Dawn remake before this one, but I wanted a cohesive look at Romero's zombie world. This time we're advanced a number of years down the line and a form of civilization has re-emerged, as corrupt and imperfect as the old one. The learning skills hinted at in Day of the Dead take a big step forward here, as a particularly sharp zombie starts figuring stuff out and, more importantly, showing his fellow undead how to follow along.

This movie takes a new spin on When The Zombies Get In. Of course they still do, but for the first time they've got to actually go somewhere first, so we get to see their journey. One thing I love about Romero's zombies is he likes them with personality, and we get a wide array of artful decompostion. I especially liked the occasional inclusion of a practical puppet zombie (see above) instead of someone in makeup. Those specimens' horrible emaciation spoke of years spent moving around without getting to anything to eat. Yucky.

With science fiction stories, I make a distinction between two broad categories: those that take place on an isolated frontier and those that involve being in the middle of a working, thriving society. A good example of this is original Star Trek vs. Next Generation. One of the reasons I can get tired of zombie stories is that they always involve apocalypse-level shenanigans, which fit the "frontier" category that I find less attractive. Land of the Dead was a welcome switch, featuring as it does a working (if dysfunctional) society.

Gone are the crummy sets and nobody actors; Romero's got the tools here to make his setting more real and his plot more layered. And while the story has some commentary, it's the most genuinely character-driven of these zombie yarns. This is the first movie in which a bitten person says "you know what, don't shoot me in the head. I'll just be a zombie." A horrifying choice, but it seems like a natural one for that character. And seeing the lead zombie understand the idea of mercy killing was strangely poignant.

Also, I totally have a thing for Asia Argento.

I liked this more than the first time I saw it, but the very ending is still a bit slack. The citywide zombie menace somehow splits into one pocket of carnage and a harmless group "over there." This viewing was better because I caught the dialogue about the strategic importance of blowing up that carnage pocket, so it didn't feel quite so flat. But my friend Blake caught the same vague disappointment I'd felt the first time. It went like this:

Blake: That's it? That's the end of the movie?

Me: Yep, that's the end. That's who gets out, that's what they get to take with 'em. I don't see your problem.

Blake: Well, he had all that stuff in the opening scene when they scavenged the town, couldn't he have just taken off then? It'd be the same thing without making me wait.

Me: Uh...I guess, but then he wouldn't have a hot Italian woman.

Blake: (long pause) I want a hot Italian woman.

(I win.)

Here's Summerisle's review from last year.