ZACK SNYDER

Bil’s rating (out of 5):  BB.  

USA/Canada/Japan/France, 2004.  Strike Entertainment, New Amsterdam Entertainment, Metropolitan Filmexport, Toho-Towa.  Screenplay by James Gunn, based on the 1978 screenplay by George A. Romero.  Cinematography by Matthew F. Leonetti.  Produced by Marc Abraham, Eric Newman, Richard P. Rubinstein.  Music by Tyler Bates.  Production Design by Andrew Neskoromny.  Costume Design by Denise Cronenberg.  Film Editing by Niven Howie.

A medical intern (Sarah Polley) comes home from a long day at the hospital only to witness her zombified daughter murder her husband and then come after her. She escapes, discovering that her entire town is covered in undead creatures who are passing infections on to the living that turn them into flesh-eating monsters. Hiding out in a shopping mall with a few other desperate survivors, Polley does her best to figure things out and keep everybody safe despite the warring personalities that have been assembled in her safe little haven. While the filmmakers do an exceptional job of grossing you out with their makeup effects, the story plods along very slowly and leaves a lot to be desired. The film is never really all that scary, and the proposed theme of anti-materialism that is hinted at by the shopping mall setting is never expanded on beyond its use as a backdrop.