Dawn Of The Dead 2004

John Monaghan, Detroit Free Press: Scarier, funnier and more entertaining than it has a right to be. Read more

Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald: Faster, leaner and more compact than the original. Read more

Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune: Romero's movie was both scary and satiric, but this reprise, directed by British TV-ad wiz Zack Snyder, is neither. Read more

Mark Rahner, Seattle Times: The new Dawn won't be revered like the old one, but if there's a sequel, I'll shamble instinctively to the theater. Read more

Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper: ... bloody good fun. Read more

Bob Townsend, Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Its graphic gore and brain-splattering violence are definitely not suitable for children or anyone else who's easily upset. If you like campy fright movies, though, this is an unpredictably fun one, right down to the closing credits. Read more

Bill Muller, Arizona Republic: Dawn of the Dead is just plain fun. Read more

Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: Few of the original movie's political and philosophical preoccupations (abortion, capitalism, patriotism, individualism) remain. Instead, the remake feels like the product of the PlayStation era. Read more

Manohla Dargis, Los Angeles Times: Good zombie fun, the remake of George A. Romero's Dawn of the Dead is the best proof in ages that cannibalizing old material sometimes works fiendishly well. Read more

Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader: The new version has its share of disturbing moments, but writer James Gunn and director Zack Snyder have stripped away the social satire of the original and put little in its place. Read more

Michael Booth, Denver Post: Smarter, tighter and far scarier, start to finish [than the original]. Read more

Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: Snyder, making a killer feature debut, trades homemade cheesiness for knowing style, revels in the sophistication of modern special effects, and stomps off with the best remake -- er, 're-envisioning' -- of a horror classic in memory. Read more

Rick Groen, Globe and Mail: You know Snyder isn't the guy for the job about five minutes into the proceedings. Read more

Philip Wuntch, Dallas Morning News: Dawn of the Dead is a rarity: a horror movie in which every laugh is intentional. Read more

John Anderson, Newsday: Gruesome, funny, everything a horror film should be. Read more

Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger: A remake of the 1978 George Romero cult-classic, it has no purpose of its own, except to exploit the latest advances in gore effects. Read more

Jami Bernard, New York Daily News: The joke isn't fresh, but it holds up well in this crackling remake of George Romero's 1978 sequel to Night of the Living Dead. Read more

Elvis Mitchell, New York Times: Mr. Snyder's blood feast is strictly by the numbers: this second-rater could be the world's most expensive Troma film. Read more

Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: Save your quarters for the video game. Read more

James Berardinelli, ReelViews: For those who enjoy tight, tense, graphic horror, this movie offers an ample helping. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: Dawn of the Dead works and it delivers just about what you expect when you buy your ticket. Read more

Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: It's silly, witty and good-natured, not scary so much as icky, and not horrifying or horrible but consistently amusing. Read more

Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune: A shallow but potent gore-gasm that will make audiences scream, whoop, cringe, laugh and yell at the screen. Read more

Peter Howell, Toronto Star: [Sarah Polly] pretty much owns the picture, beginning with a slam-dunk prologue that establishes right off that this isn't your dad's Dawn, despite a plot that hews fairly closely to the original movie. Read more

Time Out: The remake, from first-time director Snyder, keeps much of the gore and loads up on the laughs, but eschews all pretence at cultural criticism in favour of high-octane, almost nonstop action. Read more

Mike Clark, USA Today: A soulless but speedy redo of George A. Romero's two-hour-plus 1979 original about a mall and flesh-eating zombies. Read more

Scott Foundas, Variety: Whereas the resonance of Romero's film (and of 28 Days Later) derived from its ability to involve auds emotionally with a few spartan protagonists, here viewers don't spend enough time with any of the characters to feel such a connection. Read more

Michael Atkinson, Village Voice: Only gore-thirsting teens will be satisfied. Read more

Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: It more than surpasses the original. Read more

Desson Thomson, Washington Post: Has many of the elements that made the first Dawn so darkly entertaining. Read more