Dawn of the Dead

Rating:
Summary: Great movie, horrible packaging
Review: I haven't even watched this DVD yet, but the packaging already made a bad impression. The seal you have to remove to open the DVD was glued on so well that I pretty much destroyed the DVD case trying to peal it off. Pretty soon I will stop buying DVDs if it is going to be this much of a hassle just to open them.

Rating:
Summary: The theatrical version is the best version
Review: This version of "Dawn" is the original theatrical cut...as opposed to the directors cut. It's a nice DVD, not a whole lot to it but it's a good transfer in my opinion with the DTS sound.
I agree that this is just a rushed out DVD to take advantage of the remake of Dawn that is about to be released in the theatres. I however don't agree that anyone should wait for the longer director's cut. I've seen the director's cut and thought it just moved too slowly and was a bit redundant. The theatrical cut is tighter and flows better and has more of Goblin's score. In fact, I had read that the so-called director's cut is actually just a version that Romero rushed through the editing process to be in time for the Cannes film festival. The theatrical cut is actually the version that he approves of.
But if you really want that 3 disc set with all the extras then you'll just have to wait till later this year.

Rating:
Summary: To buy or not to buy? That is the question.
Review: It's sickening that a truly great horror movie like Dawn of the Dead has to be subjected to the kind of lame-brained marketing, distribution, re-releasing and general all-around money-grubbing tampering that have unfortunately characterized this film's history on home video. First, Rubenstein pawned off on us his so-called "director's cut" on videocassette in 1996 and then a no-longer extant DVD in 1997 that you had to take out and flip over halfway during playback. This was no director's cut: it was a version that Rubenstein had thrown together, and Goblin's soundtrack wasn't even in stereo! Sure, it had extra gore, but the momentum of the film was slowed down, taking away from its impact. It wasn't even shown in the proper aspect ratio.
To add insult to injury, in early 1999 Romero's superior theatrical cut was finally released, re-mastered, and letter-boxed properly. Did they release the videocassette and DVD simultaneously to give you a choice? Of course not: the DVD came out a month or two after the videocassette, so some fans like myself bought the VHS like suckers and then the DVD soon after, when all we wanted was the DVD to begin with. And the extras on this DVD were insultingly sparse.

Now they're throwing together a new DVD version of DOTD in order to capitalize off the remake, which in turn was obviously done for the almighty $$$$$$$$. Sure, this DVD is the version I want, the theatrical version, Divimax to boot and almost certainly in stereo, but the extras are still somewhat skimpy.

It's not over. Later in the year, they're going to release a DVD with the proper extras, but it seems that it's going to be the so-called "director's cut." If this is the cut that Rubenstein tried to hawk, then this is not what should be released. And will it ever cross the mind of a distributor to release a DVD that contains Argento's re-edited European version as an extra? Or will they save that for yet another DVD release a year or two from now?

Further disgracing Romero's classic is the "remake" crafted by yet another ex-rock video director. The same sacrilege was inflicted on Chainsaw. When will these no-talent hacks quit trying to make films and just stick with videos? It's bad enough we're burdened with the superficial gloss of talentless nitwits like David Fincher. Do we need more of them? Do we need yet another classic of gritty 70s horror turned into a visual imitation of Fincher's stupidly over-rated Seven?

Sure, I'll buy this DVD. And like a jackass I'll probably see the remake just so I can be justified in saying I hate it. And more $$$$$$$$$$ will overfloweth from my pockets and into the wallets of the shysters responsible for all this nonsense.

Rating:
Summary: Dawn of the Dead
Review: Truly one of the greatest horror movies let alone zombie movies ever made. The second installment in George Romero's Trilogy is a masterpiece in every way. Great character development, incredible effects by the master of horror Tom Savini, and a wonderful storyline. Anyone who knows anything about real horror movies should not take the idiots who rate this movie one star seriously. Any real fan of horror will surely tell you that Dawn of the Dead ranks up there with the best zombie movies ever made. Do yourself a favor and avoid watching the remake, stick with the original. Also look into Night and Day of the dead.

Rating:
Summary: Taking a Bite out of Life!!
Review: I was relatively interested and mildly entertained by this movie. There was a re-make, but this one was much better. It could be viewed as dark comedy, what with the good old boys shooting up some zombies, or the scene in the mall, where those who haven't been "bitten" have escaped, only to see the myriads of Dead trying to get into the Mall. What, to do some last minute shopping? Quite a testimony to our times.

Then there was the scene where the bikers stormed into the mall and end up being eaten like spaghetti. You gotta have a strong stomach or a good sense of humor.

The only down side to this movie is that it doesn't leave you with a great deal of hope in the human condition. It depressed me. But then again, I had to keep saying, "It's only a movie."

Rating:
Summary: YAWN! BORING! NOT SCARRY! LAME! CRAP! CRAP!
Review: WOW! This is the worst film you will ever see,which is a shame because the premise is cool. The Makeup is amatuer and phony looking! The horror movies from the 1930's had better make up for crying out loud! 28 Days later was lousy but is a masterpiece compared to this crap! For the first hour of the film you will laugh if you havent fallen asleep by then. The only great Zombie film is "White Zombie" with Bela Lugosi!

Rating:
Summary: I must agree with evildead01
Review: This is a great movie on its own merit; why create a remake which, while it will surely have superior special effects, is almost certain to be infoerior without the creative genius of Romero behind it? This disturbing trend of remaking horror movies, and updating them with a bunch of lame hip characters and cheesy soundtracks a la the new Texas Chainsaw Massacre with teenybopper Jessica Biehl, is very annoying. Remaster and re-release this classic to the theatres instead. But since they are not going to do that, be sure and check out this DVD, the movie is one of the great pieces of horror of all time.

Rating:
Summary: Justice done to the greatest Zombie flic of all time
Review: Let me first say that the quality of this DVD is amazing. Never have I seen a dated film such as this restored to such perfection. The film is so clear, you will feel that you can reach out and touch the characters. The sound is just as excellent. The "Divimax" HD transfer is again, something to see and hear in order to believe.

That being said, this is the greatest all time classic zombie flic. And you wont regret buying this DVD. 5 Stars.

Rating:
Summary: there is no more room in HELL and the Dead walk the earth
Review: I am a big zombie movie fan. I've seen and own the best. Night of the living Dead, Day of the Dead, Resident Evil, House of the Dead, and the Return of the Living Dead triogy. But the one movie I have not yet seen is The Dawn of the Dead. I have searched contless stores and websites and have not found one. The one I did find was 129.98!!! My subsitute teacher once told me about it and now I must own it to finish my set. I intend to have the orginal DVD set and the re-make DVD set. As I speak this film is going to be pre-ordered so I will become master of the Living DEAD.

Rating:
Summary: The mother of all zombie movies rises again.
Review: "Dawn of the Dead" has had a few previous released on DVD, all of which are now extremely rare, so it comes as a blessing that Anchor Bay has released a new version, just in time to coincide with the remake hitting theatres (with Sarah Polley and Ving Rhames, no less). While the movie itself and the extras are fantastic, this may not be the best edition to buy, read on to find out why....

The movie itself needs no introduction to any horror fan, as this is widely considered to be one of the best horror movies ever made, and by far the best zombie picture. I will skip right to the qualities of the DVD itself, to save boredom for anyone who already knows the plot (which I imagine is everybody reading this). The most notable feature on the Divimax DVD is the commentary from George Romero and Tom Savini, with Perry Martin doing the moderating. Similar to the commentary on "Day of the Dead", both Savini and Romero are lively and enthusiastic about this movie, which is surprising considering that the movie is more than 25 years old. The anecdotes and back stories will definitely give fans some insight, as well as plenty of trivia knowledge. This is probably the best Romero commentary so far. The only other extras are an extensive photo gallery (with some great shots), and some promotional material that most people have seen already. If the extras seem sparse, there is a reason for that: rumor has it that Anchor Bay is planning a larger, more extensive Special Edition later in 2004. Like the "Lord of the Rings" DVDs, the first release might be just a taster.

Before moving onto the less positive aspects, it should be noted that this is perhaps the video transfer released so far. While previous editions were fragmented, grainy, and muddy looking, this one is clear, having scrubbed 25 years worth of wear and tear on the master. This beats all previous editions, hands down.

My gripes with the new "Dawn of the Dead" DVD are nothing to do with what was included, but what was not included. This version runs 127 minutes, while as any fan knows, the original prints ran 142 minutes. The previous "Director's Cut" released on DVD was 137 minutes long (the only time I have seen the full 142 released was on an import laserdisc), so why couldn't they have included the longer cut here? For fans waiting for a new release, this is a bit of a letdown. Also noticeable is the lack of any documentaries or other supplements beyond the commentary. This is understandable if this release is only a taster, however, so I will be waiting in hopes that the new edition solves this problem.

Overall, horror fans could not ask for a better movie to have on DVD, even if completists like me are unhappy with the shorter cut. The remastering alone makes this worth the price tag alone, while the commentary is a welcome addition to the movie.