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Dawn of the Dead
Universal Pictures


7.6

based on 32 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 105 votes
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FILM:

300
Watchmen

MPAA RATING: R for pervasive strong horror violence and gore, language and sexuality

Starring Sarah Polley, Ving Rhames, Jake Weber, Mekhi Phifer, Ty Burrell, Michael Kelly, Kevin Zegers, and Michael Barry

A remake of the 1979 horror classic.

GENRE(S):	Action \| Drama \| Horror \| Suspense/Thriller
WRITTEN BY:	James Gunn George A. Romero (1978 screenplay)
DIRECTED BY:	Zack Snyder
RELEASE DATE:	DVD: October 26, 2004 Video: October 26, 2004 Theatrical: March 19, 2004
RUNNING TIME:	100 minutes, Color
ORIGIN:	USA

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum

Don't leave before the final frame -- if you're still breathing.

Portland Oregonian M. E. Russell

Tense, bloody, funny and smart; lacks original's conscience, but it's still a surprisingly gritty remake.

Washington Post Desson Thomson

The movie has many of the elements that made the first "Dawn" so darkly entertaining.

Empire Chris Hewitt

A welcome surprise, containing more bona fide scares than Romero's vision, while paying grand lip service to the old master. Truly worthy of that famous title.

Los Angeles Times Manohla Dargis

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.

Washington Post Michael O'Sullivan

Yes, it's essentially a remake of a sequel, albeit a sequel that happens to be one of the greatest horror movies ever made, but it more than surpasses the original.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Sean Axmaker

Romero's satire is largely replaced by a sardonic gallows humor (the zombie-shooting contest is as funny as it is grotesque), but otherwise it's a bloody entertaining zombie apocalypse.

New York Daily News Jami Bernard

There was no burning need for a remake, but this one is respectful of its predecessor. It incorporates the technology and acquisitiveness of the intervening quarter century since Romero's vision. It even features a metrosexual, something unheard of in 1978.

San Francisco Chronicle Mick LaSalle

It's silly, witty and good-natured, not scary so much as icky, and not horrifying or horrible but consistently amusing.

Miami Herald Rene Rodriguez

Faster, leaner and more compact than the original. Dumber, too, but that's almost always the case with remakes.

Philadelphia Inquirer David Hiltbrand

This film plays out like one of those trigger-happy video games -- it's all cranial splatter. Word to the squeamish: Dawn of the Dead merits a very hard R rating. The depictions of violence are exceedingly graphic.

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

My only complaint is that its plot flatlines compared to the 1979 version, which was trickier, wittier and smarter. Romero was not above finding parallels between zombies and mall shoppers.

ReelViews James Berardinelli

Calling this version of Dawn of the Dead a remake is applying a misnomer. It's more of a re-imagination.

Premiere Aaron Hillis

An amply entertaining tale of survival terror, fully realizing the epicness of Romero's vision by infecting every wide-angled overhead shot with as many computer-generated cadavers as possible, and bridging tense moments with a laugh-aloud, plucky wit.

Baltimore Sun Chris Kaltenbach

Dawn of the Dead may depict the end of the world as we know it, but rarely has watching doom proved such a kick.

Film Threat Jim Agnew

First time director Zack Snyder has done an amazing job of creating a sense of doom and dread while sprinkling it with some wicked humor and amazing music.

Austin Chronicle Marc Savlov

Snyder’s film isn't likely to be considered a classic 20 years down the road like Romero's film is, but it's a winningly extreme episode in the ongoing adventures of Zombie and Harriet. (And stick around while the end credits roll: The film isn't over 'til it's over.)

USA Today Mike Clark

Overall, this Dead is zippier than 1995's retake on "Village of the Damned" and somewhat less junky than the recent remake of "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre."

Village Voice Michael Atkinson

It is, like most, an unnecessary remake, but the new, digitally boosted Dawn of the Dead brings it on with a 10-minute overture that might be the most upsetting tin-can apocalypse modern movies have ever seen.

Dallas Observer Gregory Weinkauf

Sensational yet sadly unsatisfying.

Boston Globe Wesley Morris

The movie is weak on attempts at survivalist philosophy (anyone bit by a zombie is likely to become one). Even the religious overtones feel tinny and unpronounced.

Chicago Reader Jonathan Rosenbaum

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.

Charlotte Observer Lawrence Toppman

The new Dawn of the Dead moves along with speed and slick visual style, but it's soulless and anonymous as -- well, a shopping mall.

The Hollywood Reporter Michael Rechtshaffen

When there's a whole mess of zombie killing to be done, who cares about reflective writing or that time-wasting element of suspense?

Variety Scott Foundas

More palatable than "Texas," Dawn also seems even less necessary, given how effectively the original was reworked last year in Danny Boyle's "28 Days Later."

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Rick Groen

This time the script makes scant metaphoric use of the mall. In fact, metaphors are generally in short supply here. Scares too.

Christian Science Monitor David Sterritt

Horror buffs will find plenty of split-second suspense and in-your-face carnage, while others will scramble for the exit as quickly as the characters race away from their apocalyptic foes.

TV Guide Maitland McDonagh

A buzzed-up gloss on the original, it's entertaining -- if fundamentally shallow.

New York Post V.A. Musetto

It's mindless entertainment, so take it or leave it.

Chicago Tribune Michael Wilmington

Despite a big budget, lots of technical flair and a good cast headed by Sarah Polley and Ving Rhames, it's mostly a bloody mess.

The New York Times A.O. Scott

The eventual video game is bound to be a lot more fun -- and less slowed down by bad dialogue -- than this "Dead."

The Onion (A.V. Club) Scott Tobias

Swarming with zombies on both sides of the camera, the film is unrelentingly relentless, leaving no room for original director George Romero's wry satire on consumerism or his slow-paced, creeping undead.

The average user rating for this movie is 7.6 (out of 10) based on 105 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Jay H gave it an8:
One of the best horror films of all time. It is genuinely frightening, great special effects. Suspenseful, well directed and acted. The touches of humor make it work that much better. Excellent.

Adam W. gave it a10:
This movie is the pinnacle of epic zombie movies that are also funny.

[Anonymous] gave it a7:
Although the title sequence is probably the best bit of the film - and although it is a cheesy [high budget] B movie with plenty of flaws - the film manages to create the anxiety and claustrophobia of a group of survivors surrounded by a sea of undead with no hope of rescue. Diverting.

Dorian S. gave it an8:
Hell, this movie was great,blood and all that,but the problem is,the zombies are too fast.I was first scared by the movie,but later,it was fun

Ed c. gave it a1:
if you have ever seen any zombie horror film before then you needent see this one. all the cliche'd characters, one dimensional personalities and terrible cringeworthy one-liners as per usual. however unlike other fliks, there was none of the suspense and not enough jumpy moments to save the film. aside from some smirk raising black humour, this really was a very very poor film. waste of time

Louis H. gave it a0:
Like all of our contemporary horror movies, this movie was absolutely one of the worst movies ever made. I can't believe they consider it a "drama" movie after all the senselessly stupid actions all the characters make. There is no reason, no sense, or any point to this movie. Where did the zombies come from? Why did nobody take them seriously (with the mom's stupid gasp in the beggining)? Here is why :THEY'RE ALL IDIOTS!!!!!

John R. gave it a10:
Outstanding movie, much better than the original Dawn. Great directing, acting, soundtrack and action. As with most of my favorite movies, I enjoyed it more the 2nd, 3rd and 4th viewing. The Directors cut is also much better than the original theater version.

Dawn of the Dead Universal Pictures

Dawn of the Dead
Universal Pictures