Survival of the Dead

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Survival of the Dead

September 17th 2010 02:23

My God, it’s been more than forty years since Romero unleashed the walking dead upon us. And Night of the Living Dead (1968) still kicks most modern horrors into the middle of next week. But George Romero has so dropped the ball with the latest in his shuffling, shambolic saga. Survival of the Dead (2009) is the worst of the six movies, even less impressive than Diary of the Dead (2008) which was pretty disappointing in itself. Standing back and looking at the entire series I feel quite comfortable in saying that Day of the Dead (1985) is his masterwork. Night would follow Day, then Land (2005), and then Dawn (1978).

Kenneth Welsh as Patrick O'Flynn

Survival takes place a few weeks after the dead have started to walk, so chronologically it occurs between Night and Dawn, and around the same time as Diary. The action takes place on Plum island near Delaware. It follows the plight of two warring Irish families; the O’Flynn’s and the Muldoon’s, and the soldiers caught in between who arrive on the island in search of sanctuary from the deadheads (as the zombies are referred to).

Alan Van Sprang as Nicotine

Romero has fashioned Survival like a Western. He’s also attempted to make the most comedic installment of the series, more so than the satire of Dawn. The movie fails miserably on both levels, and fails even further as a remarkable zombie movie, and as a horror. Romero, what have done?! I can only hope that before he hits 80 years old he delivers us a kick-ass finale; Twilight (or Dusk) of the Dead. The fans demand a return to form! Otherwise they’ll be Hell to pay.

Kathleen Munroe as Jane and Janet

Where do I start? Survival looks, acts and moves like a TV movie. There is nothing visually striking about it. The performances are mediocre at best, with only Kenneth Welsh as O’Flynn standing out, and even then I’m sure if he didn’t have his lilting Irish accent his character would be boring as fuck. Kathleen Munroe as his daughter (including the twin) is okay, but neither can save a dead in the water tedious domestic dispute. The rest of the characters are utterly forgettable, or annoying; like Athena Karkanis as Tomboy, a lipstick lesbian marine.

Athena Karkanis as Tomboy

Devin Bostick as Boy

Since when did the zombies become skilled at riding horses, so soon into the apocalypse?! That so got my goat. But more so is Romero’s reliance on CGI effects. He’s abandoned Greg Nicotero and team and allowed almost every gore set-piece to be executed in post. It’s depressing. There’s one mentionable; a torso tearing a la Rhodes. But the worst is a scene that features several severed heads on sticks with Nicotine Crocket (Alan Van Sprang) wasting precious bullets shooting them. Like, doh! What are the fucking heads gonna do, dude?! Survival is riddled with bullshit.

You would be hard pressed to identify Survival of the Dead as a Romero zombie movie. The undead are far from frightening, there is virtually no menace present. The “performances” of the dead are pathetic, and I mean that most genuinely. The screenplay is dreadful; terrible dialogue, smug characterizations, Romero fills the narrative with unnecessary shots and stupid gags. If there’s a social commentary here it’s buried so deep it will never surface, not in any repeat viewings (which I certainly won’t be doing). At least Diary had a visual edge, albeit slight.

The only set-piece worth mentioning

Survival of the Dead should be shot through the head. Enough said.

Survival of the Dead Joris Jarsky Kathleen Munroe

Nothing worse than halitosis of the dead

Romero even deprived us of some zombie children slaying

The march of the zombies, er, deadheads shuffles on ...

Here’s the trailer:

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Posted By: Bryn - Category: movie reviews

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Comments

15 Comments. [ Add A Comment ]

Comment by Lyzsi Sinclair

September 17th 2010 03:35

Cinema Nut
Film News and Reviews...

I haven't seen this film yet...kinda been putting it off since I only hear mediocre or bad things about it :/

I know that Romero says he has ideas for at least two more DEAD films, and that he's expressed an interest in shooting them back-to-back - and that they would explore new ideas brought to the surface in this film. I personally wish he'd do something else, and only come back to this franchise if he had a vision SO epic that it must be brought to our screens (and done well).

I do want to watch this but purely so that I can know I've watched it and get it outta my system - not really for any idea of entertainment.

Thanks for the review though, yours is the most thorough and interesting one so far :]

Comment by Royale

September 17th 2010 04:20

Sin City

Dawn of the Dead the 1978 version is the best for my money....Day was shot better but acted and written worse

Comment by Bryn

September 17th 2010 05:05

Horrorphile

Lyzsi, I agree ... Perhaps he should do one more and use the abandoned Day idea of the military having put together a "Green Beret" team of zombies to pit them against the increasing hordes. Zombie vs. zombie ...

Royale, you're part of the majority of Romero fans. But I beg to differ; Dawn's acting is atrocious for the most part and although Day might be more talky, I much prefer its narrative arc than to Dawn's. Plus its score is more atmospheric ... and not to forget Tom Savini's astounding effects work.

Comment by David O'Connell

September 17th 2010 06:09

20/20 Filmsight
Screen Fanatic

Haven't seen either this or Diary yet Bryn and can only echo the same sentiments - for the love of God George, move on to something else before you die!! I say line up another Stephen King adaptation - why not Cell? It's kind of along the same lines anyway.

Comment by Royale

September 17th 2010 17:30

Sin City

I think I stand by Dawn..despite the B movie acting the whole thing mostly taking place in a mall seems so much more relevant more immediate. When I first saw it it was a Star Wars moment a cheap tacky zombie jedi epiphany
Day and the rest just didnt have the impact. Dont get me wrong I loved all the movies but maybe never having been a green beret or a brilliant scientist the others just dont hit home they are are just zombie action movies to me which is fine...
however I can relate to holing up in a mall with a bunch of crazies I can get...the whole nature of humanity coming back to haunt us/ we are our own worst enemy I can get ...For the record the remake of Dawn sucked depite better acting and film making

Comment by Jason King

September 17th 2010 22:11

Sydney Table
Salty Popcorn
Total Randomness

I remember posting this trailer like forever ago and then completely forgot about it. They all just blur into a B Grade montage of zombies for me.
I totally agree he should move on

Comment by JMD

September 18th 2010 00:37

The part I did like in this mess of a movie is when she finally took a bite out of the horse. I guess the other dude was onto something. Too bad no one will find out. I wonder what things would be like for him now if Capcom went through with his Resident Evil script?

Comment by Bryn

September 18th 2010 06:26

Horrorphile

Royale ... I apprecaite the social commentary of Dawn, and I appreciate the impact the movie had in 1978, but I much prefer the mood, tone and atmosphere of Day. I was an an impressionable adolescent when I first saw it too, on bootleg VHS ... I was too young to see Dawn when it was first released, so came to it much later.
I actually love Znyder's remake, easily one of the best remakes ever!

JMD, so how the fuck did zombie sister know how to ride a horse? And how come she didn't bite it sooner? Makes no sense.

Comment by JohnDoe

September 19th 2010 14:40

Film & TV on DVD

This one always smelt a little like rotting flesh, your review seems to support that aroma

For me "Night" is still the one by the way.

Comment by Bryn

September 19th 2010 22:54

Horrorphile

JD ... so what's the order then? Night at the top, then ...?

Comment by Royale

September 20th 2010 07:19

Sin City

He needs to get back to the mall.....mall rat theology spans the generations ...I was 16 when Dawn the original came out....
...yeah Im old....There is no doubt the later movies were vastly superior as far as cinematography but to me they just didnt have the impact and the culture was going through a cycle of appocalypse movies at the time and dawn stood out.
The whole mall shopping culture was still somewhat new...where I grew up in 1978
You could even still buy guns at some mall stores just like in the movies
If survival is as bad as everyone says it is I wont even bother...
George go back to the mall and this time dont kill off all the interesting character as

Comment by Bryn

September 20th 2010 07:38

Horrorphile

Royale, so you're six years older than me. Okay. I was too young for Dawn when it was released in NZ (the first horror slapped with an "R18 - contains frequent episodes of violence") ... I remember the huge poster mural along the side of the cinema corridor leading into the auditorium that showed the half eaten face and that great tagline, "When there's no more room in Hell, the dead will walk the Earth."
When I finally saw the movie on VHS, as impressive as it was, it still looked dated, especially the very fake looking blood. I found sections of it rather boring too.
I felt the apocalyptic nature of Day was far more oppressive, considering the retreat underground, the hostility between the scientists and the military, and the escape route up the missile silo ... I also loved the ironic humour of the zombie Bub.
We'll no doubt forever be championing each movie ... so perhaps we just leave it at that. You can be the mall rat, and I'll be the bunker boy.

Comment by JMD

September 20th 2010 22:47

Well she was probably going through her riding routine like the mailman zombie and the farm zombie. But you know what, this movie did suck so I'll leave it at that.

Comment by Joshua_the_samurai

September 24th 2010 05:26

Bucket Movies
Weird, Rare, and Overlooked Film
Ultimate Battle

I can't wait to see this one, Nothing like a good Zombie film,

Comment by Bryn

September 24th 2010 07:10

Horrorphile

Joshua, and a good zombie movie this is not. Watch The Horde or The Signal. Much better.
Or re-watch Romero's Day of the Dead or Snyder's Dawn of the Dead remake. Eats this crap for breakfast.

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[ Next - It's Alive (2008) ]