Day of the Dead movie review Zombies zombies zombies theyre every these days, or at least everywhere i look. The premise of people eating people exploded into popularity once more in recent years. Though the trend is slowly fading into obscurity as is the once extremely popular Walking Dead tv series, zombie fever will inevitably return as it has over the past several decades. This 1985 sequel to Romero's Dawn of the Dead, which is a sequel to Return of the Living Dead, which is a sequel to Night of the Living Dead, expands the Romero saga to its logical next step by answering this question: who would still be alive after a zombie apocalypse succeeds in overtaking the majority? We see proof of our total fall from grandeur in the opening sequence where the lady scientist, black pilot, drunkard electrician, and jittery ethnic soldier travel to "the largest city within 150 miles" in which they fail to find anyone who isnt a rotting walking monster. These survivors are living in an old World War 2 bunker, trying to find a solution to their problem. Its very sad to see humanity reduced to so small a number, while humanity leaves the more violent members such as the mad doctor Logan AKA Frankenstein as well as the captain. The problem within the bunker is a change in command leading the military to turn on the civilian scientists. This promotes the ultimate destruction of their operation. Theres lots of things i like about this movie, like the characters which have big personality as well as weaknesses. The doctor, Frankenstein, i like the best simply for his almost fatherly relationship with one zombie he managed to indoctrinate, named Bub. Hes a truly remarkable scientist, but hes also insane, while also holding the key to solving the zombie problem. He wants to teach the zombies, civilize them so they dont attack people, while rewarding their good behavior with, ironically, the very food theyre taught not to seek. He does some horribly monstrous things such as feeding dead soldiers to Bub, and bringing a dead man's head back to life after being shot in the head. I love the chick scientist character because shes no damsel, not overly attractive, and may be one of the strongest people in the base. As for everyone, the business gets too tough and terrible for her as she slowly cracks with each horrendous encounter. She doesnt collapse into a catatonic state, but the sight of her science coworker (not frankenstein, but a possible love interest) getting shot in the head pushes her into a manic frenzy of despair. This is followed by her and the electrician being shoved into the corral, an underground holding cell for the captured zombies. I feel like Day of the Dead expands on alot of the same ideas Dawn of the Dead, its predecessor, failed to successfully prove. For example, Dawn tried to prove that zombies acted on sheer instinct by creating this story about zombies, previously people instinctually bound to capitalist shopping, walking to a mall based on instinct. I didnt like this idea, its just too ridiculous. I dont go to malls but im a high school student, so would going back to my school be my instinctual default as a zombie? How about a job? Why arent there crowds around hospitals or movie theaters? The concept was designed to attack capitalism, and thats a misuse of the zombie premise. Day, however, approaches the concept of instinct through Dr Frankenstein, who proves the need to eat is not for nourishment but an ancient function lying in the core of the brain. He changes their instinctual behavior through positive reinforcement, which puts a whole new spin on why zombies attack, and how they can learn. Zombie design was awesome in this movie. Granted, theres a LOT of gray skin but the fact that they are old corpses demands they look...old. And they do look old, their faces like melting gray masks, just whithered appearances that sell that this movie takes place after the big explosion of infection. Some of the zombies are so grotesque they hardly look human. The one on the picture of this review looks like it cost shot in the mouth, the extent of its tongue hanging out like a sausage. The music is so 80s, synthesizers and drum beats leading the original score to a successful portrayal of emotion that i dont believe could be achieved by music took from popular artists of the time. Theres some flaws however, like the captain wanting to abandon the bunker to fly off to wherever. Frankenstein retorts this idea with 'where would you go?' At the end of the movie however, the good guys fly the chopper to an island beach, which i find hilarious since its sunny by the shore in the beginning of November. Ridiculous, and the good guys have no tools to make use of the foliage in the area. So no shelter except the chopper, theres sunshine in November, and theres no food. I don't see how this is a happy ending, considering the good guys will probably die of starvation within the next couple weeks without clean food or water. Who knows, maybe they'll have to eat each other to stay alive on their island retreat. Oh well, atleast only one of them will die alone. All in all however, i like this movie. For its brutality, its softness, its portrayal of mans conflict with beast, and sure the ending...i can forgive the ending. Like Bub, i can solute my enemy, and ill politely spit out the bones in the food he gives me. This movie is food, the bones being the bullshit, and there isnt very much of that in this movie so i really cant complain. It tasted good, and so i call this movie a light 8 to a hard 7 out of 10 severed heads.