Worst of the Worst?

[ProfessorChaos]

okay, i think we all agree that the latest three romero zombie films aren't quite up to par with "the big three". for various reasons (nostalgia, expectations, etc) most of us have been let down by at least one of his new films.

dj, andy, and many others are "land loathers", i've seen lots of bitching on this site about "diarrhea of the dead", and many have also recently rallied big-time against survival. so i decided to create a poll to figure out just which one is the most disliked. if you've seen 'em all, cast your vote and then briefly share what made you vote that way.

and please, no 10-paragraph dissections of how shitty a particular film is. we've seen plenty of that in other threads...just keep it simple, thanks.:D

i chose "survival". it's actually the first time i've ever shut a romero film off. it was that bad. terrible cgi, cartoonish effects and antics, detestable characters. i doubt i'll ever bother trying to watch it again, unless inebriated and absolutely nothing else to do. it's also the first romero dead film that won't be added to my dvd collection.

[bassman]

Diary.

Land>Survival>Diary

[paranoid101]

Diary for me is the worst, Survival was ok.

Land for me was the best of a bad bunch the actors and acting was much higher quality.

[JDFP]

"Land" is absolute shit.

"Diary" was the best of the three, I can actually enjoy getting drunk and kicking back to watch it.

"Survival" is meh... but at least it's better than "Land" (though that's not saying much).

j.p.

[EvilNed]

Diary. However, I enjoy all three. But Diary least so.

[Ghost Of War]

Land for me, but I do enjoy them all. Diary would be the one i enjoy most.

[SymphonicX]

I actually look forward to watching Survival again, even with all it's flaws.

Diary however, I have never gone near again, despite owning the Blu-ray.

It's a fucking abortion. A cheesy abortion.

[sweetyface77]

Diary was the worst for me. Didn't care for it and I tried several times to watch it without switching it off. I actually really liked Land and it's my favorite of the three.

[Trin]

Diary was an implausible gimmicky social commentary beating at the hands of idiot purposeless characters.

Land best
Survival second
Diary fourth... yes, fourth out of three

[Legion2213]

Still haven't seen "Survival", but "Diary" made "Land" look like "Dawn"!

Absolutely terrible movie packed full of hateful characters, one of whom fucking filmed his friends being attacked like some sick sort of snuff movie!

[acealive1]

easily diary cuz we didnt get a movie per se. it was intercut with a camcorder which sucked

[rongravy]

easily diary cuz we didnt get a movie per se. it was intercut with a camcorder which sucked
Haha, at least it didn't make me all sick and dizzy like Cloverfield. I just GOTTA see Survival.
Andale, so I can take this poll...
:annoyed:

[acealive1]

Haha, at least it didn't make me all sick and dizzy like Cloverfield. I just GOTTA see Survival.
Andale, so I can take this poll...
:annoyed:



cloverfield looked horrible. super 8 looks worse

[clanglee]

Land best


Trin my friend. . .did you ever think you would EVER write that sentence?:stunned::D

I agree with you tho. . . .things may change for me a bit in the future. . .but I could never ever see Diary climbing up from the bottom of this particular barrel.

[Trin]

Still haven't seen "Survival", but "Diary" made "Land" look like "Dawn"!


Trin my friend. . .did you ever think you would EVER write that sentence?:stunned::D
*points at Legion's comment*

Land by itself (or amongst Night/Dawn/Day) might never earn my love. But Diary actually made me like Land more. And Survival helped Land too, to some extent.

There are parts of Land that I really do love. Always have. They're just not tipping the scales. But with Diary and Survival in the mix I find myself clinging to those parts of Land.

To anyone viewing this thread that hasn't seen Survival - you really do need to view it before voting. Survival is going to be polarizing.

[bassman]

I've always liked Land, but I agree. The last two only help to make it look better. I also believe Land will have a good shelf life, but not so much the other two.

[Mike70]

land is not a bad film (isn't a great one either). i don't really understand a lot of the hate.

diary is a so-so movie ruined by voice overs and social "commentary" that a 7 year old could see through.

survival is cringe inducing crap.

---------- Post added at 09:53 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:51 AM ----------


I also believe Land will have a good shelf life, but not so much the other two.

i'm not a betting person but if i were, i'd bet that land will age rather well. it will certainly age better than the hack fest known as dawn.

[bassman]

the hack fest known as dawn.

Oh snap. Get your guns, mike. I can hear them coming from a distance....


Seriously though....I agree. Dawn has not aged well. I still enjoy it, but it's not without it's flaws. Yesterday Ned and I were saying that it meets the criteria of a MST3K episode.:stunned::lol:

[Mike70]

Absolutely terrible movie packed full of hateful characters, one of whom fucking filmed his friends being attacked like some sick sort of snuff movie!

indeed. that is one of the most unbelievable things about that flick. who wouldn't have taken that camera and smashed it into a million pieces after the first time he stood there filming without doing anything to help?

---------- Post added at 10:10 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:08 AM ----------


Oh snap. Get your guns, mike. I can hear them coming from a distance....


Seriously though....I agree. Dawn has not aged well. I still enjoy it, but it's not without it's flaws. Yesterday Ned and I were saying that it meets the criteria of a MST3K episode.:stunned::lol:

no probs, man. fanboys always whine and cry like 3 year old girls. that's just what they do.

i agree, dawn would make marvelous MST3K fodder.

but i am sure that someone will boohoo like i've just broken their fav toy without ever stopping to think of the subjective nature of movie likes/dislikes. what might be your fav movie is nothing but a piece of garbage to someone else.

[mista_mo]

MIKE HOW COULD YOU DAWN IS THE BEST GODDAMN YOU ARE A HACK A MEAN OLD BITTER HACK THAT CAN'T DANCE AS SWAG AS KEN CAN UGGH I CAN SEE YOU VANILLA CHILD.

Seriously though, I enjoy Dawn, but Day is the best of the trilogy as far as I am concerned.

also voted diary. I enjoyed all of the recent offerings, but Diary doesn't hold a candle when compared to Land or Survival.

[AcesandEights]

Wait, are we talking about Dawn or Dawn '04 at this point? :confused:

I assumed because the word hack was used it's Dawn '04.

NVM, just missed the recent flurry of posts.

[Trin]

Land and Day will age the best I think, mainly because they are not filled with cultural references (fashion, music, technology) to date them.

Night, Diary, and Survival will likely all age reasonably well. Night looks old, sure, but it comes off as classic now.

Dawn is too filled with 70's reminders to hold up to present day audiences. They'll just see polyester and cheesy mustaches. It doesn't work as classic because it's just modern enough to miss that mark.

Where Dawn doesn't get enough love is that people forget that Dawn came on the heels of Night and really changed the entire landscape of the problem. Night was such a small movie by comparison. Just a farmhouse in a rural setting in a small part of the country. In that respect it was no different from any other horror movie of the time. You had to deal with the problem at hand but help was out there. Dawn really took things to the next level. All of a sudden the problem was everywhere. There was no where to run. The small feeling of claustrophobia became an immense one.

[bassman]

but i am sure that someone will boohoo like i've just broken their fav toy without ever stopping to think of the subjective nature of movie likes/dislikes. what might be your fav movie is nothing but a piece of garbage to someone else.

Tell me about it. You should see the shit that was thrown at me recently based on my opinion of Let The Right One In.:lol:

[shootemindehead]

I actually like 'Land of the Dead'. I thought it fit well into the original series (bar the modern equipment).

Diary and Survival are bloody terrible though. Horrible films.

---------- Post added at 11:56 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:54 PM ----------


Oh snap. Get your guns, mike. I can hear them coming from a distance....


Seriously though....I agree. Dawn has not aged well. I still enjoy it, but it's not without it's flaws. Yesterday Ned and I were saying that it meets the criteria of a MST3K episode.:stunned::lol:

Oh holy jesus lads...RUN! :lol:

[Maggot Farmer]

Land"O was the best of'em. It at least had some characters with character, and decent acting besides.
Diary was awful, but the zombie gags were good.
Survival was friggin' terrible. Awful characters, awful acting, mediocre story (had some potential), and sorry effects.
Just one man's opinion.

[kidgloves]

Survival. Absolutely atrocious film on all levels. I'm quite generous when commenting on films especially GAR ones but Survival was appalling. Sorry

[JonOfTheShred]

I loved Land. Was thoroughly entertained. I thought its biggest downfall was length: it was way too short. (Among the more obvious ones, like Big Daddy.) One of my favorite zombie movies ever.

Diary was a disappointment. The acting killed the script, as did the narration. The plot was good, and I enjoyed the pacing. Once again, though, I was entertained enough to enjoy the movie for what it was, as opposed to freaking out like a lot of people. I'll watch it if nothing else is on TV, but that's about it.

Survival was a lot better than Diary, but not even close to as good as Land. I think it would've been a pretty solid movie, save for some obvious downfalls. The biggest downfall of Survival is the score. As a musician and composer, I have to disagree with every single musical cue in this movie. The set locations were all so creepy, and the music completely killed it.



I feel as a new poster, I should note also that I love the OT, to the point I couldn't choose between the 3. Don't take my above love of Land, like of Survival and tolerance of Diary as any kind of indication I think they're even close to the original trilogy, all three of which I feel are masterpieces.

[clanglee]

I feel as a new poster, I should note also that I love the OT, to the point I couldn't choose between the 3. Don't take my above love of Land, like of Survival and tolerance of Diary as any kind of indication I think they're even close to the original trilogy, all three of which I feel are masterpieces.

A man of some taste and sense. . . .welcom!

[Danny]

i really like land its not my favourite of the 4 in the 'prime' romero universe but its a good flick which has definitely improved with age for me, same as day- though both give off a fairly similar vibe to me. they both seem like the ones where romero just had the backing and go ahead to have fun and do what he wanted and both fo them are flicks that, if there on in a room and im passing through i find myself watching them till the end.
Survival was a low budget affair but it was a fun, entertaining flick. Diary was confusingly written, in some cases very poorly acted and put the message before the plot. in entertainment terms and production value wise its certainly not on par with land and didnt have half the good characters or cinematography of survival.
I mean honestly land has that great ending where the survivors leave in dead reckoning for canada- fiddlers green lies in ruins and the zombie tribe looks on. survival ends with that almost iconic shot of the two old curmudgeons still drawing there guns and shooting empty chambers after there dead, how did diary end? i honestly cannot even remember.

But then its the only zombie flick by romero ive only watched twice.

[JonOfTheShred]

A man of some taste and sense. . . .welcom!

Thanks. I'm sure I'll fit right in at ZA, aka Zombie Anonymous

"Hi, I'm Jon of the Shred, and I have an unhealthy obsession with zombie movies."

"Hi, Jon."

"Hi."

[bd2999]

I agree that these movies are no where near as good as the first three in the series. Although I did find that I enjoyed most of Land and Survival. Diary just dragged and overall had a very strange premise and unlikable characters. So I found it hard to get into and I liked it the least of any of the Dead movies.

Really the other two have moments I do not like, the story itself is not bad (the big daddy thing is rough but did not kill the movie for me). Diary I thought it had points of potential interest but just was not interesting to me at all. I have watched it several times trying to find redeeming moments in it, and it is still like when I first saw the movie. Very dissapointed in it really. Land IMO suffers from being the first of the new set and everyone was expecting another Day or something which apparently is just not going to happen. Survival had goofy moments but overall I like the main characters, with one exception, and the story was a fairly good one. Just some stupid gags in it.

[RustyHicks]

I voted Land, it wasn't my favorite, myabe I just missed something,
Diary would be second, although I haven't seen Survival yet, and after
hearing what other people think, I'm not sure I want to see it either

[ProfessorChaos]

I voted Land, it wasn't my favorite, myabe I just missed something,
Diary would be second, although I haven't seen Survival yet, and after
hearing what other people think, I'm not sure I want to see it either

dude, in the original post, i asked people to not vote unless they've seen all three. you're not the first, but c'mon guys.....and trust me, you need to see survival to have a valid opinion about which is the worst film.

[DjfunkmasterG]

Land and Survival are bad, Survival is better than Land though. Diary I liked a lot. For me it was a return to form, ala Night of the Living Dead

[Doc Foster]

Not having seen "Survival" yet, I can't vote in the poll, but "Diary" IMO really sucked big donkey nuts. "Land" I like a lot.

[acealive1]

kinda sick of people saying romero's current zombie film is the worst,no matter what it is....... people lambasted land and i LOVED that movie. i really walked outta theater feeling the same hopelessness of the people in the movie and very few movies have pulled me in like that

[Epidemic79]

Well first of all I REFUSE TO VOTE.

Primarily because I have Not seen Survival just yet (only trailers),and second I dont hate the newer movies. Granted I expected more from Land,but exactly what and how much more even I cant say.Maybe I just didnt like the happy go luck ending? I didnt hate the movie tho,not at all! Diary I actually liked over Land. He was going for a simpler kind of movie,I guess more like a traditional Romero flick. But the social Over-Commentary does bog it down at times.

People like to compare and contrast the new movies and scripts to the original trilogy.Yes Land does fit into and feel more like the Romero Holy Trinity,but Diary and Survival seem to be a different breed of animal and therefore cant accurately be measured by the big three. And to talk about hated characters,the batch of stereotypical folks I hated the most were actually in DAY! Yes,Rhodes is still the shit,but damn I couldn't wait for him and his boys to be chomped.Sometimes I even fast forward to the last 15 minutes just to witness the gore filled main event.

[Andy]

Land and Survival are bad, Survival is better than Land though. Diary I liked a lot. For me it was a return to form, ala Night of the Living Dead
The subject of romero's new trilogy tends to be one of those very rare topics that me and DJ agree on.

Diary reminded me alot of notld, i dont get whats up with you guys, it was clearly the best of the new trilogy.

Diary > Survival > Land.

[krakenslayer]

The subject of romero's new trilogy tends to be one of those very rare topics that me and DJ agree on.

Diary reminded me alot of notld, i dont get whats up with you guys, it was clearly the best of the new trilogy.

Diary > Survival > Land.

I know what you mean about the atmosphere in Diary and there were a few creepy moments and some (I emphasise SOME) of the acting was pretty good. Looking at it with optimistic eyes, I thought it was a fairly good zombie movie with a nice feel to it, but I still think it's the least of the Dead films.

I thought the gaps in logic were bigger and more glaring than in the others - a hospital, on the FIRST night, is completely deserted and not totally overrun with either injured victims or, if they have evacuated in panic, the walking dead - there were comparatively fewer zombies, by far the smallest hordes in the series; there were "comedy" kills far more outrageous and logically unrealistic than those in Survival - random warehouse full of hoarded food just happens to also have a convenient stock of incredibly, unbelievably powerful acid that can completely dissolve bone in an instant, for example - and some of the goofier moments jarred quite uncomfortably with the otherwise serious tone of the picture (I'm not talking about Samuel, who was awesome, but stuff like the karate kicking paramedic, "don't mess with Texas, etc.).

I felt Survival was, overall, a lot more consistent. Sure it had silly moments, but they seemed to gel better and didn't bother me because it felt like the movie as a whole was really just a lighthearted adventure story - a cheap and cheerful minor addition to the series - and not trying to be BOTH a deadly serious dark journey into the human condition, and a showcase for some wacky set pieces at the same time. Instead, it just aimed pretty squarely at the latter. :D

[Trin]

I thought the gaps in logic were bigger and more glaring than in the others - a hospital, on the FIRST night, is completely deserted and not totally overrun with either injured victims or, if they have evacuated in panic, the walking dead - there were comparatively fewer zombies, by far the smallest hordes in the series; there were "comedy" kills far more outrageous and logically unrealistic than those in Survival - random warehouse full of hoarded food just happens to also have a convenient stock of incredibly, unbelievably powerful acid that can completely dissolve bone in an instant, for example - and some of the goofier moments jarred quite uncomfortably with the otherwise serious tone of the picture (I'm not talking about Samuel, who was awesome, but stuff like the karate kicking paramedic, "don't mess with Texas, etc.).
I couldn't agree more.

Any hospital staff is used to dealing with angry, hurt, scared, freaking out people and they cannot keep from getting bit by a couple zombies? And how long did it take them to all die and turn into zombies themselves? While at the same time the punk kid in the mummy costume manages to get his entire zombie extended family into the pool and his bite seems to have let him linger on for hours and hours. And the pool zombies... I could go on and on.

And in spite of Samuel's awesomeness (which I don't argue) the whole killing the zombie through his own head gag was so lame as to tarnish the entire movie. Diary was the first that made implausible comedic zombie kills into a measured facet of the series. "How many great zombie gag kills were there?" Um... correct answer should be zero.

Diary was contrived and implausible throughout. The camera thing was gimmicky. The social commentary was confused and at best a poor reflection of any real problem. And very poorly executed since absolutely no one agrees with Jason's actions. The ending was ridiculous.

The fact that anyone likes it is amazing to me.

[clanglee]

I couldn't agree more.

Any hospital staff is used to dealing with angry, hurt, scared, freaking out people and they cannot keep from getting bit by a couple zombies? And how long did it take them to all die and turn into zombies themselves? While at the same time the punk kid in the mummy costume manages to get his entire zombie extended family into the pool and his bite seems to have let him linger on for hours and hours. And the pool zombies... I could go on and on.

And in spite of Samuel's awesomeness (which I don't argue) the whole killing the zombie through his own head gag was so lame as to tarnish the entire movie. Diary was the first that made implausible comedic zombie kills into a measured facet of the series. "How many great zombie gag kills were there?" Um... correct answer should be zero.

Diary was contrived and implausible throughout. The camera thing was gimmicky. The social commentary was confused and at best a poor reflection of any real problem. And very poorly executed since absolutely no one agrees with Jason's actions. The ending was ridiculous.

The fact that anyone likes it is amazing to me.


^^^ This!!! ^^^

As always Trin. . .you have said it better that ever could have. :D

[Jeffery]

Easily, Diary of the Dead.

[DEAD BEAT]

Easily, Diary of the Dead.

lol im surprised no one has bashed u bout that Cleveland logo with all the Celtics vs. Lakers madness goin' on right now! lol ;)

[DjfunkmasterG]

Diary was the only of the newest three that was a true horror flick with some minor comedy elements. The rest are comedies with a zombie element.

[AcesandEights]

Diary was the only of the newest three that was a true horror flick with some minor comedy elements. The rest are comedies with a zombie element.

And here I was thinking Diary was a coaster for my drinks on hot Summer nights. http://www.uruobsession.com/forum/html/emoticons/Smiley_Poke.gif

:D

[DjfunkmasterG]

And here I was thinking Diary was a coaster for my drinks on hot Summer nights. http://www.uruobsession.com/forum/html/emoticons/Smiley_Poke.gif

:D

That would be LAND

http://www.uruobsession.com/forum/html/emoticons/Smiley_Poke.gif

[AcesandEights]

That would be LAND

http://www.uruobsession.com/forum/html/emoticons/Smiley_Poke.gif

God, I love hpotd Fridays!

[TCDarkness]

I haven't yet seen Survival (which all too perplexing considering I saw Land OTD on opening day and live in L.A., where every frigging movie ever made gets a theatrical showing), but it's hard to imagine it is worse than Diarrhea of the Dead. I love zombie movies (who on here doesn't??), but even I had a hard time getting through the entire run-time of this one. Land I enjoyed and for a while considered as good as the Dawn remake from the year before (which I now find superior to Land, though still a shitfest compared to the original, of course).

Romero, sadly, had lost it. I can't recall a good movie of his since Creepshow in 1980 (a year before I was born). But Diary will be his crapfest to me. Of course, I reserve the right to change my vote once I actually view the mediocrity that is likely Survival. :elol:

[Wyldwraith]

Wow,
I just don't get it. Out of the three, Land, Diary and Survival, the only one I don't find as painfully unwatchable as the Day '08 Remake is Land.

I BARELY managed to make it through a single full viewing of Diary, and by the end it was merely out of a sense of obligation to GAR for past achievements that kept me slogging through the last 20-25 minutes of crap. When it finally ended my first words were "Thank God that's over, Kevin (one of my best friends), hand me that DVD. ::SNAP::" as I broke the thing in pieces for my mom to use as reflective bits in her bird-feeder/wind-chimes craft project.

Survival I couldn't even get through in one full go. Had to watch it in consecutive bits.

Before I enrage someone, I'm NOT trying to TELL ANYONE how THEY should feel about these movies! I'm only describing MY feelings as I viewed them, and expressing my complete lack of understanding as to how anyone can have such a vastly different viewing experience as to rate these three movies in the exact opposite order to my own.

Anyways, bottom line, Land is the only one of the three I've ever had any desire to watch more than once (despite its flaws)...again though, that's just my take on the movies.

Hell, I'm GLAD some others can derive enjoyment from Diary and Survival. I always feel bad for all the people that bust their asses in making a movie, only to have the finished product turn out to be something that almost everyone completely despises. It's basically rubbing their noses in their failure, and that's just depressing.

Anyways, just wanted to say this.

[Jeffery]

lol im surprised no one has bashed u bout that Cleveland logo with all the Celtics vs. Lakers madness goin' on right now! lol ;)

Let 'em bash away. I'm an Ohioan who loves his Cavaliers! I'm now rooting for the Lakers to take the whole thing, because the Celtics beat the Cavs out. :annoyed:

[shootemindehead]

Romero, sadly, had lost it. I can't recall a good movie of his since Creepshow in 1980 (a year before I was born).

Eh...'Day of the Dead' ????

[TCDarkness]

Eh...'Day of the Dead' ????

Okay, no good movies since 1985. :D

[Cartma7546]

I'm always surprised land gets dragged into these things. Its honestly not that bad and i can almost put it on par with Day. It had a great cast of characters(big daddy not included) played by great actors (Baker,Hopper). Land i can always watch all the way through. Diary not so much and i enjoyed Survival but it didn't have the magic that GAR normally brings to the table. Characters i didn't care about, besides sarge, and a plot that i think was a little too out there. Diary was (without insulting george) something that i'd expect to see on syfy.