Zach Snyder's Army of the Dead

[Neil]

I don't think we're "better off" and here's why: Snyder had more money for his single remake than the combined budget of all three original DEAD films. For all that money to play around with, did he offer even a single innovative concept that could compare with any one of Romero's films? Not by a long shot. Snyder belongs to that breed of lazy, brain-dead filmmakers that thrive in a creatively-bankrupt Hollywood. Keep saying "it's okay" and we, the audience, become just as lazy and brain-dead. Ummm... Zack Snyder didn't write it! The script was the major weekness... I'd love to see Snyder do another zombie flick!

[DjfunkmasterG]

I guess you saw a different movie. No good review or possitive comment is going to change some peoples minds about something they are already in a mindset against. I'm sorry you didn't enjoy it. I hope your next movie viewing experience is more enjoyable. Now lets get back to Army of the Dead. Anyone have any production info on it? Last thing I have seen posted about this was Zack Snyder and WB looking for someone else to direct. He was just going to produce. I still think they nee to redo the script. The Las Vegas thing just annoys me, not too mention the walled in city idea. They have been done. Lets move on.

[bassman]

I say let Snyder be the cinematographer and get someone else to direct. Snyder has a good eye for visuals, but I would rather someone with more story telling ability be behind the rest. Then again, his last two films were translations, so maybe if he comes up with something of his own it will have more depth. Third times the charm....I hope.

[DjfunkmasterG]

Ouch. I don't think so. I think Romero's biggest weakness is his lack of directorial vision. Land showed the skills of a Made For TV Veteran. A poorly shot film; you have to be able to compose sequences using the right coverage. The vast majorty of the film was just intermediate filmmaking. YES... Thats what I couldn't put my finger on. LAND looked like a Sci-Fi original. a made for TV turd. There was something about that movie that didn't feel very movie-ish, never could nail it... thanks kind sir.

[DubiousComforts]

The guy with the signs. Andy on the roof of the gun shop? He may be a decent character, but that's not a concept. It was a good action movie and alltough Romero is the best Snyder is second best in the Zombie genre. The Bourne Ultimatium is an example of a good action movie. The premise, story and characters lend themselves to car chases and hand-to-hand combat if that's your thing. DAWN '04 wasn't a good action movie. Where was the action inside the mall? Romero pulled off better action sequences inside the mall 25 years earlier on a limited budget, but then this niche genre that he created has never been about "action" anyhow. Ummm... Zack Snyder didn't write it! The script was the major weekness... Right, they had the guy that wrote Scooby Doo write the script. Regardless, Zack Snyder's name is on the film as director. and the director has the final say. At the time, both writer and director trumpeted their version as a fresh take on someone else's classic. What that translated to is "we'll use the mall setting and throw out everything else that made the original a classic to begin with." DAWN '04 didn't even need to take place in a mall because the mall wasn't integral to their story. If Zack Snyder has this fresh, new take on genre, why not just make his own movie to begin with?

[Neil]

Andy on the roof of the gun shop? He may be a decent character, but that's not a concept. The Bourne Ultimatium is an example of a good action movie. The premise, story and characters lend themselves to car chases and hand-to-hand combat if that's your thing. DAWN '04 wasn't a good action movie. Where was the action inside the mall? Romero pulled off better action sequences inside the mall 25 years earlier on a limited budget, but then this niche genre that he created has never been about "action" anyhow. Right, they had the guy that wrote Scooby Doo write the script. Regardless, Zack Snyder's name is on the film as director. and the director has the final say. At the time, both writer and director trumpeted their version as a fresh take on someone else's classic. What that translated to is "we'll use the mall setting and throw out everything else that made the original a classic to begin with." DAWN '04 didn't even need to take place in a mall because the mall wasn't integral to their story. If Zack Snyder has this fresh, new take on genre, why not just make his own movie to begin with? Maybe he was employed to shoot 'that script'?

[DVW5150]

Zach Snyder, George A Romero & Danny Boyle. Now it might seem like too many cooks , but I think together they could come up with the ultimate infectious flesh eating army of ZOMBIES. And I am sure there would be a big scene with thousands of real(not CGI) zombies. What ever Zach does , I am sure he will "sell it" well. OWEY! You bit my arm! You b!tch!

[DubiousComforts]

Maybe he was employed to shoot 'that script'? I think it's more likely that he doesn't care. DAWN was a stepping stone to something else. Like many filmmakers/actors/entertainers, he'll film/act/sing whatever is put in front of him as long as he becomes famous for it. Most directors don't have an affinity for this genre, but that doesn't keep a few of them from doing something spectacular with it (Ridley Scott and Alien, for example.)

[Trencher]

Andy on the roof of the gun shop? He may be a decent character, but that's not a concept. I also liked his character but I was thinking that the characters situation and the perspective he gave the other characters was a new concept, and a very good one. The Bourne Ultimatium is an example of a good action movie. The premise, story and characters lend themselves to car chases and hand-to-hand combat if that's your thing. DAWN '04 wasn't a good action movie. Where was the action inside the mall? Romero pulled off better action sequences inside the mall 25 years earlier on a limited budget, but then this niche genre that he created has never been about "action" anyhow. There were plenty of action inside the mall. Do you think it was an horror film with action elements then? I stand by my oppinion that it was an action movie with horror elements. And the Bourne Ultimatum was an action thriller in my oppnion. My main problem with the dawn of the dead remake is that it is called dawn of the dead, it should have been called something else. Then it would have worked on its own premise.

[EvilNed]

Why do people always give credit to Zach for his incredible visuals? Zach wasn't the DP for Dawn OR 300. He was the director. He wasn't incharge of the visuals. As for the bad script in Dawn 04, yeah. It was bad. But Zach didn't write it either. It was his first film, and he wouldn't have as much creative control as Stephen Spielberg or Martin Scorcese would have. He was a nobody before the film launched. James Gunn was a bigger name in the industry back then. I don't like Dawn 04 that much. The script does suck and so do the characters. But I think Zack did an Ok job putting that script on-screen. 300, however, didn't need a director. You just needed someone to look at the comic book and then tell the actors to do the exact same thing. So I can't say there. I'll hold off until Zach's next project until I have my final say about him. But so far he's made an OK film, and a sucky ass film. As for Army of the Dead. I want to see an epic zombiefilm. It's rarely, if ever, been done. I'm curious to see how it can turn out. A melodramatic, bigger-than-life zombiefilm with lots of gothic imagery and choir music... Hey, it could work. Although if I were to make a epic zombiefilm, I'd probably pull all the strings. I'd have it set in Germany or Italy with gothic architecture and lightning all around. Have it set right after the initial outbreak and the world is just going to hell. Lots of room for desperate situations and helpless families being torn apart. And there should be lightning! Everywhere! Heavy rain!

[MontagMOI]

YES... Thats what I couldn't put my finger on. LAND looked like a Sci-Fi original. a made for TV turd. There was something about that movie that didn't feel very movie-ish, never could nail it... thanks kind sir. Interesting as the 2nd Unit director of photography on Dawn 04 (Miroslaw Baszak) was also cinematographer on Land.

[EvilNed]

As for people who are dissing Zack because he has yet to direct something of his own "making", all of it being adaptions... I point you towards: Tim Burton. Batman, Beetlejuice, Mars Attacks!, Planet of the Apes, Sleepy Hollow, Big Fish, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Sweeney Todd. ALL adaptions. Yet nobody is dissing him for it.

[clanglee]

I'm actually pretty excited about "Watchmen" personally. Awesome Graphic Novel. We shall see how Zach does with it. Matter of fact, I just changed my avatar in anticipation of the movie.

[ZombieGrrL]

I love DOTD '78, but I also really enjoyed DOTD '04. I can't wait to see AOTD.