Defending Dawn O4

[bassman]

That being said, I'm right there with you. Love that damn flick. It's one of those films that whenever it comes on cable I'll watch it despite owning the blu ray. I'm not knocking the remake itself, but if I get tricked into thinking the original is coming on and it turns out to be the remake one more time....i'm killing somebody. It's always listed as the original with "Two natonal gaurdsmen hold up in a shopping mall against the living dead". And everytime I get excited like a little school girl because i've never seen the original on tv. Then the universal logo shows up and I start the obscenities....

[darth los]

I'm not knocking the remake itself, but if I get tricked into thinking the original is coming on and it turns out to be the remake one more time....i'm killing somebody. It's always listed as the original with "Two natonal gaurdsmen hold up in a shopping mall against the living dead". And everytime I get excited like a little school girl because i've never seen the original on tv. Then the universal logo shows up and I start the obscenities.... Well, that itself is a different issue. I would be pissed too. Isn't it funny how that matters to us yet we probably have more copies of the film than we care to count?

[C:/Fodder]

I enjoyed Dawn '04; but I don't think that it will ever rise above the original in my opinion. I share the common criticisms; it's too action oriented, there's not that level of satire, and there are too many damn characters and not enough screentime to actively empathise with them; save for Ana, Michael, Kenneth and possibly CJ. I also don't like how the Crossroads Mall is not its own "character" like Monroeville was in the original (there were many shots in '78 featuring just the mall and its cavernous feel). Also, I don't like how they merely got into the Mall through an empty car park and met little undead resistance within (save for the two still lingering about); I don't feel that the survivors "worked for it"; in the sense of how the '78 survivors had to haul a lot of ass to get the place secure. However, when I think of it as a film of its own, I can enjoy it. The action's pretty good, the soundtrack's catchy (though Tree Adams' rendition of Don't Worry Be Happy will never surpass The Gonk!), and it's good for escapism. But there are just too many survivors that don't get enough development to actually care when they're mauled to death. So yes; I don't feel it'll ever surpass the original, but I don't completely pan it either; it has some merits!

[Legion2213]

You can't fault anyone for their preferences. I for one can't fathom how one can sit through land but I don't knock anyone for it. That being said, I'm right there with you. Love that damn flick. It's one of those films that whenever it comes on cable I'll watch it despite owning the blu ray. Thats kinda ironic...as I watched the standard cut of "Land of the Dead" on standard def TV last night...even though I have it on BD (currently unwatched).

[Mr.G]

This is quite the zombie-like thread....it won't stay dead!

[darth los]

Thats kinda ironic...as I watched the standard cut of "Land of the Dead" on standard def TV last night...even though I have it on BD (currently unwatched). I'm telling you man. It's the darndest thing. I could have a movie, like say John Carpenter's the thing, forever and never watch it. As soon as it comes on cable though it's like a major event I can't miss, like the Superbowl or something.

[Mr.G]

I'm telling you man. It's the darndest thing. I could have a movie, like say John Carpenter's the thing, forever and never watch it. As soon as it comes on cable though it's like a major event I can't miss, like the Superbowl or something. Great insight....just like me with Jaws or The Shawshank Redemption.

[DjfunkmasterG]

I'm telling you man. It's the darndest thing. I could have a movie, like say John Carpenter's the thing, forever and never watch it. As soon as it comes on cable though it's like a major event I can't miss, like the Superbowl or something. I am the same way. I am not sure when the last time I cracked open my DAWN 04 HD DVD, but it was on Starz the other night and I watched it from beginning to end. Another movie I do that with quite often would be Die Hard Some movies just have that feel good vibe that although they may or may not be great films something about them cliks with you and boom if you find it on TV you stop and watch it.

[Trin]

It's a common thing. Watching the movie on cable but not on DVD. It's a simple committment problem. You don't mind hanging out with the movie if it's around and you're around. But you don't want to commit to watching it like you're going steady or anything. On cable you can just turn it off or flip around during the slow parts. From DVD you are blatantly rejecting it. That can hurt a movie's feelings. I will watch any Dead movie that comes on cable (including almost Dead movies like Dawn '04 and Night 30th). In fact, if one comes on and the kids are running around (we don't let them watch this stuff yet) I get really really irritated that I have to turn it off. But would I put in the DVD of the same movie after they go to bed? Nope. Btw - I think Die Hard was a genre creating movie. It was (and is) simply spectacular. I saw it in the theater when it came out and I knew right away that it was going to raise the bar for action movies.

[darth los]

Btw - I think Die Hard was a genre creating movie. It was (and is) simply spectacular. I saw it in the theater when it came out and I knew right away that it was going to raise the bar for action movies. Die hard is the absolute shizzle my nizzle!! It made Willis an action star on par with Arnold And stallone. He used to look really funny next to them at Planet Hollywood events being as he was the only one without muscles.

[DjfunkmasterG]

Die hard is the absolute shizzle my nizzle!! It made Willis an action star on par with Arnold And stallone. He used to look really funny next to them at Planet Hollywood events being as he was the only one without muscles. Bruce Willis is my second favorite badass after Clint Eastwood, Clint just has a way better persona, and much better films, but Willis has DIE HARD... even the crappy ones are better than most of the shit released today.

[darth los]

Bruce Willis is my second favorite badass after Clint Eastwood, Clint just has a way better persona, and much better films, but Willis has DIE HARD... even the crappy ones are better than most of the shit released today. Plus he's a top echelon director. He's a master of the personal story/drama. He tells them in such a way that I don't believe any other director can.

[DjfunkmasterG]

Plus he's a top echelon director. He's a master of the personal story/drama. He tells them in such a way that I don't believe any other director can. agreed... even his so-so efforts are still quite enjoyable.

[Wrong Number]

...I share the common criticisms; it's too action oriented, there's not that level of satire, and there are too many damn characters and not enough screentime to actively empathise with them; save for Ana, Michael, Kenneth and possibly CJ. I also don't like how the Crossroads Mall is not its own "character" like Monroeville was in the original (there were many shots in '78 featuring just the mall and its cavernous feel). Also, I don't like how they merely got into the Mall through an empty car park and met little undead resistance within (save for the two still lingering about); I don't feel that the survivors "worked for it"; in the sense of how the '78 survivors had to haul a lot of ass to get the place secure. I agree with all of this especially the part about the Mall not being it's own "character". Frankly, you can change the location of this movie with almost no impact on the "story" since them being in a mall did not seem to have any importance like it did in the original. The other thing that totally ruined it was the lack of two brain cells to rub together amongst any of the characters. You have a crack shot in a gun store loaded with ammo. Maybe instead of chess he should have just cleared the lot. It might take a bit of time, but long before he would have starved. Another thing, you are in a huge mall with food, water and creature comforts, why on earth would you leave it to go in search of some mythical island. Speaking of which, any of these dum-dums ever hear of a map? It was just one stupid thing after the next and as two dimensional as the characters were I didn't care if they lived or died. They had no right to call this movie Dawn of the Dead or a remake. WN

[Legion2213]

To quote Dr. Logan... "Do you really think you're going to 'blow the piss out of them'? ALL of them?" There were absolute hordes of them surrounding the mall and gun shop. And there was only one guy with the ammo to do the shooting (a starving thirsty guy at that).