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| Land of the Dead |
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  (7/10)
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Runtime: 93 |
| Public Rating: 6.92 (62 votes) |
Director: George A. Romero |
MPAA Rating:  |
| Genre: Horror/Adventure |
Year: 2005 |
| Writer(s): George A. Romero |
| Distributor: Universal Studios |
| Reviewed by: Mel Valentin |
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After twenty years, horror filmmaker George A. Romero returns to the sub-genre he helped popularize with Land of the Dead, the long-anticipated if uneven, sequel to Romero's original “Dead” trilogy (e.g., Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, and Day of the Dead). Two decades away from the zombie sub-genre haven't softened Romero's trademark social commentary (this time aimed at a bifurcated, social Darwinist class system), nor diminished his penchant for blood-soaked, gory set pieces, this time realized by a makeup effects team working with adequate resources (sadly missing from Romero's earlier efforts in the sub-genre).
Romero's original “Dead” trilogy charted the progress of an inexplicable, unexplained zombie plague, from the first horror and terror-inducing days of a localized plague in Night of the Living Dead, to the inevitable shift to a larger canvas, as the plague threatens to upend the laws of nature in Dawn of the Dead, and in the third chapter, Day of the Dead, the end of humanity, with zombies vastly outnumbering the human survivors. In Day of the Dead, however, Romero posited that the zombies were evolving, gradually reawakening to self-awareness (one captive zombie learns how to use a firearm, with predictably dire consequences for his human minders).
Land of the Dead takes that idea further: the zombies (referred to as “walkers” or “stenches”), are beginning to show a semblance of social organization, with one self-aware zombie, Big Daddy (Eugene Clark), as the presumptive leader. In a stark reversal, humans are the interlopers, riding into the zombie town in heavily armed vehicles, including an armor-plated truck, “Dead Reckoning,” for supplies while using the shambling zombies for target practice. Mercenaries, led by Riley Denbo (Simon Baker), poach supplies from the nearby towns in order to keep “Fiddler's Green,” a fortified enclave well stocked with necessities and luxury goods. Riley, as the putative hero, is more than ready to turn his back on Fiddler's Green and retire somewhere north. In contrast to the more egalitarian zombie community, haves and have-nots starkly divide Fiddler's Green. The haves live in and play in gleaming office towers, while the have-nots live in slums dangerously close the electrified fence that protects Fiddler's Green from the zombie menace (the river protects Fiddler's Green from two other directions). Kaufman (Dennis Hopper), a dictator in suit and tie, rules Fiddler's Green from the largest, highest office spire.
Per the formula established with the first film in the series, conflict in Land of the Dead comes from two distinct sources. First, Big Daddy's growing self-awareness has led to grief at his fallen comrades and a desire for revenge against their human oppressors. Second, Riley's second-in-command, Cholo (John Leguizamo), hoping for a better, more secure life attempts to buy his way into Fiddler's Green ruling class. Kaufman turns him down, setting in motion a second revenge plot, with Cholo stealing “Dead Reckoning” from Fiddler's Green and threatening to unleash the armored truck's impressive firepower on Fiddler's Green unless Kaufman pays a ransom. Riley tasked by Kaufman tasks Riley with retrieving the armored truck and neutralizing Cholo. Slack (Asia Argento), a hooker handy with a gun (and a grudge against the powers that be), joins Riley's makeshift group, hoping to change her prospects.
With a larger production budget and a more expansive, ambitious vision of a post-apocalyptic world, Romero decided to downplay the horror (although, of course, there's plenty of gore for gorehounds) and make Land of the Dead more of an action-oriented film. Romero essentially reused or repeated the premise he used so effectively in Night of the Living Dead, an isolated group of individuals, a remote location, and threats from both inside and outside the isolated group. Despite moving from a farmhouse in Night of the Living Dead, to a shopping mall in Dawn of the Dead and an underground military bunker in Day of the Dead, each film followed a similar pattern, with long, languid, dialogue-heavy scenes punctuated by zombie attacks. Romero handled this premise best in Night of the Living Dead, where he deftly balanced action and character-driven scenes and worst in Day of the Dead, where the practicably impregnable bunker made the external threat nonexistent until the end of the film.
To Romero's credit, the action-oriented storyline directly answers criticisms aimed at the last Dead film, but it also dilutes and undermines the horror, making the zombies and the threat they pose secondary for most of the film. Given that the zombies shamble and stumble (no fast-moving zombies here), Romero has little choice but to shift Big Daddy's decision to attack Fiddler's Green from the second act to the first act (it takes the slow-moving zombies most of the film's running time to reach Fiddler's Green). Of course, a Romero zombie film isn't a Romero zombie film without a third-act bloodbath, fueled in part by greed or hubris. The focus on action also has another predictable effect: with the exception of Riley, Cholo, and Kaufman, the other characters are given short shrift. Not surprisingly, the romantic subplot involving Riley and Slack is left undeveloped. Action wise, Slack is given little to do. The same criticism also applies to Riley's crew, none of whom are given character-defining moments.
Performance wise, Simon Baker as the ostensible lead character was fine, if understated. Catch the first season of The Guardian (skip the second or third seasons). With The Guardian, Baker showed there that he could carry a series on talent and charisma. Looking closely at Land of the Dead’s storyline, Baker’s character just didn't have enough to do, not enough screen time (notice how easily it was to take back “Dead Reckoning”). John Leguizamo plays a character he’s played in countless other film roles. Leguizamo doesn't do anything different from movie to movie, although he was a bit more restrained here than in the execrable remake of Assault on Precinct 13. Ditto for Dennis Hopper. Once again, Hopper steps into another one-dimensional villain role. Asia Argento was wasted in an underwritten role (she looked bored throughout). Argento’s character had little to do or contribute and could have been eliminated without any consequences to the main plotline or romantic subplot.
Land of the Dead has other problems, all of them related to the script. Setting aside questions about the zombies and their urge to devour human flesh (posited as instinct in Day of the Dead) or their ability to continue functioning without additional sustenance or biological deterioration, Romero seems to have given little thought to the mechanics of his human society. Money is still the method of exchange, but money has value only if both parties agree it has value, and that value depends on the coercive force of a well-armed government. It makes little sense then when Cholo demands money in exchange for the armored truck. Other questions immediately come to mind. What about a food supply? Is food grown? Where? What about oil and gas? How is electricity provided or a clean water supply? Most likely, Romero expects most viewers to actively ignore those questions. With tight plotting, breathless pacing, and zombie mayhem, he may be right. For the rest of us, curiosity leads us to ask one more question: where does the zombie sub-genre go from here?
© Mel Valentin, 2nd July, 2005
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