day of the dead

THE FLICK: At the end of Dawn of the Dead the world had pretty much gone to hell. So it’s entirely appropriate that the sequel feels like a sort of purgatory, both for the characters trapped within the film’s sprawling underground bunker and for the audience suffering along with them. Like Coppola’s Godfather Part Two, it was obvious Romero had made his masterpiece in 1978 and any subsequent follow-ups would only suffer by comparison. But the zombies were resurrected again to hasten mankind’s demise, aided by our own petty bickering and selfish concerns. Although the production was plagued with the usual budget constraints and creative compromises inherent in any Romero production, there are some brilliant moments in the script. Harvesting zombies for scientific experiments and attempts to “domesticate” the pus-filled hordes – represented by Dr. Loomis’ slack-jawed star pupil “Bub” – are luridly fascinating. And the dysfunctional social and political dynamic that festers within the bunker is relatively evolved compared to the more shallow backdrops of Night and Dawn. But it’s nowhere near as fun. Day begins with the tension at a fever-pitch, most of the characters already cracked or cracking. While that might have been Romero’s intent, it gives the film nowhere to go dramatically. The director seems intent on exploring the theories behind his shuffling monstrosities, which means gobs of dialogue about the scientific and religious reasons behind the zombie apocalypse, while the real action sits outside the bunker, drooling in anticipation. The reasons behind this may have been monetary in nature, but it doesn’t give the film a free pass. Day does feature some of Tom Savini’s best work, with the make-up guru upping the ante on spilled guts and severed limbs. And Sherman Howard’s performance as Bub is equal to the best efforts of Karloff in his glory days. But after creating such nuanced and likable characters in Dawn, Romero misses the mark here, resulting in an up and down lecture on zombie philosophy 101. THE FEATURES: On Blu-ray it’s an up and down affair, as well. Select sequences of the film are easily identifiable as hi-def product, but overall picture looks fairly drab and uninspired, more the fault of original source elements than anything to do with the transfer by Anchor Bay. This simply isn’t a film that benefits from the enhanced technology that much, although the sound design (including PCM 5.1 tracks) gets a shot in the arm. There’s nothing in particular to complain about, just nothing that will make you stand up and cheer. Exclusive to hi-def is the Fast Film Feature which pops up with various factoids about the production. But all the other extras are ported over from the previous Divimax release, including two commentaries: one from Romero and friends and another from film-fan Roger Avary. The Many Days of Day of the Dead (39 min.) is a collection of interviews that touches on the original ambitious screenplay, Savini’s effects and the hundreds of zombie extras vying for a spot in movie history. Day of the Dead: Behind the Scenes is handheld video account that documents the make-up process by Savini and his crew. The Gateway Commerce Center Promo showcases the location used for the film and a 15-minute audio interview with the late Richard Liberty (psychotic Captain Logan in the film) gives him...well...his 15-minutes. Wrapping up the package are a number of trailers and TV spots.