Review #59: Day of the Dead (2008)

Cast/Notable Credits:
Steve Miner (Director) Friday Part 2 & Friday Part 3

Mena Suvari (Sarah): Kiss The Girls (1997), Carrie 2 (1999), American Pie 1 & 2 (1999, 2001), American Beauty (1999), Sugar & Spice (2001), Domino (2005)

Ving Rhames (Captain Rhodes): Dawn of the Dead

Nick Cannon (Salazar): Men in Black 2 (2002), Drumline (2002), Love Don’t Cost a Thing (2003), Garfield (2004), Shall We Dance (2004), Monster House (2006), Bobby (2006)

Michael Welch (Trevor): Star Trek 9 (1998), All the Boys Love Mandy Lane (2006), Twilight

Anna Lynee McCord (Nina): Transporter 2 (2005), Nip/Tuck T.V. series

Stark Sands (Bud): Chasing Liberty (2004), Shall We Dance, Flags of Our Fathers (2006)

Matt Rippy (Dr. Logan): Boogeyman 3 (2009)

Pat Kilbane (Dr. Engel): Monkeybone (2001), Evolution (2001), EuroTrip (2004), Semi-Pro (2008), Meet Dave (2008)

Taylor Hoover (Local Girl): Lizzie McGuire Movie (2003)

Christa Campbell (Mrs. Leitner): Mansquito (2005), 2001 Maniacs 1 & 2 (2009), The Wicker Man (2006)

Ian McNeice (DJ Paul): Ace Ventura 2 (1995), From Hell (2001), Around the World in 80 Days (2004), Bridget Jones 2 (2004), White Noise (2005), Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (2005), Black Dahlia (2006)

Trailer:


Plot:

The military barricade the residents of Leadville, CO in due to an epidemic virus in the town. People are getting sick and dying. And then a short time later...they rise from the dead becoming zombies. The town quickly turns into an "All you can eat buffet" for the zombies turning one another into the dead with the help of the virus.

Mena's character, Sarah, is a lead scientist for the military and returns home for duty. She fights to save her brother and mother as the town goes under zombie attack. Sarah, her brother and a few town occupants and remaining military personnel decide to "weather" the outbreak until back up arrives in an old missile silo. Inside they discover the true explanation for the virus outbreak as they battle the zombies to stay alive. D-day is coming!

Villain:

Zombies...and lots of them. They are the fast moving zombies that we've come to love the past five years. The original Day of the Dead supported the classic Romero slow moving type. Fast vs. slow...ah...the debate continues.

Cast:

Mena Suvari (Pictured below) as a hard core military expert. Rrright. I just have a hard time envisioning her as some kick butt military girl. Maybe it's just me. Also starring in the film is Ving Rhames. He shows up enough to support his local zombie movement, but his character is not the same in the Dawn remake, it's a little more disappointing. Strike Two! Most of the cast is annoying and the actors don't really fit the roles. Maybe that's on purpose. Strike Three!

SFX/Gore:

Just like a typical zombie movie, there are too many kills to count, a lot of blood, guts and zombies. Maybe this film had a little too much for my taste...or at least a too little over the top in gore for me.

TNA:

The film snuck in four hot chicks and got a 1/2 of a sex scene. Besides the lovely Mena, here are a couple of pictures of the film's two other hotties, Christa Campbell (pictured right) & Taylor Hoover (pictured left).

T.Gun's Take:

I love zombie movies, but I even thought the story was a little weak. It was right along the lines of the House of the Dead movies. Which really isn't saying much in quality of writing. It was at least an enjoyable flick to watch.

I had highly anticipated the arrival for this beast for months. When I heard it was going straight to DVD, I knew it was doomed...and therefore my expectations didn't get that high when I finally sat down to watch it.

My initial reaction to the film wasn't all that great. It's not the greatest zombie flick on the market, but it isn't the worst either. Maybe somewhere hidden inside the film there was something cool in there...maybe idea...but that missing piece never truly came out.

I like the director, Steve Miner, because he's mostly responsible for making the Jason character in the Friday series a legend. It seemed that being out of the business for few years, Miner was a little rusty. Miner did keep the film true to the horror industry by keeping this movie filled with a lot of blood and guts.

Misc. Movie Trivia:
- Film released to straight to DVD on April 8, 2008
- Filmed in Bulgaria
- Cpt. Rhodes and Bud are references to the original 1985 version