Review of the first 15 minutes of Land Of The Dead

[Mr_Vindictive]

Looks like the guys over at joblo.com got to check out the first 15 minutes of Land Of The Dead at Cannes.  Here's the synopsis:

"The fifteen minutes we sat through were presented to us as the first fifteen minutes of the film. It should be said that JoBlo thinks it was a bit from the middle of the movie and time will tell if he’s wrong or right. Pssst: He's wrong...

The film starts with two teams scavenging for supplies in the “undead� filled city. Riley (Simon Baker) and his crew are on one end while the rebellious and “spear gun� equipped Cholo (John Leguizamo) does the same with his boys on the other. Right off the bat, it’s obvious that there is a clear contrast between the two characters. Riley feels (maybe too much) while Cholo obviously doesn’t give a damn.

Throughout the initial moments of the raid, we're shown the undead in an even more sympathetic light then they were in Romero's last 3 Dead films. They're starting to communicate between each other, they're learning about the environment around them and every time one bit the dust, the leader of the undead “Big Daddy� (Eugene Clark) would be mournful, hurt and p**sed. Yes, our little zombies are growing up!

So, as they loot the city, the humans keep the undead busy with Dead Reckoning, a massive and armed to the teeth combat vehicle (nice rocket launchers on the rig) that spits fireworks out into the sky. You see the bright lights keep the dead busy as the humans do their Drug/Food store "shopping". Big Daddy tries to wake his zombie brothers and sisters by shoving them, but to no avail, they are transfixed on the bright lights. Eventually something goes wrong (the fireworks device block) and the undead snap out of their trance. They become a problem.

Riley orders a retreat back to camp, but stubborn Cholo really wants to raid a liquor store where booze is worth a lot of money out there. He gets his liquor, but at the expense of one of his men’s life who gets bitten by a zombie. Not wanting to become one of the undead, Cholo’s companion puts his gun in his mouth and blows his head off.

The two teams swiftly head back to headquarters, some are within Dead Reckoning, others are on motorcycles. Machine guns fire heavily as the two teams slaughter a slew of undead. “Big Daddy� grabs hold of a machine gun from one of the driving-by humans. He watches his foes drive off over the horizon as a horde of undead gather behind him. "Big Daddy" figures out how to hold the machine gun properly, lets out a guttural scream and marches forward after the humans in a determined fashion, with his army of the dead behind him. That was the end of the fifteen minutes.

After that, we were shown an extensive teaser trailer filled with quick-cut clips from the film (loved the shot of Asia fighting in a ring) and I’m sure we’ll see that bit online soon enough."



And they offered some thoughts afterward:

I loved every damn second of it! When the fifteen minutes were over, I so wanted more! Here are a few of my likes:

    *

      The dialogue was almost poetic in its grimness and subtle religious tone, especially from Riley. I have a feeling that I’ll adore the character.
    *

      The overall feel was one of decay and dread. It looked like a Romero Zombie movie! That’s the best compliment I could give it!
    *

      The overall mood reminded me of "Dawn of the Dead", mixed in with "The Road Warrior" and Romero's own "Knightriders".
    *

      The KNB zombie designs/gore were incredibly detailed and deliciously graphic. I haven’t seen realistic, animatronic zombies (with minor CG enhancement) look so damn good in while. As for the red splat: a head ripped off one’s body, gut munching (like the old days), brains blown out, endless squib shots, a flesh stretching bite…all in 15 minutes...yes, I was a happy gore fiend.
    *

      The tension between Riley and Cholo has the potential to make for quite an interesting relationship. Two sides of one coin. I can’t wait to see how far they’ll take it.
    *

      The action scenes were tightly shot and exciting to witness. No quick cut madness here…we see everything and with panache at that!





I'm very psyched about this flick, especially after reading this.  Looks like Romero is sticking pretty close to his original "Dead Reckoning" script.

[odinn7]

Review or not, I can't wait for this movie to come out. At least from this mini review, it does sound promising.

[Dunners]

Itchy...tasty....

[Brother Ragnarok]

Sounds promising?  Are you suggesting a loss of faith in The Romero?  No, there is no, and never was any, question about this movie's ass-kicking pedigree.

[dean]

Another Romero Zombie film in cinemas is another victory for trash cinema.

Hooray!

Sounds awesome

[Dunners]

How so? Romero's films are quite far from trash. they end up more in the "misc" section than the B section IMO.

[odinn7]

Yes Brother R, I always have my doubts, even when it comes to Romero. What can I say? I'm worse than a pessimist. I don't see the glass as half full or half empty, I see it as going to be empty no matter what. It's my nature but I do believe that there is hope in this movie. I believe! I BELIEVE!

[Brother Ragnarok]

HALLELUJA!

[2xSlick]

I just spent 10 minutes writing a lenghty comment on my concern for this project, but I think I can just some my fears up in a two points.
1. The Trailer:     Half-second cuts in fast AND slow motion? I haven't seen that since Resident Evil: Apocalypse. Honestly, the first half of the trailer talks about how kick ass and original Romero's trilogy was and the footage that followed looked identical to almost every zombie movie in the last ten yeats.
2. The Characters:     Two too many Hollywood actors. I think it's sad that it is now impossible for Hollywood to release a  big movie without celebrities. I thought Lequizamo was great as the Vindicator in Spawn and I liked his role in Son of Sam, but he's no  Tom Savini.Then there's Asia. Her performance in xXx has me hoping she doesn't subscribe to the Tara Reid school of acting like in Alone in the Dark. Hopper though, could be the films saving grace.

For my close, I just want to say that these are just my fears and can be taken as the insane ramblings of a die hard fan. I love my B-movies, I just hope this doesn't turn into a "popcorn flick" or  worse, a summer blockbuster. Flame away!

[Mr_Vindictive]

2xSlick,

It's easy to understand your concerns from what has been presented of the film so far.  I have no doubt that this film will be more action oriented than previous Romero flicks but I'm sure it'll still have all the intelligence of the previous films.

True, the trailer does look like the trailer for every other damned zombie film to come out in the last six years or so.  But, you have to consider that the normal empty minded tennie-bopper movie goer will not have any clue whom George A. Romero is.  They have to market to the largest audience possible.  Hell, they know that us George A. fans will show up no matter what.

As for the actors......it's the same thing.  He needs actors that will be somewhat recognizable to the viewers.  I have a good feeling about Lequizamo.  He might not have done the best films in his career but he can be a very strong actor.  I'm also quite happy that Romero went with Asia Argento.  Sure, her acting in xXx wasn't that great, but if you watch some of her other films, you'll see she is quite competent.  

I hope that Dennis Hopper fits the film.  Sure he's a great actor, but in a zombie film?  But as I said, you've gotta market to who's going to be watching the film.  It's not like most of the people in the theater have ever seen Dennis Hopper tell someone he's going to write them "a f**king love letter".

:o)