Zombie Month IX: Land of the Dead

Land of the Dead directed by George A. Romero

Speed:shambling

Intelligence:it starts off very low, but as a part of the storyline, the zombies begin to adapt by using weapons and enacting the behaviours they possessed when they were alive.

Behavior:some are aggressive. Many who are not in the presence of prey enact what they did in life, such as mowing the lawn etc.

Longevity:very long, possibly centuries

Infection:bite. Incubation is a few hours

How to kill:headshot

Land of the Dead is the latest zombie film from Romero, and it revolves around one of the last bastions of humanity after a zombie outbreak has left the majority of the planet zombified. Dead Reckoning, a special anti-zombie tank has been stolen by a scavenger formerly under employ of the rich and powerful Kaufman. Kaufman has sent  a team led by Riley to find it and bring it back. While this is happening a mass of zombies is learning, adapting, and preparing to overrun the settlement.

Land of the Dead may break the Romero zombie’s own rules, but considering that it comprises a large part of the film, it can be considered canon. The overarching, and obvious, anti-capitalist and anti-classist subtext is rife throughout, and it felt a little 60s ish at times. The effort gone into showing off the zombie learning is interesting but not exactly thrilling, and the story similarly plods along at a decent and logical but ultimately staid and reserved pace. With the exception of the core group, humans are invariably a bit thick, and a bit shit at firing assault rifles. Zombie attacks also tend to be a lot sneakier and unpredictable than what everyone gives them credit for (even the guys whose jobs it is to avoid getting attacked) so it unfortunately feels as if characters are just lopped off for the good of the plot as opposed to being in error. All that said, it’s about as dyed-in-the-wool as you can get for zombie films, and a nice glimpse into a Romero-zombie-filled world.

~ by freeze43 on May 21, 2012.