Release Date: 11 August 2005

Synopsis :

George A. Romero’s Land of the Dead is the acclaimed director’s long-awaited return to the horror genre he invented, beginning with the seminal Night of the Living Dead and continuing with Dawn of the Dead and Day of the Dead.

In this new tale, Romero creates a harrowing vision of a modern-day world where the walking dead roam an uninhabited wasteland and the living try to lead “normal” lives behind the walls of a fortified city. A new society has been built by a handful of enterprising, ruthless opportunists, who live in the towers of a skyscraper, high above the hard-scrabble existence on the streets below. But outside the city walls, an army of the dead is evolving. Inside, anarchy is on the rise. With the very survival of the city at stake, a group of hardened mercenaries is called into action to protect the living from an army of the dead.

Movie Review:

Director George A. Romero should have been conferred the title of “The Best Social-Message Zombie Director”. He has created a cult following out of Night of the living Dead (1968), with its theme of nuclear phobia that aligns itself well with films like The China Syndrome (1979). He has swiftly followed up with a sequel that is Dawn of the Dead (1978), this time focusing on the adverse effects of consumerism, a by-product of capitalism. Riding on the height of the success of its predecessor, the film did relatively well in the box office. And Romero continued his zombie tales with Day of the Living Dead (1985), this time placing the limelight on conspiracy theory, a genre that has found familiar ground with us in films like The Manchurian Candidate (2004), Chinatown (1974), and The Parallax View (1964).

And while most of Romero’s fans expect his trilogy to be completed, Romero surprised worldwide audience with his fourth installment of the zombie film series Land of the Living Dead (2005), this time revolving the plot around capitalism and globalisation. And it is in due time, what with the domination of transnational companies, the hybridisation of cultures and the pervasion of globalisation. In Land of the Living Dead, Romero has created a hierarchical structure of class categorisation: a hellish place for the ostracised (read: zombies), a bearable albeit run-down ghettos for its primary occupants and a utopia for the capitalistic elite.

Within the milieu of the film, the world is run by a capitalist Mr Kaufman (Dennis Hopper), who dwells in his luxurious penthouse known as Fiddler’s Green. Working under his wings is Riley (Simon Baker), a noteworthy warrior who guards the periphery of the city and burdened only by his humanity. Riley is accompanied by Cholo (John Leguizamo), a hardened and trigger-happy patrol trooper who will go all out to secure himself a place in Fiddler’s Green. Together, both Riley and Cholo guard the city against the zombies with the aid of “Dead Reckoning”, a vehicle that proves to be a daunting war juggernaut.

With electric, fortified fences and the water element, the status quo is maintained between the ostracised zombie and its human counterparts. However, the frequent raids and rampant killings of the zombies by the humans soon enraged the zombies and they retaliated by seeking to tread into unfamiliar territory: Fiddler’s Green. Thereby begin the conflict that marks the highlight of the film.

It’s interesting that a substantial amount of scenes in the films alludes to pro-globalisation and anti-capitalism. Riley apparently opted for globalisation when he mentioned that he wanted a “world without fences” and going against the killing of the zombies. He also has a sidekick Charlie (Robert Joy), who resembles a zombie. It seems that this character is deliberately inserted by the director to suggest the inter-culture assimilation of the zombie-human race. Through the use of weapons (machine-guns for the trained humans versus knives welded by the zombies), Romero has illustrated the unwanted effects of capitalism: that the rich gets more powerful while the poor remains ignorant and powerless.

The use of euphemism such as “walkers” for zombies are also used to good effect to portray terms often used by the corporate elite to conceal certain bias or discrimination that they may have (Think “re-structuring” for retrenchment). Another good term that is employed is “Sky Flowers” for fireworks, a tool that the humans used as a distraction device for the zombies. However, the fact that they are no longer distracted by the fireworks towards the end of the film signifies that ultimately, all of us wakes up from the lure of materialism as well as consumerism and recognise that these are merely the camouflage devices of capitalism.
The film is not without its blemishes though. Sporadically and strategically placed are numerous dialogues dosed with dark humour. This may sit well with some while creating discomfort for the rest in these times of instability. Certain characters in the film (such as Kaufman) are also simply caricatures with no room for character development.

Nevertheless, this is one memorable film.

In the midst of a hardcore gore-fest lies a film with a great and memorable social message. Deciphering it is not difficult and once that is achieved, the audience will be able to appreciate what a remarkable director Romero is. And has always been.

Movie Rating:

("A film of wide appeal, with a unique concoction that blends an underlying thematic message with the surface action!")

Review by Patrick Tay