The living dead have taken over the earth. Bordered by three mighty rivers, one of the world’s last secure cities serves as refuge for human survivors. While the poor are forced to exist in overcrowded shanty towns, the wealthy wine and dine in a gleaming tower known as “Fiddler’s Green”. Many of those who live in the slums below would do anything to get into the Green, and embark on dangerous raids outside the city in order to provide the elite with supplies and luxuries. The work is especially perilous, as the walking undead seem to be slowly evolving, and of late, have also cast envious eyes on the city.

Ya’know, I’d like to start off this review by talking about the state of zombie movies in America today. That while zombie films have never been hotter, the last few years have ironically been a low point for American zombie films. While the RE films, ‘Dawn’ remakes, etc. have been financially successful, all the good living dead flicks have been coming from overseas. I would love to say how ‘Land of the Dead’ breaks this trend by being both brilliant as well as hugely successful. I’d love to say that, but so far it has only managed the former.

We have usurped the natural order in this nation, and given Darwin a big F. U. Thanks to lazy and corrupt teacher’s unions, the banning of some of the more powerful types of fireworks, and child-proof caps on bottles of yummy-nummy bleach products, we have seen to it that an entire generation of idiots have reached adulthood relatively unscathed. Never, even in the days when viewing a projected locomotive caused folks to wet their pants, have theater audiences been more ignorant on the average. It’s an avalanche of morons. You think I’m being snotty? Why don’t you check out the message boards on IMDB, and spend some time arguing with someone who thinks “metaphor” is a brand of sneaker whether or not “House of teh Ded kicks thiz movies ass!”

Well, enough of my bitter yet accurate ramblings, let's move on to the film itself. Romero has done something really special here. He’s managed to create a blend of the complex character dynamics of ‘Night’, and the pointed social commentary of ‘Dawn’, with the action and gore of ‘Day’, at the same time crafting an entry with a voice and flavor all its own. Romero’s unique brand of dark humor is present, and of course, he has a hell of a lot to say about life in today’s America.

The plot and writing of ‘Land’ isn’t anything amazingly textured, but it does its job well. The Dead films have never been twisty-turny plot heavy creatures. The setup is usually very simple (in this case, a group of isolated survivors in a city stronghold have developed a caste system). The films instead are character driven, the plot existing on one level simply to confront these characters with dilemmas to be overcome (or succumbed to) and on another level to confront the audience with social allegory. The metaphorical meaning of the film is pretty clear, it deals with post 911 hysteria, hegemony, terrorism, exploitation of the proletariat, etc. Even if you don’t agree with Romero’s rather liberal take on things (I could never be considered a liberal myself, and think he overstates his case a little), you should be able to appreciate the clever ways in which he puts his point across.

Unlike other films in the living dead series, the acting on display here is a true high point. Simon Baker as Riley is well cast, and Asia Argento brings depth to what could have turned out to be a terribly clichéd character. However, it’s not the lead figures themselves, but the some of the more minor characters that really do it for me in this outing. John Leguizamo as Cholo is amazing. I was extremely surprised to see how Leguizamo has grown as an actor over the years. I’ve mentioned my brother before on this website, and have to say that I found Robert Joy as Charlie to be a breath of fresh air. So often the mentally challenged are either deified or mocked in mainstream entertainment. Bravo, and sincere thanks go to George Romero for presenting such a realistic, down to earth, and thoroughly likable character. Pedro Miguel Arce as Pillsbury is just a hoot and a half. The only real hold out for me, oddly enough, is the only big-name actor on the list, Dennis Hopper. Though granted, his character is symbolic, and suffers a lot from some shallow writing, Hopper’s performance seems entirely without nuance. Whereas most of the other characters are genuine and flawed, Hopper’s Kaufman seems self consciously evil, almost as if the character himself realizes he’s supposed to be the heavy in a zombie film. He is simply too one-dimensional to carry any weight. Frankly, no subtly would have been lost if instead of “Kaufman” the character (ala the Three Stooges) had simply been named “Rich Whiteman” (or for that matter, “I. M. George W. Bush”, the metaphoric meaning of the figure is pretty damn obvious.) God, while watching the ‘Super Mario Bros.’ movie so many years ago, who would have thought that one day John Leguizamo would be acting circles around Dennis Hopper?!

On a technical level, the film is a masterpiece. The cinematography and the use of color and set design are brilliant. The special effects are outstanding. Romero understands that CGI just doesn’t work, and has used practical effects (makeup, zombie puppets) whenever he can. This adds to the enjoyment immensely. (There is some CGI in the film, but it’s pretty well done, and goes by quick enough that you really won't notice) For gorehounds, I should note that the film does a good job of being almost as bloody as previous entries while managing to garner a mere ‘R’ rating. (Of course, we’ll all be waiting for the dvd for some true gut-ripping bloody goodness!)

This film hasn’t been wowing anyone at the box office, which is a gotdamned shame. Romero spent decades trying to wring a little dinero out of Hollywood bean-counters to get his baby filmed. Now, due to the apathy and general stupidity of so many slurpie guzzling theater goers, I doubt he’ll be able to repeat such an endeavor. ( I have my fingers crossed, though. It's a global marketplace, and most people are eagerly awaiting the aforementioned dvd) This may be the last Romero zombie film ever made, and since we as a people seem to have stopped appreciating them, we probably don’t even deserve another.

Wow! That’s a dour note to end a review on!

Pity I can’t think of anything else.