Movie Review: Day of the Dead (2008)

The movie stars Mena Suvari, Nick Cannon, Michael Welch, Matt Rippy and Stark Sands.

Despite being a bit tired last night, my wife and I ended up deciding to watch a movie together. And, since I came across this film on one of our movie channels the night before and recorded it, I decided to pick it. When I did, I wasn't really sure what to expect from it since zombie movies typically range from really good to really awful. But, overall, I thought this was one of the better zombie films we've watched together.

I think the thing I really liked about this film was the way the movie didn't have the traditional slow, stumbling zombies I'm used to seeing. Instead, the undead creatures were actually somewhat terrifying because they could move quickly, climb on walls and ceilings and even use tools/weapons. As my wife pointed out, if these zombies were on "The Walking Dead," there wouldn't be any survivors.

Another thing I liked about this movie was the way it avoided being predictable. OK, to be fair, some aspects of the film, such as Doctor Logan's (Rippy) role, were a little transparent. But, since the zombies were so advanced, it wasn't clear exactly how the heroes were going to end up getting out alive. Plus, I liked the unexpected twist involving the one private, Bud (Sands), when he gets bitten.

Probably the only thing I didn't like about this movie was the way it didn't make it clear whether or not the military knew what they were up against. The town was on full lock down and, because of that, it was pretty obvious they realized there was something serious going on. But, the movie doesn't really explain if they knew the people would eventually turn into zombies or if they just thought it was a really bad case of the flu.

Of course, either way, I was also kind of surprised there wasn't more of an effort to protect themselves by wearing masks, gloves or even hazmat suits. Even if it was just the flu, you would think they would have taken some sort of precaution.

The overall plot, despite a few surprises, isn't much different than your typical zombie film. But, because the movie does include those surprises and has what can only be described as "super" zombies, it is definitely a film that is worth watching.

My Grade: A