Why ‘Day of the Dead’ is the Most Overrated Zombie Movie Ever!

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#14 in my ranking of George A. Romero’s filmography.

I’ve been puzzled about how Day of the Dead has evolved since it came out. Frankly, it’s not a well-made movie. The characters are weak in all the wrong places, yet they overact excessively. There’s no real plot, and the world-building seems illogical. Romero aimed to create the Gone with the Wind of zombie movies, but his budget of seven million dollars was cut in half, forcing him to rewrite everything to take place in a bunker. Given the final result, I’m not convinced that a full budget would have improved the film. At least Tom Savini managed to create some impressive gore effects with his limited budget, although they don’t appear very often on screen.

In the aftermath of the global catastrophe brought about by the zombie outbreak, a band of scientists stationed in Southern Florida are frantically searching for a way to halt this impending doom. They’re guarded by a military contingent, and from the onset of the movie, they exhibit hostility towards each other, shouting and gesturing fiercely. Unfortunately, the film doesn’t delve deeply into these characters, mirroring George A. Romero’s approach in his earlier Dead films. In those, the focus was clear – surviving one night (first film) or protecting a mall (second film). Here, however, there seems to be no central challenge for them to tackle. The goal could be to tame the zombies, discover a cure, or simply escape from the deteriorating circumstances. The purpose remains somewhat vague, whether it’s about making the undead livable, finding a remedy for this plague, or escaping to a safer location.

As a die-hard zombie movie enthusiast, I’d say Dr. Sarah Bowman (Lori Cardille) and Captain Rhodes (Joe Pilato) are the ones who lock horns most often in this flick. Dr. Bowman keeps pushing for them to stay put, using Captain Rhodes’ crew to gather “samples” and carry on with Dr. Logan’s research – a man some folks call Frankenstein due to his work. Dr. Logan’s main focus is on Bub (Sherman Howard), a sort of zombie with a knack for minor non-aggression and recalling past actions. This development, presented as quite significant, feels oddly out of place considering it was casually mentioned in Dawn of the Dead. Frankly, I think Shaun of the Dead tackled this idea more effectively, if you ask me.

In this film, I find every performance lackluster, including Joe Pilato’s. The issue lies at the heart of the script, where characters are written thinly and the performances are over-the-top from the get-go. This combination fails to create any emotional investment. On the other hand, the core four in “Dawn” may not have extensive backstories, but they’re skillfully portrayed in various situations, providing a glimpse into their characters. Here, it seems like every character is just shouting at each other constantly. It appears as if this excessive approach to characterization, which is characteristic of Hollywood and amplified by Romero’s style, was misapplied in this film. While Romero has shown his ability to write compelling characters in films like “Season of the Witch” and “Martin”, this particular approach did not succeed here. It seems that he intentionally adopted this approach for certain types of films, but it fell short in this instance.

In this cinematic experience, what I found lacking was a substantial narrative. The initial installments boasted engaging storylines centered around clear objectives, but alas, in this iteration, it feels as though the screenwriter forgot to include one.

The film focuses on scientific endeavors, primarily conditioning, yet the actual quest for a cure is merely hinted at. Rhodes’ intention to depart is discussed, and survival becomes the primary focus. However, these elements fail to create a cohesive and engaging tale. The only aspect that seems somewhat developed is the conditioning process, but it leads nowhere and even contradicts the film’s climax when our heroes find themselves engaged in a shootout against both zombies and humans.

In Romero’s zombie vision, when Rhodes discusses his plan to depart the base for another location, it seems as though his scenario falls apart. It’s preposterous to think that Rhodes can’t find a single place in the entire country that has more resources than an underground bunker outside the Everglades, given that in Romero’s world, there are 400,000 zombies for every human. Such a world would be teeming with resources on a per-capita basis, from ammunition to food to medical facilities. It appears that Romero harbors intense disdain for the military, but it’s hard to believe that a captain wouldn’t know about Patrick Air Force base. Additionally, Dr. Fisher (John Amplas) suggests that DC might have secure facilities. This idea seems illogical and inconsistent.

One positive aspect of this movie stands out: Tom Savini’s collection of grotesque images, particularly the zombies. From start to finish, these undead creatures are well-executed. Even Bub, the least decayed zombie in the film, has a convincing quality. However, it might be an overstatement to claim that the makeup and creature effects alone justify the ticket price, as they appear sparsely throughout the movie. The film is mostly filled with people shouting at each other, occasionally discussing the idea that humanity is a flawed species destined for replacement. While director George Romero’s cynicism might not be overly compelling, the visual effects are certainly a highlight.

Essentially, it’s quite dismal with no one giving a standout performance. Pilato seems to be the most competent, but he’s merely overacting and devoid of any character development or storyline relevance. Liberty, on the other hand, appears to be woefully inadequate, evoking images of a cheesy 1950s sci-fi production rather than this bleak exploration of humanity’s dark side. The narrative lacks direction and coherence, with an underdeveloped plot that fails to hold interest. However, the gore is commendable, I suppose.

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2025-02-22 00:30