Movie Review #10

Survival of the Dead

Shock Value: 28 of 33
Queasiness: 28 of 33
Suspense: 24 of 34
Total Scare: 80 of 100

This is the start of “the sequels” section. Survival of the Dead is part 2 of Diary of the Dead. It has a funny introduction by George Romero that really shows a good sense of humor from the master of zombie movies. It might have been that introduction, or some other bias on my part but this movie really did feel pretty funny. Not “Scary Movie...STUPID funny,” but “Tremors...SCARY funny...” Many of the gruesome scenes had me laughing. Don't get me wrong – it was gross – but it was also a little over-the-top / yeah-right kind of grossness.

I was very pleased with some of the issues this movie brings out that other zombie movies ignore. Why don't the zombies eat animals? Are the zombies really dead? Can they be cured...or at least civilized? I love the characters in this movie...we begin with a band of characters that were “bad guys” in “Diary.” Then we include an old man from an island (who thinks he's doing the world a favor by killing all the zombies). The opposing force on that island had banished him so they could try and civilize their dead. It was a creepy thought. Survival isn't filmed from a hand-held camera, so its easier to watch. This gives you more of a third-party type of view which means you have to figure out who's the good guys and who's the bad guys. (In “Diary” you could argue that because the movie was filmed from the film student's point of view then they were automatically the good guys and any opposing force were the enemy. However – with this movie we begin with characters who we thought were bad...and now we see their good side.) The man who's trying to do God's will seems to be the one who is in the wrong...however – the end scenes of the movie suggest that maybe he wasn't wrong either. In a post-apocalyptic world it's not so easy figuring out who is on who's side, and who's side is the best side.