Survival of the Dead

Another entry in George A. Romero's zombie oeuvre.  After the zombie outbreak, a group of mercenaries encounter a small island where two warring patriarchs have very different solutions to the undead problem.  In Survival of the Dead a zombie shot with a flare gun internally combusts, and another has an eye-popping moment (literally) eating the business end of a fire extinguisher.  Yet on the island a spectral undead beauty on horseback rides eternally through the fall leaves.  And this is the ultimate problem with the film.  Survival doesn't know if it's a jokey, shoot-em-up zombie movie, or an introspective, thought-provoking zombie movie, and in the end it's neither.  We have the requisite Romero disembowelment scene, and some entertaining zombie deaths.  The beautiful scenery of the island, which was filmed in Ontario, is a refreshing change from the cityscapes and empty shopping malls we've come to expect. But the plot is confused, the dialogue is utilitarian at best, and even gore-lovers will be disappointed by the lack of real action.  Few if any of the characters are sympathetic, and I was decidedly unmoved by their various deaths.  The lush scenery is barely able to make up for the film's overall blandness.  In short, if you want to watch a zombie gore-fest, watch Dead Alive.  If you want a contemplative movie with zombies, watch 28 Days Later.  But leave Survival on the shelf.

-Posted by Liz