DVD Review: "Day of the Dead"

I am a relative newcomer to George Romero's "Dead" series. I had seen "Night of the Living Dead" while in film school, and I liked it. Within the past year I had also watched both "Dawn of the Dead" and "Land of the Dead." Though enjoyed them both, I began to suspect these films of producing diminishing returns. Upon viewing 1986's "Day of the Dead", my suspicions were proven correct.

The film was originally envisioned as the epic finale to what was then supposed to be Romero's trilogy of Dead films. Unfortunately, due to budget constraints and several other problems, this one didn't exactly have the epic feel he was going for. I think it was due in large part to the acting. I understand that zombie films aren't exactly scooping the cream of the acting crop, but these actors were distractingly over the top. I also found that too much time was devoted to the human characters and their struggle for dominance over one another. I was watching the film for the zombies, not the politics of who is in charge when everyone else is dead.

I will say that the film delivered in one major aspect: the effects. Special FX guru Tom Savini outdid himself on some of the more extravagant deaths in the film. Unfortunately the bright spots were just too few and far between. Overall, I would say that this film fits right in with my theory of Romero's films losing more and more steam as they go along. Hopefully his 2008 picture "Diary of the Dead" will be the boost he needs to get out of this two decade long rut.

Score: 1.5 out of 5