Dawn of the Dead

Snyder's Dawn of the Dead isn't necessarily a bad film, I just look at this as more of a resume. Just look at what Snyder was able to do behind the camera given such a boring and simple script. Its no wonder the guy is quickly rising to the elite level of directors in the industry.

Snyder's direction is the highlight of the film for me. His intense pacing and inventive shots keep the film from being just another bland and boring remake. My favorite bit has to be the opening. Everything up to the end of the Johnny Cash song gets a 10/10 from me. Its when the actual story kicks in that I couldn't give a shit about the film anymore.

The sprinting zombies aren't as big a deal to me as they are to most people. Whats more troubling is the complete lack of character from our protagonists. No one really gains or maintains your interest throughout the film, you're just kind of sitting there guessing who the writers decided to let live. There's no real emotionally invested sequences between the characters that we have from the original Dawn, and absolutely none of the chemistry in their relationships with one another.

The biggest thing lacking in the film is the entire reason the original was set in a mall. The entire premise of the film seems to be lost on the writers, who just see the mall as a cool place to hang out if everyone else in the world happens to be dead. On the surface its cool, but ultimately its impractical and unnecessary. Which pretty much sums up the entire film.