Dawn of the Dead: Unrated Director's Cut

Despite being a remake of George A. Romero's classic, Snyder's film is an entirely new entity. Discarding any themes of anti-consumerism, Snyder chooses to instead walk the path of 28 Days Later by playing upon fears of infection and plague. As the earth becomes immersed in the turmoil of the savage undead, our heroine Ana (Sarah Polley) connects with a group of survivors who hide within the oddly zombie-less confines of a shopping mall. As the group attempt to secure themselves from extinction, their true nemesis proves to be cabin fever. Although labeled as "too scary for theatres," this director's cut offers a few more laughs, a bit more gore but little more suspense than the theatrical release. Other extras include commentary by Zack Snyder and producer Eric Newman, which is typically anecdotal and rarely lets up. Other featurettes revolve around the outside world's reactions to the zombie threat. Footage from the local news and from the gun store owner is amusing and manages to maintain the level of continuity with the film. Three extra features not available on the regular DVD are added too, though really they would work as one extended feature. Each revolves around the special effects for the movie: one on turning actors into zombies; a second explaining how the major kill-scenes were put together; and the third detailing how to achieve realism when blowing the heads off the undead. While providing a cheaply interesting account for each, Makeup Designer David LeRoy Anderson unintentionally highlights how little he and Tom Savini have in common, with references of how disgusted he felt when creating the gore. Dawn of the Dead is an enjoyable zombie-fest and worthy of ownership. The Unrated Director's Cut, however, offers little more than the theatrical release. If you liked this film in the theatre, purchase the film that was released in the theatre. Plus: deleted scene with commentary. (Universal)