Okay, so this is supposed to be a sequel's loose remake that actually serves as a story reboot and doesn't pertain to the loose remake of a sequel that preceded the sequel upon which this film is based? ...Oh man, I am so confused, and it doesn't help that this film,… More
Okay, so this is supposed to be a sequel's loose remake that actually serves as a story reboot and doesn't pertain to the loose remake of a sequel that preceded the sequel upon which this film is based? ...Oh man, I am so confused, and it doesn't help that this film, like the re-imaging of "Dawn of the Dead", features Ving Rhames and is scored by Tyler Bates, though maybe I can break the confusion by thinking about how this film is distinctive because Zack Snyder's "Dawn" had a plot that actually had some resemblance to that of its source material's, whereas this film has pretty much nothing to do with the film it is reportedly a rema-oh, I'm sorry, I mean re-imagining - in ever since of the word - of. Oh yeah, and another thing that seperates this film from Snyder's "Dawn" is the fact that Snyder's "Dawn" was actually good. No people, calm down, I didn't mean to say it like that; I meant to say that Snyder's "Dawn" was actually bearable, because this film is nothing short of a disaster of, well, zombie pandemic proportions, which is a shame, as I would expect better from the guy who directed "House", as well as "Fridy the 13th... Part 2", "Friday the 13th Part III", "Soul Man", "Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken" and a couple of episodes of "The Wonder Years", "Dawson's Creek", "Smallville" and "The Ex List". Wow, I'm really starting to notice a lot more the fact that this installment of the "Living Dead" series actually had the "guts" (Pardon the pun) to get Nick Cannon as a tough guy, which is almost as depressing as the cameo by Vanessa Johansson. "The fact that she's in a cameo in a tremendous failure of a really bad remake really does remind you that she's not as successful... or as hot, or as talented, or as tasteful as her sister", I said with a reference to a film that came out a couple of months before "The Spirit". Either way, the point is that what really shocks in this film is its incompetence... as well as other things, for although this film is an absolute mess, it's not without a few strengths.
Patrick Cady's cinematography, on a general level, is really nothing to write home about, being a touch blandly generic in its plain bleakness, yet the fact of the matter is that there is a certain bleakness to the film's visual style that fits the tone, certainly not to where it ameliorates the film's tonal effectiveness all that much, but just enough to be commendable, as well as rather complimentary to certain aspects that do particularly up intrigue, or about as much as the intrigue can be upped. The film is just so incompetent that it is hard to feel all that much resonance, yet if anything is going to come the closest to getting a rise out of you, then it might very well be the action sequences, which aren't necessarily spectacular, yet are stronger than this film deserves, being with reasonably well-concieved staging and choreography that creates a kind of engaging freneticsim, made all the more, well, nifty, by the one thing that this film actually does deliver on: gore. Gratuitous extremely over-the-top gore sequences in other "Living Dead" films had the misfortune of being married with substance, to the point of feeling more discomforting than cool, but with this film, there's no substance, only style, so it actually has to deliver on the over-the-top in the violence department, and quite honestly, as much as I hate to admit it, this film does deliver on some crazy, messed up imagery and memorably cool violence, complimented by the effects, or at least most of them. Certainly, the digital effects are shoddy, with a good couple of practical effects coming off as a touch off-putting, yet on the whole, this film's practical effects are buyable and rather unique in their nifty nastiness. I know it sounds as though I'm stretching to find a compliment for this film, but really, this film is so very reliant upon the commendable action, and while the strength in this film's being so action-packed goes undercut by the ineptitude, as well as not all that potent to begin with, it is there, and it is undeniable. Of course, really, it's not like this film needs action to dissipate tedium, for although this film is anything but an enjoyable watch, whether it be because it is so very frenetic or simply because it's just so ceaselessly amusing in its ridiculousness, the film is never truly boring, which isn't to say that there isn't enough blandness to actually, to one moderate degree or another, tone down the bite of the overwhelming incompetence, and it is for this reason alone why the film is simply really bad, rather than absolutely unpalatable "Spawn" garbage. Of course, make no mistake, this film is really, really bad garbage with undeniable strengths and misstep diluters, but no real redeeming value, just consistent incompetence, or at the very least, chessiness.
The film is certainly six different kinds of cheese in the writing and directing departments, yet its technical faultiness sure makes for some corny moments, with just about every decent effect going followed by a glaringly shoddy one, with the digital effects being particularly ceaseless in a faultiness that launches you clean out of the film, or at least out of a sense of consequence. Still, the technical faults don't do as effective of a job at repelling you from compellingness as, of course, the acting, for although there are a few certain passable performances (Don't worry, Ving Rhames fans, your boy is just fine for his under 10 total minutes of screentime, and plus, Ian McNeice makes for an undeniably show-stealingly charming dirtbag), on the whole, most of the secondaries and even a few primaries fall flat at nearly every turn, and embarassingly so, with little in the way of acting presence, as well as either coldly overdone or awkward line delivery, which isn't to say that I can see it being easy to keep away from awkwardness when handed this film's dialogue. One of the keys in the film's downfall as an absolute disaster, Jeffrey Reddick's screenplay is an embarassing onslaught of incompetent mistakes, with dialogue ranging from mediocre to dreadful, as well as far too many cheesy set pieces that go far too far over the top, if not simply fall flat. These errors lay blunt blows to the film and slow down steam tremendously, yet what aids in the total dissipation of steam are errors in the bigger picture of writing, as Jeff Reddick's story goes riddled with an endless barrage of cringe-worthy cliches and artificial-feeling character types, as well as quite a few moments in plot and character action that are questionable, if not just plain all-out farfetched. The film's story structure is tainted in its basic layout, and is just as disconcerting in its bumpily heavy-handed plot progression, with little exposition and limited comfort in the flow, which feels rather forceful and blunt, and it's made all the more glaring by there being just as much, if not more incompetence within Steve Miner's direction than in Reddick's writing. Director Steve Miner battles back boredom through decent action direction and a frenetic atmosphere, fueled by a degree of inspiration, - misguided though, it may be - while topping things off with enough of a hint of blandness to lightly lessen the sting of the ineptitude, and really, those are the best things to be said about Miner, because just about every other area in this film's direction is nothing short of a disaster, with certain stylistic choices going awkwardly overemphasized (Seriously, what is up with the screen randomly flashing yellow from out of nowhere?), and storytelling donning an atmosphere that goes packed with overbearing unsubtlety and is empty of substance and, for that matter, thrills, thus making for an uncompelling thriller that's not even thrilling. Mistakes are endless, and many really do have to be seen to believe, with what few strengths there are going undercut at every turn, yet still staying just alive enough to make clear some sort of ambition within Steve Miner that is so unworthy that it ultimately comes off as more self-congradulatory, meaning that this film has the nerve to bombard you with incompetent move after incompetent move, only to turn around and feel too good about itself, when really, at the end of the day, it's an embarassingly bumbler of a messy disaster that ultimately stands as bland enough to be forgettable, yet sadly not forgettable enough.
At the end of the long awaited titular day, the film has a certain style to it that stands decent, yet not as undeniably commendable as many of the action sequences, which are frantically choreographed, packed with nifty gore - complimented by certain high points in practical effects - and break up a certain blandness that is indeed bland enough to ever so slightly diluted the sting of the ineptitude, yet ultimately go easily overpowered, for although the film has a few strengths, it goes all but comprised of relentless flaws, with technical value faulting about as much as the acting, though not as much as the writing, as Jeffrey Reddick turns in a script plagued with cheesy dialogue and set pieces, as well as shoddy plotting riddled with cliches and heavy-handedness, made all the worse by Steve Miner's overstylized and atmospherically cold, yet still somehow rather arrogant direction, thus leaving Miner's "Day of the Dead" to die on its feet as a tremendously messy disaster drenched in incompetence and exceeding blandness.
1.5/5 - Bad
