Diary of the Dead (2008)

Writted and Directed by George A Romero

Yeah, I've been slow getting to this, seeing as how I now saw it over 2 weeks ago. But it's time to end your suffering and tell you this: Diary of the Dead, while not on the same level of Romero's Dead Films, this is still a very enjoyable, well made zombie movie. Does it have the flashes of Romero greatness? Some, but it feels slightly incomplete, but I actually think that was the intention, since he was going back to a low budget, smaller crew, less resources, and that sweet creative control was wrestled back into Uncle George's arms.

The film follows a group of film students and their professor/mentor figure traveling out into the woods to make a horror film. The story sets it up so the director is your typical film obsessed student filmmaker, who is on the outs with his girlfriend, and they must fight to stay sane with each other throughout the course of the film. Once they are out in the woods, all hell breaks loose when they discover that during their trip a zombie outbreak occurred, and they have to fight to survive the rest of the way. There are various internal struggles between the characters throughout the plot, but none of them are very significant. It's not that Romero got lazy, it's just he decided to use a different style, telling a story from a first person POV and using the characters basically as plot devices to move the story along, encounter crazy zombies, messily kill them, and then continue to search for freedom.

Is there anything new and surprising in this film? Not really, and I suppose that was the biggest let down for people on Land of the Dead, a movie I thoroughly enjoyed. Is it as good as the rest of the series? No, but it has it's own message, decent acting, an interesting plot, and yet another fresh take on the same story basically for the fourth time. In my eyes that takes a certain talent, and here George only puts a bit of it on display. It's like he's planning to make another movie, and he doesn't want to use all his good ideas for one film.

The one thing I really loved about the film was the inventive kills. My only problem with the kills was that they were almost too inventive. George is obviously aware he's killed zombies on film in almost every conceivable way, so here it seems like he's stretching a bit, even if it does result in some truly awesome kills. They're the true joy of the movie. The gore is there, not in buckets, but I'd say there might be a bit more than even Land of the Dead.

It just felt good to be watching a Romero film in theaters again, and I'm sad (not surprised, just sad) that not enough people will see it in theaters. Let's just hope the DVD release is banged out pretty quick, and let's hope Weinstein springs for a Blu Ray release when it comes out. Which is a funny thing to say, considering the main underlying theme of this zombie epic is media manipulation, dependence on technology, and obsession with entertainment over one's own well being or regular nature. It doesn't make as many (there are still some) silly technology based mistakes that I notice in some movies either, that's one of my minor pet peeves, and I don't remember it coming up in the viewing of the film.

Sadly this is being classed with other handheld films like Cloverfield, Man Bites Dog, and The Blair Witch Project, but I really wouldn't say that's even fair. I read a review before I saw the movie that said the camerawork and cinematography was so good it actually took them out of the movie because they said there is no way a film student could shoot that well with just a handheld camera. That's actually the reason I like it, it has a nice polished handheld look, and I'd rather have a steadier, more stomach pleasing camera than buy the film's full authenticity. That's just me though.

The entire cast is not even worth mentioning. The girl is kinda hot, and I suppose she's not a terrible actor, but so many lines in this film ended up sounding like the wooden dialogue and overacting that is all too common in student film productions. I suppose that's fitting since Romero went with his low budget instincts, but don't be fooled, there's no Duane Jones in the making here. Like I said, the characters mainly are there to serve the plot, which is interesting and engrossing enough to keep you hooked the whole time.

This might also be one of the shortest Romero films I've ever seen clocking in at somewhere around 1 hour 35 minutes, it definitely leaves a bit behind but I don't think that's really a bad thing, this is a lean, mean zombie film, and I can't wait to see Romero's next smaller budget film, I hope he makes a fun movie like Diamond Dead, I think it would fit the style and energy that George put forth in Diary. I'm psyched and I hope George stays in this capacity a little while, making smaller, more fun movies rather than stressing himself with the studios.

8.0/10