Survival of the Dead (2009)

Rebel military man Crocket (Alan Van Sprang) and his band of rogue soldiers seek refuge from the living dead, only to land squarely in a family feud between the undead-hating O'Flynns and the Muldoons, a cure-seeking clan determined to help their zombie kinfolk. Cult horror master George A. Romero rises again to deliver another delicious zombie fest where the festering question is: Can a caring family coexist with their flesh-eating loved ones?
See this film for two hours of entertainment and fun, but not if you expect to be terrified or have your ideals challenged. It was not new or groundbreaking but you could definitely tell Romero is an old hand. The story was coherent and had a nice pace, the characters were interesting, and the movie was "light" even as it managed to steer clear of schmaltz.


George Romero will always be a favorite of mine - it was his early films, such as the original Dead Trilogy that exposed me to zombies as a kid... while I have a special place in my heart for Night, Dawn, and Day of the Dead - I always liked his movies. From Creepshow and Two Evil Eyes, Land of the Dead and even Bruiser, I really enjoyed his style of writing and directing. Knightriders was great as well - but then came Diary of the Dead. I was so disappointed with that film. I almost could not believe it came from George. Diary was just so poorly written, dreary and just lousy. With that in mind, I saw Survival of the Dead not expecting much. Thankfully, it was much better than Diary of the Dead, but still lacking. George's once lustrous characters, films with a deeper meaning and a cast that obviously clicked like old friends has been gone for a while now and Survival was no different. Ever since he moved to Toronto and changed his style of writing and filming - it sucks. Plain and simple. Sorry, George. I love ya, and the George that was will be the one I hold dear to my heart and love of films, but these last few films - you can keep. I hope the old George comes back one day - the George who had such deeply developed characters that I cringed when even the bad guy characters finally got his or her comeuppance via zombie flesh tearing. Its sad to see and its sad to say, but the Golden Age of Romero is long gone.


***/*****


3/5 Stars