Land of the Dead Review - Off The Shelf Reviews

This week Gary and Iain review and discuss, Land of the Dead (2005) by Director, George A. Romero. Starring, Simon Baker, John Leguizamo, and Asia Argento.
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[@RBEmpathy]

Dude, this channel deserves a million subs. You guys have changed my mind in so many nuanced ways on so many movies. Glad I found your channel!

[@Amber_xo_133]

At the beginning of the movie, if you listen carefully to the tuba and tambourine zombies in the town bandstand, they are playing notes from "The Gonk", the mall music from George A. Romero's Dawn of the Dead (1978). George A. Romero was so impressed with Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright's Shaun of the Dead (2004), that he asked them to appear in this, the fourth part of his "Dead" series, and they appear as the photo-booth zombies in the carnival and barroom sequence. They also feature prominently in the artwork for the Unrated Director's Cut. The zombie of Tom Savini's biker character, who was killed in Dawn of the Dead (1978), can be seen in one of the scenes. George A. Romero's daughter appears in the film. She is the soldier who shoots the zombie on the electrified fence. This movie's Pittsburgh premiere was at the Byham Theatre, which used to be called the Fulton Theatre. This theater, when it was still the Fulton, was the same theater where Night of the Living Dead (1968) premiered in 1968. An amputee played the legless zombie climbing the back of the Dead Reckoning. His name is David Campbell, and was also in Dawn of the Dead (2004) as the "Squished Zombie". There were four titles before "Land of the Dead" was chosen: "Dead City", "Dead Reckoning", "Twilight of the Dead", and "Night of the Living Dead: Dead Reckoning". The view of the zombies rising from out of the river is an homage to the classic scene from Herk Harvey's Carnival of Souls (1962), where the dead rise out of the Great Salt Lake before the dance sequence. This is the first film of George A. Romero's "Living Dead" series which uses digital effects. The most expensive of George A. Romero's zombie movies. In the scene where the zombies get into the city, the soldier playing cards, who has his head pulled off, his camouflage uniform says "Rickles" in the name area. Rickles was the name of one of the soldiers from Day of the Dead (1985).

[@williamlowery6487]

This movie looks less like a Romero movie and more like a big budget The Walking Dead movie.

[@UnCreativeDeconstructionism]

OUCH.

[@aydenvavra2153]

For all we know Walking Dead was inspired by this film in terms of the way it looks

[@eightykakes15]

John Leguiozamo is a really underrated actor. Hope he gets "that" role one day.

[@Grandmastergav86]

I like him as an actor and he's a funny guy, shame he hasn't had "that" role as you say.

[@DissentingDogLevi]

When we will get The Pest 2?

[@gRinchY-op5vr]

So Sid from Ice Age doesn't count? 🤣

[@JohnBlack2345]

personally, I think he has got it....for Thanks For Everything...

[@plaguedoctormasque8089]

He did To wong foo thanks for everything Julie Newmare. He was great.

[@TheAlan136]

I don’t think that Iain knew that “taking out the trash” meant killing people who Kaufman had problems with. There were clearly bodies in the crates, not trash…

[@trickykid73]

I love that line at the end of the film "I thought you were dead ....... oh you are"

[@JamalGleeson]

See, I like and totally support the “stealth” zombies as they are slow, they don’t make much noise, so comfortable humans could be surprised by them. I mean that slow(er) zombies lull humans into thinking that you could spot or hear or notice them before you eliminate them, which is great for zombies.

[@JamalGleeson]

The learning zombie is part of Romero zombie lore. Bub was an example but not the first or last zombie to use a tool. The daughter in Night Of The Dead uses a gardening pick or in the remake it was scissors (I think? The specific tool doesn’t matter), also I am pretty sure there was an earlier zombie that uses a rock to open something, maybe a turtle. The point is that a smart/learning zombie is the natural evolution of the Romero zombies. I think Romero even states that in a few interviews.

[@sheabutter3260]

In the remake the daughter just bites her mom, but there is a garden trowel hanging on the wall and some blood spats on it as a nod to the original.

[@sheabutter3260]

Oh, but yeah. 100% agree. Learning zombies have always been a thing throughout the entire series.

[@ghostlightx9005]

I always thought the daughter using a garden tool was a huge over-sight or error in the script. I still do. It's totally out of place.

[@davydevilution3483]

The 'cameo' appearance of Edgar Wright & Simon Pegg as 'chained-up' Zombies

[@FFFreak719]

@Lebo leigh Leigh is that a serious question?

[@BushcraftingBogan]

Ironically, I think theirs is better than this one.

[@sheabutter3260]

These reviews are delightful. Despite how much I love Land of the Dead, everything you both are saying is 100% accurate. Im off from both jobs today and I am binging all of your reviews now! Lol

[@AbrasiousProductions]

Its a guilty pleasure for me, I watched it when I was very young

[@razzdarkstar]

Maybe its because I grew up with it, but honestly I sincerely adore Land of the Dead. Its punchy, scary, and felt a bit more like a modern zombie story to my eyes. To me, the concept of a sentient zombie uprising was terrifying, and NO film has done the same idea since. No movie scratches the itch land does for me. Its incredibly unique and I have to give it props

[@edisonlima4647]

Given that most zombies are still clumsy, I always found it unlikely that never in the past a random zombie accidentally fell into the water and ended up swept into the town, unless the current WAS strong enough to sweep them away, in which case Big Daddy plan would end with him pissed at the bottom of the seq until his body dissolved. Lol

[@JamalGleeson]

What really should have happened with that new guy on the crew in the beginning is he gets his arm lopped off. That would be a callback because in Day Of The Dead they save someone by chopping off their arm.

[@JamalGleeson]

Isn’t a prominent message/question of these Romero zombie movies that “who is more the monster?”. I remember even from the remake of Night Of The Living Dead or even maybe the original (been maybe 4 years) that it was about the absurd actions of the people that made you question this. Like humanity was waiting for an apocalypse to really show its true colors.

[@JamalGleeson]

Cholo doesn’t kill Dennis Hopper because he knows how to manage it all and Cholo doesn’t want to manage it.

[@Protoman85]

This time I feel like Iain is Siskel and Gary is Ebert. Iain picking everything apart and not looking at the whole picture

[@JohnBlack2345]

they both do it IMPO. from time to time. still really enjoy them, but sometimes yes....theyread stuff into films I just don't see.

[@dariogeorge8680]

Iain really really hates this movie.

[@chuckyandandy7858]

Ah, well, each to their own. I love this one personally.

[@Grandmastergav86]

With good reason 🤣

[@Predator1987X]

I love how it's called LAND of the Dead but the front cover is Zombies in water....🤔

[@TerryHesticles]

Lol can’t believe I never noticed that

[@lennonscat]

The thing that pisses me off in most Zombie flicks is how fast the bitten decay.... five minutes later they full blown zombie.... doesn't make sense....

[@SpeedBoost]

Romero was an "Accidental Genius" with his early films, and the second he tried to make "Intelligent Films" he made the embarrassing Second "Of the Dead" Trilogy. It's insane how all Artists seem to make their best work at the start of their careers, and then they slowly fall into a shadow of their former self. It's almost as if Artists are given an "Allowance of Creativity" and the second they've spent it, they can't seem to recapture it.

[@TheNotverysocial]

In other words, you only like Night of the Living Dead because it concerns itself with being a good movie first and foremost, and isn't concerned with politics, only accidental parallels GAR wasn't thinking about, like the twist ending. Once deliberate race issues were explored, as well as comparing excess consumption with zombies, it never recovered from the stigma. I don't like the heavyhanded stuff myself. I like the lack of cooperation causing more problems accidentally like in the first film, but I do not like the preachiness which would go to far in subsequent films following it. I still like most of the living dead films. The ones that followed Land were abysmal.

[@SpeedBoost]

+@@TheNotverysocial Well no, I love the First "Of the Dead" Trilogy (Night, Dawn and Day) as they all have a level of "Accidental Depth" that is a reflection of the decade that they were made in. But once people told Romero that his films were "Social Commentary" that's when he falls flat on his face by purposely being "Deep" in Land, Diary and Survival. It's a bit like when you overhear someone adequately sing a song and you complement their voice in passing just to be polite, and then the next time you see them they are actually trying to sing a complex song that's way out of their vocal range and it just sounds awful.

[@TheNotverysocial]

@@SpeedBoost Subtlety was certainly not the strong point of any of these movies beyond the first one. Land of the Dead sure makes a nice action film, though, which is more than can be said for the two after it. I actually like the scene where the guy hangs himself and his stupid son gets himself killed trying to cut the body down. It's one of those scenes where being too dumb to live is actually amusing.

[@MrHappyclappy123]

I think its also a case of filmmakers often make sense in the context of their era. The 70s and 80s really suited his directing and writing style. But planting his style into the 2000s and it suddenly felt really hokey.

[@elliotyourarobot]

The zombies are evil in this film. In the others they were just mindless creatures.

[@acountryboysopinion6001]

George Romero HATED "RUNNING ZOMBIES "!!

[@anthonychase3752]

Was George Romero taking a shot at Dan O'Brien movie ROTLD

[@TheUballe]

You guys rock! Thank you for covering the Romero films!

[@charlesdexterward7781]

@19:50 One of those reviews where Ian is baffled by everything in the movie and Gary is reduced to staring at him dead-eyed as his soul drifts away from his body...

[@guyjperson]

My perspective is that Gary doesn't engage enough. It's true that Iain misses tons of stuff. He watches like a guy who likes to have a beer an watch a movie, seems to me...But Gary needs to take recap reins now and again. The show's been evolving since they sat shoulder to shoulder on a sofa

[@charlesdexterward7781]

@@guyjperson Yep. And I'm mostly taking the piss. I'd rather watch their reviews more than just about anyone else's. I just tend to empathize with Gary's unspoken frustration.

[@voodoochile333]

Romero made a mistake in casting known recognised actors. Unlike the first 3.

[@williamlowery6487]

But who doesn't love a good Super Mario Bros. movie mini-reunion?

[@Aristotle501]

George Lucas made a similar mistake with the SW prequels. Far from the only mistake but Samuel L. Jackson as a Jedi? If he's not allowed to say 'mother****er' then he's miscast, it's a given.

[@Right_Said_Brett]

George Romero went on the record in past interviews and stated that the name actors were insisted upon by the studio. They weren't Romero's choice.

[@davidcokeley2918]

All the actors are great!

[@sheabutter3260]

@@Right_Said_Brett that's true!! I have read that in am interview with him! But he actually really wanted Denis Hopper to be in it though.

[@billclay2678]

"Most of the interesting stuff happened before this film begins" LOL

[@AarenJable]

Just like The Force Awakens

[@davidcokeley2918]

The opening sences of the movie is the best part!

[@vinniecorleone62]

You guys made my year with reviewing all of Romero's iconic films, including this one which I was hoping you would cover, so good man! I love this film, saw it opening day in the High Desert town of Barstow as I was visiting there with my wife, I thought it was a much bigger film & more ambitious. During the movie trailers before the film started I watched an ad for the "Land of the Dead: Road to Fiddler's Green", only on the PC or Xbox so I went out at once & bought my first original Xbox being a proud PS2 owner then, loved the game, the only authentic Romero Zombie game out then!

[@Grandmastergav86]

Speaking of Romero I love Creepshow, The Crazies and Martin - all well worth a review from these guys. The Crazies is v dated but is fun.

[@aydenvavra2153]

@vinniecorleone62 I have a fun time with Land of the Dead and it’s a great conclusion to the series

[@foundationforbuilding-scar2060]

Charlie(face burn) was so codependent which was fitting the illustraton of codependency. The movie provided deception to think his partner(t.v.show 'The Mentalist") needed his help but the excessive emotionals from Charlie took me out the movie at times.

[@visulisationuk]

I remember going o see this in the cinema and being slightly disappointed although I did find the directors cut was a definite improvement. One of the main problems with the movie was the number of very famous actors that was in it. This made the movie less grounded than the previous installments. Interesting factoid - If my memory serves me right, I’m sure George A Romero actually directed the Japanese trailer for Resident Evil 2 (the game) and this piqued the interest of movie studios (Whom actually gave him first refusal on the movie). In terms of his latter movies, I actually enjoyed Survival the most (although I hated it on first viewing) and Diary the least . Great show guys, keep it up.

[@agenthunk5070]

that's the one thing I did not like about this movie, how they wrote in script, the people getting killed and no one helping them and it was a lazy write off.... when I saw that I was like this movie sucked and they let the survivors get killed at the fence... I don't like that in any surviving movie, humanity is already near extinct, the last thing you want to do is allow thousands of people to get killed... pointless..

[@anthonyjordanmoviesandmore2470]

I always took that whole exchange with the rookie being bitten and John leguizamo accidentally spilling the cigars as that rookie was someone Dennis Hopper wanted out of the way

[@davidpadilla3025]

Fan from Spanish Harlem in NYC. Have a soft spot for this one, especially knowing that this is what Romero wanted to do in Day of the Dead with Bub having his own army of zombies. The effects were awesome, Loved the Charlie character. You guys rock like always. Thanks.

[@liam_wasnt_found8957]

I rlly love charlie- hes like a real silly man despite him killing zombies and stuff, he's like this heartwarming zombie but idk why thooo But when he said "They're gone.. The sky flowers... they're gone!" WAS SO ADORABLE I CAN'T 😭

[@jonnybaze]

The lead doesn't work for me. He doesn't kill the movie but I think the best word to describe him in the film is serviceable. However I do like the film and watched it several times. I think this is the most rewatch able "of the dead film"

[@TheBeird]

Sacrilege to say, but I love the Dawn of the Dead remake. It was a shame this came out after, or rather that it took a remake of his own film to get Romero a chance to make his own flick. Thing is, whatever one thinks of Snyder's film, it has flair and plenty of vim that this flick severely lacks. Bit it in the ass

[@hypnocilicdreams]

LOTD is a big departure from the consistency of the first three, but I think a 20 year gap since the previous film can cause that. It's nowhere near as good as Night, Dawn or Day, but I enjoy it for what it is anyway. The zombies do look great ...& it has Dennis Hopper in! Can't wait to hear your thoughts on Diary & Survival :D Cheers!

[@cc4670]

Alot of the commentary is missing the point of the movie. We see what they wanted to see all the time in zombie media. This story is just one of many that could be possible in world post zombies. Also it's like a capitalist hellscape.

[@brianoconnell6459]

They could have built on this whole Land of the Dead social commentary a lot better, because basically the moment you die, you become a zombie. Big Daddy was a zombie who retained enough of his smarts to be near human, so the message could have been "You died, you're a zombie, what can you do?". In fact, I wonder what they did with everyone who survived the zombie apocalypse, but died of natural causes? Maybe Big Daddy wasn't a turned zombie, maybe he was hanging out at his gas station, and had a heart attack, came back as a zombie, so he had more retained memories than most of the "OMG I got bit!" zombies. And if you weren't turned, you basically came back, and could remember everything despite being undead, that would completely outrage you when you saw turned zombies being turned into so much mulch. Come on, you know that would have worked so much better.

[@randallbesch2424]

A cut scene shows a man committing suicide then waking up.

[@AarenJable]

I went to see this in the cinema and thought it was....okay, didn't like it as much as Dawn or Day though. It's definitely better than Diary or Survival, but that isn't saying much. Not a film that I'd recommend or bother watching again. At least it didn't disappoint me as much as the next two.

[@guyjperson]

Diary and Survival are like the shit copy movies that Also Rans make to mimic Romero. It makes me sad. I think George had other ideas in him. Too bad he peaked with his first movie.

[@williamlowery6487]

Diary of the Dead? Is that an Anne Frank zombie movie?

[@AarenJable]

@@williamlowery6487 *slow clap*

[@5oups3yeVi3w]

Yes! Can't wait to see how this conversation goes. Land of the Dead is such an interesting extension of Romero's Zombie world

[@UnCreativeDeconstructionism]

in concept

[@Grandmastergav86]

All downhill after Day unfortunately

[@vinniecorleone62]

I loved this movie, very ambitious concept & story just a little too low budget. Saw trailer for game seeing this film opening day & went out & bought my first Xbox just to play the game.

[@Grandmastergav86]

@@vinniecorleone62 I really didn't like this one. The main character was weak compared to the earlier films, I didn't like his sidekick either. The story was ambitious but I honestly think there was major studio interference on this one. Doesn't feel like a George flick to me. Each to their own, glad you enjoyed it 😀

[@vinniecorleone62]

@@Grandmastergav86 I just accept films for what they are, I don't try & rip them apart, I figure George did the best he could with the cards he had, I love the concept overall, sure it could have been better but it is what it is & I enjoyed it.

[@jonnybaze]

Grandmastergav86 this film isn't fantastic and I absolutely agree about our main two characters. Especially the lead. I find it the most rewatchable of the dead films though.

[@Grandmastergav86]

@@jonnybaze how? Lmao

[@leesmith7792]

Please say you're reviewing the rest of the Dead series. After seeing how much Iain hated this, I cant wait to see the demolishing the rest of the series gets. Great review!

[@christorb]

Anyone else get thrown off-course when Iain doesn't start out with "Well the story follows..." ?

[@UnCreativeDeconstructionism]

thats because the story follows him before we follow the story

[@mikesgtrs1]

I feel though that Land of the Dead was a last ditch effort to cover up the Dawn of the Dead remake a year earlier. I feel though that LAND was missing some elements that made the first 3 movies great.

[@WoodBlock707]

I would love for you guys to review from dust till dawn.

[@paulmclorinan4502]

Honestly Gary ,Iain thanks for these reviews a love and grew up on the dead movies yous guys are on the ball yous know your shit ,I classed myself as a movie buff but yous feed me such amount of info I didn't know it's a fuckin joy watching your reviews .much love from Glasgow guys keep up the cracking work

[@christophertheriault3308]

They keep calling the blonde zombie a cheerleader when she’s wearing a ball player outfit and holds a bat in the beginning. During the first raid a different zombie gets killed that is a cheerleader with the pom poms and everything.

[@edwardbevington9351]

Im gonna back to back all their of the dead reviews today! Well done lads!

[@ebrahimherrera9049]

Best day of week!! Keep it going boys

[@temsopsinternational6744]

Another good review. I did enjoy watching the differences of opinion between you guys. I personally enjoyed the movie - but of course, Night, Dawn and Day I think are better. :)

[@shadowleon659]

I thought that this movie was alright. Its still far much better than Diary of the Dead.

[@kellinwinslow1988]

You are right about that.

[@shadowleon659]

@@kellinwinslow1988 Yeah. I found Diary forgettable, bland and uninspired.

[@Tarotlynx]

@@shadowleon659 Diary would be okay, if they bothered to let there by any light in the movie. You can barely see anything.

[@mattmidgley4275]

loving the dead reviews, OTSR 👊👊

[@Luvie1980]

Zombieland 2 is coming out soon.

[@williamlowery6487]

But where's the Return of the Living Dead review at?

[@joshuamorris7187]

Wetting the front apature is a common practice in the military. It helps with sight picture on target...

[@marianotorrespico2975]

A three-star George Romero zombie movie is better than no George Romero zombie movie. Neverthenonetheless, your review is worth watching. Thanks, for the good work: Honest criticism in service to the viewer.

[@dashingdavid297]

I love Land Of The Dead but for all the wrong reasons

[@PondoSinatra680]

I don’t mind this film anymore. It used to make me angry because it was not great, but now it’s watchable when it’s on. It won’t be long before it reaches guilty pleasure status, like AvP or Escape from LA for me.

[@Darek_B52]

I like this movie...it's just a fun, comfy, somewhat campy, film that I could put on at any time and enjoy.

[@rutger6789]

Darek Baird I like it too, was a nice memorable movie :)

[@davidcokeley2918]

I love it I fell in love with Dawn of the dead my dad searched for it for months he found it and we watched it at night and I fell in love the samething happened with land of the Dead I watched it at night with my dad my friend wanted to watch it so I walked it over to his house the moon was full right at the top of the sky with one of thoese big ring clouds around it i could hear dogs barking in the distance it was a beautiful night and a beautiful experance I loved the movie!

[@davidcokeley2918]

That being said I could have done with out the smart zombie

[@godzillaprime]

The problem I have with this one is that zombies aren't misunderstood and just looking for a place to... "live". They are mindless killing machines who will mever stop. So when you're supposed to feel empathy for them it really doesn't work

[@elliotyourarobot]

In this particular film i would argue that they are evil as they specifically go after the tower instead of wandering around mindlessly

[@juniorsandoval9624]

Bad Romero movie through and through. Best part of this review is you showed a clip of Carnival Of Souls

[@binnybros]

I remember getting a copy early and taking it around to Gary’s all excited... there was a strange atmosphere after we had watched it lol

[@ghostlightx9005]

The thing about the remake of Dawn of the Dead is the first 15 to 20 are absolutely outstanding and about the strongest 20 mins in any zombie movie. Also, those zombies with instruments in Land... I have to ask.... how did we arrive at that situation? They were killed while playing in the bandstand and just stayed there. It's a nice visual but a bit silly practically.

[@cruddddddddddddddd]

I don't hate this film, but I do agree that they tried to do too much. I would've completely cut out the Riley character, made Cholo the MC, who saved Charlie, who is his conscience, maybe, and you can still focus on the have/have nots with a tighter story and a similar, if grimmer (more Romero-faithful) ending. I don't know if this is the case, but I wonder if the studio wanted 'more focus on Dead Reckoning' or 'we need a MC that is 100% good' or whatever, and this is what we got. It's definitely a lesser Romero offering. I do enjoy most of the zombie and gore effects, when it's not CGI

[@TheAlan136]

John Legosmo. I love how you pronounce his name.

[@destynova4512]

Sad this was the only Romero flick I got to see in theaters, came out when I was in high school and was pretty disappointed. Definitely his weakest film, though it had it's moments.

[@ShimaS-0079]

Zombie stealth ninjas are ridiculous.

[@TheWaynos73]

What makes no sense in this movie and Cholo’s ransom demand for $5million is how exactly does paper money work in a post apocalyptic world? Surely paper currency would be worthless no? Currency in a world gone mad like that would be: fuel, ammo, canned food, booze, cigarettes, weapons, shelter, medical supplies, fresh water etc - so where do you spend paper money in abandoned shops and towns exactly?

[@alanlee67]

Romero's work is like michael jackson albums. Night is off the wall, dawn is thriller, day is bad. Land is like history just beating you over the head with social commentary like they dont really care about us and earth song. Also, resident evil kind of came along and did a lot of things better about zombies. Even more iconic and memorable zombie designs like in RE2 with more interesting characters.

[@andrewblanchard2398]

they call the ZOMBIES STENCHES

[@Emulous79]

This film is like Ghosts of Mars. Tolerable when drunk.

[@UnCreativeDeconstructionism]

"I'm sorry dad" -Iain sounding like Adam Sandler lmao Also *turn up!*

[@jeffn4836]

I hope they get to Return of the Living Dead. IMO, the best zombie movie ever made (or, at least it’s my favorite).

[@anthonychase3752]

My favorite too

[@jeffn4836]

Anthony Chase Great minds, right?

[@solidarnosc9663]

Night of the Living Dead will always be the gold standard. Dawn of the Dead is up there too.

[@misterwillguitar]

great review sir! was worried I was gonna get Romero fanboy service, but looks like we agreed again! Funny, I dont remember the Mentalist being in the movie, I was so put off on the trailers seeing Shakespear in love........and found myself rolling my eyes so much with "ah class commentary moment" and "ah yes, social commentary moment" and "ah yes zombies are the good guys, humans are the bad guys (but again only certain demographics)".....I think I was happy to support it and pay to see it, because Romero deserved the money and so on, but I knew full well Im giving so many passes to the movie on that alone.......never watched it again and never wanted to. Everything has a "shelf life" (pun intended) and was quite clear that Romero and zombies really had their expiration date in the 80s.......again seeing our practical effects master as a zombie was just "yep, he's been paid, hail savvini" but he actually looks more effective than when he was alive - stronger and more focused! Again I just hope Romero got paid and it made up for the years when he was abused financially.............but that is ALL I can hope for from this

[@theghost3061]

you guys are growing real well man. Keep being yourselves as always :)

[@wopjohn]

Deleted scenes show neighbor asking cholo for help

[@brothercartman]

I remember liking this one... it's a fun B movie. It's not as good as Day of the Dead, or even the 2004 Dawn of the Dead, but it's alright.

[@AbrasiousProductions]

I just noticed the little silent bob figure in the background looks very similar to iain😂

[@kylecurry577]

Yes this movie isn’t very good. The characters are shallow & the story is thin. It seriously lacks the depth of the first three Romero movies.

[@Tarotlynx]

Zombies regaining partial intelligence is distinctly scarier (and more interesting) than running zombies. Period. Remember, Bub was regaining intelligence. And Sarah said "If you're right, Rickles, then they're learning. They're actually learning." So this isn't a shock that Romero was heading in this direction with his zombies. And it works. Nor is there anything wrong with an intelligent, subdued movie. There is, however, something wrong with a main character who is too inconsistent in his level of concern for people.

[@Tarotlynx]

Riley is mad about the mysterious boy's death in the liquor store because it was his last night, and he wanted nothing to go wrong. And by the way, Cholo is a secondary villain; no antihero would be interested in destroying the city with no regard for what will befall his friends in the slums below. As for Pretty Boy, yes, she seems to be the only person among the crew of Dead Reckoning who knows what she's doing. How Kaufman keeps people from rising up against him is by giving them games and vices to keep them distracted, (like television and the Internet). The dialogue tells you almost everything you need to know (though it would help if Reilly would let people tell their stories. Slack was right to tell him "It changed for all of us." You are right, however, in that it would've been interesting to see the rise of Fiddler's Green as well as its fall. Last point - the makeup is different? So what. The zombies are evolving mentally, so why not physically? And no, don't kill Big Daddy and his gang. You'll need those weapons against the non-intelligent zombies still waiting for you when you're driving to Canada.

[@MitchellHammond]

John Legoozimo

[@guyjperson]

It's sort of charming that they make no effort to figure these names out.

[@AarenJable]

The guys' inability to pronounce things correctly is part of their charm

[@QuickDrawDuel]

I know how they could of pulled that terrible cgi zombie. It's like the headless horseman. Shoulder pads, cover with clothes, fake head that swings on to arm, close up of teeth biting down, someone uppercutting head, Charlie shoots the chest, explode head with squib. Done, next scene.

[@91MoonKnight]

I don't hate Land of the Dead like Ian but I actually enjoyed it. I love the make-up on the zombies. I like that it's a capitalist hellscape with civilisation trying to rebuild but is still corrupted by greed which makes it question if can people change. I also love the group of zombies and that they're continuing on with intelligent zombies from the Romero series.

[@AbrasiousProductions]

For the longest time I thought Peter Serafinowicz was in this

[@VortexBunche]

Say it with me, guys: Leh-gwih-zah-mo. Not "Legoozimo."

[@MissB2483]

😂😂😂😂 jacked his name all up!!!!

[@AubreyTheKing]

Land is okay. Not one of my favorites though, but I still consider it a classic film in some way.

[@john9381]

Licking the sights was mostly popularized for a 1941 Gary Cooper film, "Sergeant York". Supposedly this would create more barrel contrast when targeting. Supposedly. Never tried it myself. I love how it upsets Iain so much.

[@DesROWUnited]

Ian surely run it down this review, the nitpicking is legendary on this one, all Gary could say everytime Ian trashtalk the movie was "Well... Yeah, yeah". The movie it's pretty good, it's not a masterpiece like Day of the Dead, but is competent, the worst offender it's the cgi but that's it, not a fan of this review.

[@Grandmastergav86]

The writing of the characters is in no way competent. There are technical aspects which are decent but beyond that it's a husk of a Romero flick.

[@shootermcgavin214]

I think it was said that in this zombie universe it has only been 3 years since the outbreak

[@LunaSDominni]

I completely agree about Bub having way more of a personality than Big Daddy. But regarding the contact thing, do you think realism should take a backseat to storytelling in something like this? I have no idea how fast decay works or if being a zombie holds it off faster, but realistically wouldn't most zombies (unless they are freshly bitten) have pale/whited-out eyes? Yes you can relate humanity better with a zombie with normal eyes, but does that pull you out of the immersion that these things should look decayed and rotting?

[@carlosarmandovegavazquez7038]

I'm afraid to encounter Iain during the zombie apocalypse. If I'm a zombie and he's human, he would annihilate me in the blink of an eye.

[@Jorpen410]

At the end the so called Zombie leader that began to think should've been blown up by a missile since the zombie is the threat that killed many of the people they tried to save towards the end of the film.The protagonist decided not to kill the zombie leader at the end while he had the chance as he tried to humanize the zombie by sighting that both the human and undead were no different cause both wanted a place to go to but that made no sense as zombies weren't humans.

[@mvegetaxachilles7211]

Always got slight enjoyment out of this film, decent B movie with some cool concepts like dead reckoning but was never invested in the characters to really give a shit. Never was on the level of the new or original Dawn or even Shaun of the Dead.

[@randallbesch2424]

Cholo turning into a zombie. The only time I ever thought that way. Werewolf or vampire yes but zombie no until Cholo did.

[@JamalGleeson]

So the one dude has a problem of Big Daddy using power tools even if it is established within the movie. The same dude compares him to Bub earlier in the review, which is the same character. Bub was a soldier so he crudely uses firearms, then Big Daddy uses power tools because he was a mechanic... same same but the guy uses it as a negative towards this movie.

[@pho3nixinflight]

Saw this in theaters. Was definitely disappointed... didn’t hate it but didn’t like it. I did HATE the “main” or “leader” zombie though. The CGI really hampered the film as well imo. Frankly I think Romero is a bit overrated. He was great at a certain time in this particular niche, but by 2004 he was sadly passed his prime, and his concepts just didn’t really translate as well anymore.

[@pho3nixinflight]

2005*

[@TheFilmyMcFilmFilmShow]

I think Romero's style just made sense back in the 70's and 80's. Transporting it too the 2000s really amplified the corny elements of his movies and lost all the charm the earlier movies had. Also Directors losing their creative edge with age doesn't get factored in enough. Still a legend.

[@lunarvision]

Good stuff, been watching your zombie reviews. Now I’m looking through your playlists and hoping to find a Martyrs review...maybe?

[@shallendor]

It reminds me of Chi Town(Fiddlers Green) and the Burbs from the Rifts RPG! The people in the Burbs have a 10-15 year wait list for the useful people. The unskilled have a lot longer wait list.

[@Jay-mu4xl]

Yes it's Thursday! Thanks chaps!

[@BushcraftingBogan]

Maybe it should be named “Plot Holes of The Dead”.

[@MrSleepyweezul]

This was basically 'Baby's First Zombie Movie' for me. Used to be terrified of zombies when I was little, then by the time this came out I had grown a thick enough skin to give it a watch. I had a scary fun time, and from then on I sought out the better stuff to see what I'd missed. So I give it a pass for being the gateway drug so to speak. Favorite shot was that bit where they split the guys arm the long way, that really stuck out as a cool visual.