WHY didn't the survivors STAY IN THE MALL!? (Dawn of the Dead 2004)

If you had the choice of having an ENTIRE mall to yourself and nearly a dozen others in a zombie apocalypse GUARANTEED or had the option to go out on a boat to an island that may or may not exist and risk everyones lives while doing so... which option would you pick and why is it the MALL!?
Today we discuss why the survivors in Zack Snyder's 2004 remake of Dawn of the Dead are some of the dumbest people since the little girl in Black Summer season 2.
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[@1wayroad935]

Let's be real here. Zombie media is defined by characters doing stupid things to move the plot forward.

[@someoneelse4811]

It inherited that from the horror genre.

[@raveneggz3337]

When your antagonists brains are rotting, your protagonists can't have brains at all. Lol

[@lewislewis3531]

The World War Z novel gives the best examination of this, putting it largely down to ignorance and desperation. Good book, worth a read!

[@tedtheodore5715]

I'd probably make an apocalypse movie about a quiet and silent protagonist, a regular survivor, the movie would basically be a quiet (sometimes relaxing, sometimes anxious) movie where they go about their days doing certain things, gathering supplies from various buildings, most of the time avoiding zombies or other survivors, with conflict here and there, maybe their escape is locked, maybe they've been spotted by hostile survivors, stuff like that, it'd be a quiet series showing what most survivors would do to survive every day in the apocalypse, watching how their life goes

[@skinwalker4934]

​@tedtheodore5715 if you're looking for a zombie movie like that I'd recommend the night eats the world. If you haven't seen it already

[@kyleharris8759]

It wouldn't even be a "Tropical Island". They're in Wisconsin. Surviving the frigid winters anywhere besides a compound like the mall would be one of the top risks of death to begin with.

[@thelordofthelostbraincells]

Death by pneumonia

[@themanwithnoname1839]

Thats like saying africans arent used to the heat so they will die of it....... Bruh they grew up there, i think theyre used to it and aware of that lmfao hell i grew up just south oc chicago and i love the cold, im far more adaptable to cold than heat, winter wouldnt be an issue for them other than maybe if they were growing their own food

[@swagman27536]

​@themanwithnoname1839 you like the cold because you have a nice warm house to go back into that they won't lol

[@Magic-dk1xe]

different milwaukee

[@tenderandmoist5011]

​@@themanwithnoname1839heat waves literally kill hundreds of African people each year wtf are you saying? Grew up there my ass if I put you out on a winter night and give you no heating supplies you will die even if you were born and raised in Alaska

[@DavidFrendin]

I always assumed cabin fever kicked in and they were having a psychological reaction to living in this monotonous space for weeks or months while the *horde outside keeps piling up.

[@orionsbasementandbeyond8447]

You just answered the question in one sentence to this long diatribe of a video, thanks.

[@petetherealrelentless6542]

This is the best answer. Also humans are the only being/animal that will leave an abundance of resources to explore other areas.

[@gordons-alive4940]

An island would have a couple of advantages, I suppose. Once you cleared the island, you wouldn't have to worry about zombies too much, while at the mall they'd have to worry about break ins. It's more defensible. You could possibly do some farming and hunting there, if it were a big enough island. Might be more sustainable. The video's right though. They never really get into the reasons they leave, other than not wanting to die there.

[@silentecho92able]

@@gordons-alive4940 If they needed a reason to go out it would be to get Andy some food or to get him and all his guns and ammo into the mall preferably at the start of their hold-out, then the movie should have just put in something like 8 months later, and have everyone put into stock how much food they have left. They would realize they used pass half the food the mall super market has to offer, as they have eaten all the perishable food in the first 2 months, and they been eating canned goods all that time from breakfast to dinner, and only have less then 2-3 months max if rationed very tightly. An now they have a hard talk that the mall is running its course an only considering the island idea as the last resort they have in mind as the military or any help ain't coming.

[@Eidolon1andOnly]

*horde (not "hoard") A horde is a noun meaning a large group. Hoard is more often a verb meaning to collect or stash impulsively, or as a joun regarding a stash or collection of hoarded items.

[@varshard0]

In the original, the survivors planned to hold out in the mall until the end, but then the real threat is a group of raiders that forced them out.

[@Anselmer_]

Which was also hilarious because the raiders had no plan and goofed off WHILE ZOMBIES WERE INSIDE THE MALL WITH THEM. I still remember one guy who put his arm in a blood pressure machine just cuz and got eaten cuz he couldn't get his arm out. Like why did you put it in dumbass!?

[@Rensune]

Unfortunately reality has proven that people really are that stupid

[@UncleTermite]

The leader of the biker gang in the original was the one reporting how to kill them in the remake in the beginning . Tom Savini .

[@Damnyourhypnotics96]

Still the best dawn of the dead movie

[@MyWifeIsBetterThanYouWife]

@@UncleTermitemy man 👊 I love little Easter eggs like that lol there’s other “cameos” like that in other movies, both in the Romeroverse and I believe he played a similar role (Savini I mean in this instance) in From Dusk Til Dawn

[@punkshotgun3421]

I also blame that one redhead girl for trying to save the dog (which the zombies ingore) from the zombified gun store owner thus costing the life of a few survivors just to save her and rushing them to use the buses because the zombies were chasing them through the sewers. ALL BECAUSE OF HER.

[@jakealter5504]

You’re overlooking the facts that they were already planning to go to the gun store (Nicole’s actions only sped that up) and Nicole only got tucker killed, it was trusting Steve that screwed everything up and got most of them killed

[@hidesan7794]

@@jakealter5504 Yeah, "planning" was the word. But they had to rush it and go improvise; that's quite the opposite of planning ngl. Its her fault they had to rush it... so its her fault

[@thelordofthelostbraincells]

Redhead=Dead by zed.

[@jakealter5504]

@@hidesan7794 not entirely, you seem to forget that it was actually Steve abandoning the door that ultimately caused them to lose the mall

[@brandonmccann15]

​@@jakealter5504ye that's the guy from modern family he fucked up the group to lol should have stayed at the door

[@ZoeyDeLeonVA]

If they stayed on this mall, a cool sitcom series will be a great idea on their current setting. it'll be like Friends but in a mall and set in an apocalypse

[@thewarlordhimself]

great idea actually

[@aunknownspecies4153]

You know what hmmm 🤔

[@abramsullivan7764]

Yes sounds interesting staring Ty Burrell as Phil Dunphy

[@tfuwan1248]

Mercury slipped into their water and now they're crazy thinking it's a forever episode of Friends

[@RozettaVyper]

That's actually a cool idea. And since mostly young adults and teens visit the mall, that could make for a lot of drama as well.

[@carlcounts1]

In the 1978 Dawn of the Dead the zombies were slow and clumsy. This version the zombies were very athletic with incredible cardio

[@maddog7999]

and there’s a book which explains why that is completely improbable

[@hidan407]

​@@maddog7999yeah, I like that when people really dig deep into monsters, alot of them really aremt scary or at least not as extreme as some media potrays. I always imagined them running and moving alot would accelerate their decomposition

[@ThisPhantomPain]

@@maddog7999plus they eventually rot to the point of having exposed bones and joints. It would’ve been a nice throwback to the OG film if they started to shamble as their levels of decomposition became apparent.

[@debyaka]

To be fair they were forced out of the mall after returning from Andys and not being able to close the door in time, It was never their intention to abandon the mall at that time, One would assume they would have planned / prepared more if it hadn't been for that.

[@Ryan30z]

Regardless of when they chose to leave it's still a terrible plan.

[@maxi0969]

But they planned to go to Andy's to look up for guns to leave the mall, that was the plan

[@Megaalith]

@@maxi0969He was gonna go with them before he got bit

[@bjornjoseph]

Let's be honest. They could've held the door if they wanted... Then zombies were at a choke point in the stairs.

[@Abioticwinter]

They would run out of food.

[@rosskuhlman]

In the extended version of the film it is made clear that they are running out of food, and either have to move or starve. Also worth pointing out that at the end they absolutely had to leave the mall because it was being overrun with zombies coming in from the sewer stairwell

[@dontrailtyson8405]

not in the screening version so it dont count lol

[@danzig3764]

Exactly!! Andy was starving to death, but the theatrical cut they didn’t seem like they were running out of food.

[@Hype679]

@@KemetShamar So, let's think about the beginning of the film. Initial outbreak jumps off, let's say half the metro gets got while trying to leave. Other people like the ones we're watching though, found shelter, and are probably hiding elsewhere. Eventually though, reality ensues. Mistakes are made, desperation/hunger/thirst sets in, and people either get eaten, or succumb to infections over the time gap the movie covers. By the end of the film, it's all but certain that everyone except the crew in the mall, per the OG film and this remake; are already dead or turned. They're the only ones left for miles around.

[@rosskuhlman]

@@dontrailtyson8405 fair enough haha

[@rosskuhlman]

@@KemetShamar They don't necessarily answer that question, but the characters in the movie ask the same question. I just fassume that they can smell the humans or otherwise detect them somehow

[@peacefrogs47]

It's not a bad idea to have escape vehicles ready, but yeah, they kinda messed up leaving the mall

[@aschizo4111]

they should have stayed in the mall but still make the escape vehicles, put some supplies in them and have them as a safety getaway incase the mall gets overrun!

[@js1031]

@@aschizo4111 Exactly. Never a bad idea to have a Plan B.

[@jakealter5504]

@@aschizo4111 their biggest mistake was trusting Steve to guard the door

[@aschizo4111]

@@jakealter5504 he got what he deserved lol

[@jakealter5504]

@@aschizo4111 agreed

[@porpus99]

It's like the 28 Days Later movie. While on their way to the Military base, they found a grocery store. From what I remember, the store was fully stocked and had no windows. Secure the entry points while you have power and eat the perishables first. Those infected die of starvation. Lay low and use the supplies on hand to survive.

[@danielsevillajr366]

Weird you have 28 likes on this comment 😂

[@dorkbrandon4422]

Mmmmmm irradiated!

[@igodreamer7096]

Good point. Love that movie, but looks like "every zombie movie" must avoid critical / strategic thinking like a plague xDDDD

[@Justthisguyyouknow]

They lost power, and went to go fill generators, and accidentally let zombies get in the mall, and couldn't secure their retreat. From that point it was run as fast as you can. I think the vehicles were being set up so they would have a "safe" vehicle, in the event they DID have to leave (Which they were going to have to at some point, they only had so much food). With the zombies swarming into the mall, they had to leave.

[@kalfaxplays7899]

ye but that only happened because they didn't secure the mall first.

[@stone5578]

no . they burned the zombies that part . its when they went to save the dog that was with the guy at the gun store . when they got back they couldn't secure the door . then they left

[@blackice51374]

Go watch the movie again

[@D-Thang_]

@@stone5578 Foolish decision

[@stone5578]

@@D-Thang_ I agree . It was the girl who run over there for the dog . Then her boyfriend wanted to save her smh

[@thesrow1056]

To be fair the reason the malls is empty in several of these examples is that the outbreak happens overnight with the full outbreak happening early morning, so it makes sense that only the nightwatchman are there and all the entrances are locked

[@Franky566]

the security gaurds were watching the news all night and decided to never open the building. smart.

[@thesrow1056]

@@Franky566 smartest thing they do. They're a bit stupid from that point onwards 😆

[@slewone4905]

in these days, the mall is bankrupt by covid/ amazon. There should be a cleaning crew as well.

[@BeruCampos]

Zombie apoc survivor detected

[@TrippingHawk]

@@thesrow1056not true, the guards were smart but got overpowered by Kenneth and co. from there on they made all the dumb decisions and forced the guards to go along.

[@GodDiggetyDoodle]

Andy could've single handedly cleared out the whole mall area of he wasn't goofing around with the cop. As you've said he owns a gun store and is an impressive marksman. Give him a few days, a week at most and he would've thinned the horde out enough for the mall crew to rescue him safely

[@SCH292]

Yeah. Keep in mind that the crew only needed 9mm, 357 mag and 12 gauge(likely 00 buck 9 pellets). Andy was using a rifle. According to the wiki he was using Winchester Mode 70 and it uses 30-06. Andy save just enough 30-06 for himself and enough ammo for the crew. The other guns and other ammo for those guns are free game for Andy to use for thinning out the horde. Also we need to blame the red head chick too.

[@darthkarnage7538]

He did try that in Andy's Lost Tapes but the sounds of the gun shots only attracted more.

[@Jeff1tgdsghdehhsf]

@@darthkarnage7538 That's the thing my guy the gun sound only travel's so far and that's a larger gun shop with plenty of ammo to easily kill what's in the area and what will show up and there zombies with rotting body's most of them will loose the ability of hearing after a good couple of day and if it's a rabies thing then the majority of them will die to starvation with only a couple stragglers here and there and body's rot a whole lot faster than you'd think hell in the real world a real zombie wouldn't' even last a few weeks in worm climates do to decommission in winter maybe half of winter a zombie could hold out but in that cold climate they'd freeze break apart and be harmless for the most part so yea that mall was basically a perfect spot to live for anyone with common sence in the real world but you know horror movie's they use stupidly to move push the narrative.

[@Pavia1525]

Read World War Z and the Zombie Apocalypse Guide by Max Brooks. Malls and urban areas are places to be avoided. They attract the undead. With a major outbreak like in this movie, there would have been thousands and eventually millions of zombies showing up with all that shooting and noise. They would have ran out of ammo, but before that the undead would have breached the doors of the mall. They would pound on it until they were through. They would never stop. Also, the psychological damage of being surrounded by the moaning zombies 24/7 would drive many crazy.

[@phousefilms]

"Andy's Lost Tapes"from the special features of the movie states that he tried for an hour and more and more just showed up. Even trying to burn them with molotovs just made them burn for a long time.

[@Josh-99]

One of the big rules in the Zombie Survival Guide is to not abandon your stronghold without reason. In fact, it recommends not even leaving your stronghold without reason, because doing so could result in whoever goes out being tracked by bandits and marauders back to your stronghold. The best thing to do is stay put, create as little "noise" as possible, and never reveal your location to anyone for any reason except in the absolute most desperate of circumstances.

[@AJadedLizard]

One of the other big rules in the zombie survival guide is to never carry more than 30 rounds of .22 LR on you at any time, despite it being sold in boxes of 50. It can be safely assumed it's a very bad idea to follow any of the "rules" it suggests, because Max Brooks is a nepotist pretending to be funny.

[@wymonwatson1309]

​@AJadedLizard I haven't read this "guide" but yeah the guy who wrote it is the son of an actor/comedian and is the LAST person I would take apocalypse survival tips from, I think this was the same guy who said the 10/22 was the ultimate zombie survival weapon, and to a point it's not a terrible choice, unless you run into live baddies, in which case I want a little more range and power, so I'll stick to my pile of ar pattern weapons, hey I have a .22 cmmg conversion kit, so 👌 😂

[@AJadedLizard]

@@wymonwatson1309 Every single time he talks about guns, he's wrong. He also says it'll be a bad idea to run an AR in the zombie apocalypse because it'll be hard to find ammo for...in America. He recommends the AK-47 though.

[@wymonwatson1309]

@AJadedLizard 🤣 To be fair there is a large amount of 7.62x39 in America, that said 5.56 and possibly even a bunch of military issue mags will definitely be more abundant. Personally none of it matters there will never be a sci-fi zombie apocalypse. There could be plenty of other wrol scenarios though, and none of them make me think 10-22 or any other 22 will be my mvp weapon/tool of choice.

[@moteroargentino7944]

@wymonwatson1309 To be fair, a silenced .22 carbine _could_ give you some options if you are scouting and want to keep a low profile. It might not be as lethal as bigger calibers, but it won't give away your position as easily, so you have more chances to take another shot or retreat, or not be heard by strangers if you're hunting.

[@MysteriousTomJenkins]

One thing I noticed from watching clips of this movie and the extra stuff is that the zombies are attracted to noise, I think a lot of the zombies came to this area because of the gun store owner shooting zombies outside. With that in mind and the fact that they have access to the sewer, one thing I thought of is they could find a sewer cover further away from the gunstore, slightly push the grate up, yell out to attract the zombies who would mindlessly run to the grate while having a rooftop person monitor them with binoculars. All the zombies run towards this further away sewer cover and they can quickly have a second crew go to the gunstore, throw some food in the doggy door and get some weapons and bam, more guns and Andy doesn't starve to death. I honestly feel like they could have abused how the zombies act to their advantage if they slowed down enough to test their intelligence. They weren't smart enough to break in and seem attracted to noise and only want humans so there are probably more plans you could come up with to get around them with normal human intelligence. And while they are supernatural zombies who will survive as long as their brain is intact, there is no reason to assume they wouldn't be affected by adverse weather or temepratures so they'd probably freeze or something once it got cold or start to burn or suffer damage from being outside during intense heat or storms. I feel like even with these zombies, you could play the waiting game.

[@91Definite]

But for how long can you play the waiting game? If you watch the deleted scenes Andy video diary? He talks about how he couldn’t sleep cause the groans kept him awake and shit

[@Majinhero]

​@@91Definitei always tought this was weird, there is not a single store with earplugs? or anything to drawn out the noice? if they get lucky the enire thing can blow over in a year if there is a bad winter. even if power goes down they could start fires in relative safety.

[@ATHLETIC_FEMBOY]

​@@MajinheroEspecially at a gun store of all places. Gun stores in general will have some sort of ear protection.

[@conchobar]

@@91Definite The more zombies appear, the louder the horde becomes, and the more zombies appear. Imagine 2000 zombies growling 24/7 against a silence of that dead town. You would be able to hear them from a mile away.

[@coolsceegaming6178]

I see a major issue here: *we know they work like that and we know we can think like that, but can they?* We have the power of hindsight and a calm environment to think, with the potential bonus of prior context, these poor fucks got no idea what’s going on

[@blisswonder]

What is bonkers to me is how easy of a fix it was to at least fix why they needed to leave. Just have a small time skip to when they run out of supplies or get near to a small amount and imply they were preparing for that eventuality. They really also should have been using their time to find safe ways to thin the hoard as long as it didn’t cut into that bottom line of munition supplies.

[@szechuon6971]

This. They could have shown that food supplies were running low even with a garden setup. Perhaps it was November and the snowfall was beginning to happen (and i knowin those midwestern states, the snow is brutal). All the while the horde is getting bigger and bigger and not seemingly wanting to move on past the mall adding additional stress. and because this is a remake of the 70's film, maybe ultimately a bike gang does come along and mucks everything up.

[@skeletonnoise6178]

​@@szechuon6971depends where in the Midwest really, Wisconsin to Michigan is gonna be cold as hell. Missouri, you good

[@AntoniuDraculea]

They were forced to leave when they did because their gunstore reacue mission went south and the dead flooded the mall through the sewers. Without this event they might have waited a few months more (as supplies allowed) while having their escape plan ready (which is smart, you always want a plan B "in the barrel"). So I dont see it as a plothole.

[@AntoniuDraculea]

@@skeletonnoise6178 its a big advantage to be so far to the north. They could seek refuge in the endless forests, where you wouldnt have such endless hordes. But then youd have to fight the living canibals which sucks more than the cold or anything else.

[@matthewhinkel9696]

I guarantee there were archery and crossbow supplies in the sporting goods store, that woulda been my first stop in the mall. I'd be up on the roof all day doming zombies silently.

[@verdant2215]

"Theres a man goin round takin names and he decides who to free and who to blame" The Intro to the film was perfect.

[@abramsullivan7764]

The man comes around by Johnny Cash

[@jasonlewis9240]

“Everybody won’t be treated all the same”

[@user-73a]

Better than any shit James Gunn ever directed lol

[@Homelandervtech]

There'll be a Golden ladder reaching down... When the man comes around

[@KROGANLovesKittensAndPuppies]

The lounge cover of Down With The Sickness was pretty funny too

[@andreidragostin]

So glad Phil managed to escape the mall and start a modern family

[@Marcinex]

I would say two things: 1. Sooner or later, they would have needed to leave the mall due to using up it's resources, so me myself, I would not say they could stay forever. 2. The mistake I think they made is the lack of an attempt to draw the zombies away. They could've tried to make some kind of firecracker grenade drawing the zombies away or something else to move the horde before going out.

[@Steevy84]

In zombie movies, as in jungle, each day you made It through is a win. With, more time and preparation they could outsmart the zombies by creating noise diversions, using the sewers, to pull them in some direction, eventually with traps etc... and free access to the armory, while others could join Andy ( they could take down a lot of them without using precious ammos ) It's not like if they were in a rush, or had to face the horde in front of the gun shop, while they could have chosen to sneak in with a more strategic aproach. Also, in a realistic scenario, I don't think US army would have collapsed to zombies, those guys have more weapons and ammunitions than soldiers to use them, at least way enough to get rid of the zombies at some point. They also have helicopters/planes/drones to assist infantry, heavy weapons and missiles to take down massive hordes that you could easily pull with some noise. My point is that they had time, and could work around this way better, having an escape plan was a good idea, but their impatience led them to their doom. So yeah, at the end, maybe they would have to go out and find a new place for resources, but I would never do that without clearing the way to make It the safest possible before, and not rush straight into them in such a frontal way, this was very stupid, despite the fact that this is probably my favourite zombie movie, I watched It 10-15 times at least.

[@123bboymeandyou]

can tell you wouldnt survive 🤣

[@Steevy84]

running zombies are no joke@@123bboymeandyou

[@sigma-freud]

First thing to do, barricade the hell out of that mall and lock any exits or potential breaches. Second is to stack my supply, solve for stash dues and basically start a garden and collect rainwater

[@sigma-freud]

First thing to do, barricade the hell out of that mall and lock any exits or potential breaches. Second is to stack my supply, solve for stash dues and basically start a garden and collect rainwater

[@kanadatachibana4946]

Let be honest CJ was the best part of this movies. He had the best character development and was practical. He saved them multiple time and even sacrificed himself.

[@jonahkaun891]

Eh, the other main dude was good, too. The stereotypical man that didn't find his nitch until the world collapsed . . . Too bad he didn't survive to make it to zombie island. *Kennith

[@MyDeathhead]

I agree he was my favorite too

[@SuperMoss15]

His only downfall was that he couldn't follow the damn train.

[@commiesnzombies]

he was in another little known apocalyptic movie about hiding from a roving clan of cannibals ( tooth and nail )

[@MickMcGarnackle]

CJ's last words were great: "It fuckin figures." I bet he was a huge Pantera fan.

[@notquitehuman5097]

I always assumed the reason behind them leaving the mall was a combination of low resources, weakened defenses, a horde that grew to the point of being too big to tolerate and the realization that nobody was going to show up to rescue them.

[@jakealter5504]

Plus trusting Steve

[@Yakitori3179]

With the amount of ammo in the gun store they could have taken out all the zombies from the roof top of the store.

[@jakealter5504]

@@Yakitori3179 Andy tried that and all it did was lure more in

[@themanwithnoname1839]

​@@jakealter5504yea but home made suppressors are a thing and couldve made a home made slingshot to launch sound "bombs" to lure them away, theres always another way and humans are INCREDIBLY adaptable

[@dakotasherman632]

Definitely, the movie just didn't really depict that well, but that was my take.

[@danver8433]

That one the main issues I had with zombies ,not only do they not rot away when they should,but also for some reason they have infinite energy to keep shambling away ,if they body uses the flesh to power itself then that comes back to my first point,they should be long gone,yet in most movies they are around for months if not years as if they aren't affected by the elements or natural biology.

[@FadlySansan]

that's why I like the infected concept in 28 days later. they have limit and can die of starvation. more realistic

[@ivongrey9047]

I like the think of these Zombies as more Supernatural cuz, the movie always had this sorta Religious Tone to it.

[@Dustinisanartist]

@@ivongrey9047 I remember one of the posters saying, When hell fills up the dead rise.

[@pocketenix]

The hospital scene in the beginning talks of a patient with a bite injury that he got near a beach. It forshadows that the infection started on the island, or that the island was infected before the first morning that we see of the outbreak.

[@91Definite]

So that’s what it was about! Imagine if someone or a doctor knew about the weird infection and ended that patients life instead of letting him tryna live and cure him. They all would’ve been dead! So they basically ended on the island where the infection started 💯🤦🏾‍♂️

[@pocketenix]

@91Definite it's just a theory of mine. I remember catching it the first time I saw the movie in theatre. Though I've never seen anyone else tall about it. (The DVD commentary states that they kept the source of the outbreak ambiguous) So this is kinda my headcanon.

[@pocketenix]

@ThirtyPack. Really? Oh I'm mistaken then. It's been a while since I've seen this movie. I might have gotten confused or misheard a line in the film. It would have been a good theory though!

[@IvoryMunez]

I always hated that Andy took so long to tell them he ran out of food. Dude could have been shooting zombies everyday until he cleared an area or maybe someone could have shot an arrow and created a clothesline pulley thing. or even use a skyjack.

[@ravell2854]

If you were a gun store owner you should know better that you cant trust strangers, even less in this scenario. How do you know if those people are good hearts or they will just kill you and raid you cache from you? earning trust is hard, even less on an apocalyptic scenario when everyone could be your enemy just for a loaf of bread. Shooting a clothline so they can easily raid you? no way dude. He did the sensible choice given the situation, he tried to know them using the boards before any attempt to ask for help. Sadly he waited way too long. Easier for us to think that because we know that the guys on the mall are the good guys... but how you could know that if you were the gun store owner? In TWD they used this scenario with the Terminus season: they promised a safe haven for everyone but in reality they were cannibals luring people to feast on them. You should not trust strangers so easily. "Dude could have been shooting zombies everyday until he cleared an area" this proved to be impossible, in the extender version he revealed that with every shot/kill 10 more zombies will appear to bolster the horde, so he stopped after a while. He was the cause why the horde was that big at the end of the movie.

[@furanduron4926]

Ye they were dumber than the zombies

[@javierdelgado3915]

Yeah like why didn't they make a sling shot or something and send sandwiches or something

[@shelldie8523]

​@@javierdelgado3915 it was a long long way away. But yes he could have literally been gunning down zombies day after day clearing the way

[@darthkarnage7538]

Shooting them only attracts more. He literally tried that in Andy's Lost Tapes but he said that every time he took out one, more would show up. What they could've done is use a remote control car from a toy store that was big enough to carry food (since drones were not common in 2004).

[@Taffer-bx7uc]

I remember watching this in theaters when it came out. I remember the part with the old guy on the bus seeing the hitchhiking zombie and the old guy grabs the chainsaw and said he'll take care of it. My friend laughed out loud and said "what are you going to do old man?" And when the old guy stumbled into the girl and cut her in half we both laughed out hysterically in the theater!

[@dominiquejones3805]

I still laugh at that high heel wearing old guy cutting the chick n half

[@Gillan1220]

When a single revolver could have taken care of them

[@91Definite]

Maaan I still felt bad for that woman to this day, she didn’t deserve that. And Ving Rhames character couldn’t stop the re-enforcement van 🚐 to see what was going on. Blood splattered the windshield and lost control 🤦🏾‍♂️. All because the old man wanted to help he should’ve just not do nothing

[@91Definite]

@@Gillan1220I agree 🤷🏾‍♂️

[@vietbodian86]

The old dude basically was like, "I'll help!" *cuts woman in half* "Whoops!"

[@tnbn55]

Zack was going to give us a sequel, but then was offered to direct 300.

[@MattCatt817]

Thanks for covering this. D.ot D. (2004) is one of my ALLTIME favorite movies. Suspense, Action, Romance, this movie has it all. Definitely Zach Snyders best movie. As far as why they leave the mall, they realized all hope was lost, and no help was coming. Then they stupidly allowed the bottom floors of the mall to be taken over by zombs, mostly Steve’s fault. They knew supplies wouldn’t last forever. I guess they figured there had to be other survivors somewhere, and an island in the sun sounded promising. Bottom line, Snyder just needed the rest of the plot to happen. I love the fact that the movie ends with all the survivors (presumably) dying. Great last minute twist.

[@TOFTS77]

Some of your questions were answered in the bonus material from the original DVD set. In it there is a video diary made by Andy covering various moments in the film from his perspective. He mentions that he spent an entire day picking off zombies but more always showed up and he realized he didn't have enough ammo in the store to take out the entire hoard.

[@tbone9912]

I'm sure he probably didn't have enough ammo to feed the Winchester Model 70 he was using, but there were a LOT of other guns in the store that he could have used. Headshot zombies with a .22lr all day. He had to have 75,000+ rounds of that ammo in stock in a gun shop that size.

[@buddygang9834]

just blow them up, or something

[@tboneforreal]

@@tbone9912 Gunshots are loud and attract more zombies. You would really want to limit using guns unless absolutely necessary.

[@tbone9912]

They were shooting celebrity looking zombies for entertainment. How necessary was that? Plus they're in Wisconsin, how many people/zombies can even be in that town? The sound from a .22 is only going to carry about 1/2 mile at most anyway. @@tboneforreal

[@Hype679]

@@tbone9912 Around 2004 Milwaukee had almost 600,000 people. The metro hovers around 1.5 million. So, the answer for how many people is 'enough'. 🤣

[@newelljoseph5060]

The biggest problem was, the hoard was already inside the mall. The area with the backup generators had already been compromised and risking daily trips into an unsecured area was a mitigating factor in leaving, having a mall full of supplies is worthless if you have no power to keep food fresh and electronics functioning.

[@speedy01247]

I disagree there were other ways to get energy.

[@turbopokey]

No that wasn’t the horde, that was just a few stragglers that happened to get in there before everything was closed up. Otherwise they wouldn’t have been able to work on the busses down there.

[@darrellwilliams1714]

They had a guy with a gun store.. plenty ammunition to take out the zombies down there had they went and got him sooner.

[@ValBoon997]

​@@darrellwilliams1714They could have got him earlier before all hordes piled up but it was too late to do it.

[@andrewesparza2528]

@@speedy01247please explain😂😂😂😂 Dr stone and Bill Nye the science guy

[@banks3388]

A compound like that would be great for horticulture, mushrooms and potatoes would be your main crops (mushrooms can be grown in refuse like spent coffee grounds) and assuming you're composting nightsoil you've basically got unlimited fertilizer.

[@hassansong7630]

*The plan to get a boat to the Marina could have gone horrible wrong , imagine if the boat has already taken by someone or has been destroyed LMFAO the reaction face of the characters if that has happened 😂*

[@taragreen5952]

I want to know who keeps boat keys on them at all times and also, how did they know which one was Steve's.

[@Xbalanque84]

They also got it started surprisingly quick after it sat in the marina for months without maintenance.

[@clydedoris5002]

Lake Michigan freezes so the zombies could just walk to the island

[@jerryterwase9027]

I always viewed this scenario as a metaphor for how easily a top world nation can lose it all due to carelessness and lack of proper strategy, not forgetting prioritizing the wrong things.

[@JT-gi8rx]

All the northern areas would need to do is wait for winter, and have enough food stockpiled. The cold would decimate the zombies. The survivors would be free to scavenge all they want, and could take shifts smashing the frozen heads of all the zombies, so they’d not re-animate when they thawed in the spring. Hopefully the freezing process would be enough to damage the brains of the zombies enough that they’d stay dead.

[@TheMountainDemon]

Great assessment!

[@juliushall8499]

@@JT-gi8rxyou must’ve read world war z 😉

[@right584]

It is hard to imagine a country like the us struggling with a zombie outbreak considering there military power and the fact that most civilians own guns

[@JT-gi8rx]

@@right584 the Democrat states will get wiped out because no one has guns and they’re densely populated with lots of homelessness. Recipe for disaster in a zombie apocalypse.

[@TheWtfnonamez]

Excellent take. The mall is a fortified positions, with enough supplies to last them for years. Plus the zombies outside would protect them from a lot of "human predators". Why leave? Its a bit like how some preppers are obsessed with the notion of "bugging out". Unless a literal jumbo jet is about to land on your house, bugging IN, is the best policy. When you hit the road you will be constantly looking for food, water, shelter and security. Why go out looking for something that you already have?

[@danfercuevachinga215]

cause they didnt want to die there. If there were about to die, they will try to escape at least.

[@conchobar]

As the horde grows the weaker their fortifications become, and compared to the 1978 version their fortifications were weak. The growing sound of the horde would only draw more zombies to the mall.

[@alexkatc59]

@@conchobar Do they try just reinforce the barricades? looks like - NO.

[@majinxx6272]

@@conchobarmost of the surrounding mall was a huge walls that the zombies could never get down. All they had to do was fortify the entrances with tons of stuff from in the mall

[@richborn6700]

Enough supplies to last years? It was a mall, it didn't have a grocery store attached. The food court would spoil pretty quick with no power to their coolers and freezers. Plus most food courts don't have much in the way of non perishable items

[@chrislaurenceleo]

I always wondered why they left. It would be my ideal place to be during a zombie apocalypse

[@LEPERCOLONY1]

Firstly, I love your exploration of this. Well done, well presented, and funny! IRL one could account for the stupid decision because of their trauma, or ‘Lucky Fool Syndrome’, when someone 'lucks-out' after a potentially disastrous incident, like successfully flying through a deadly thunderstorm in a light plane and living, and attributing the success to themselves and not 'luck'.

[@andrewwales8827]

IIRC, all of the issues you raised were addressed in previous versions of the script but got cut out for time. Essentially when the power failed, it was because it had finally completely shut down in the area. They had generators to keep the lights on, but not enough gas in their parking station to keep them on forever. Their perishables' days were numbered and they had fewer non-perishables than what they'd need for long-term survival. I don't think they had a gardening center in their hardware store, so they had no means of establishing rooftop farming operations. So their need to leave the mall was more of a case of "Our food supply just got cut in half and we can't do any farming to replace the losses. We might actually NEED to leave at some point to reach a place that has more, so let's fix up these shuttles so we can be ready."

[@AntoniuDraculea]

Good point, not to mention that without the rescue operation going wrong and the horde getting in the mall through the sewers, their departure would have probably been much later in time.

[@benjamintriplett3]

And plus with the zombies being runners its not like on the walking dead were you have slow zombies that you can just run around and go for runs with.

[@rrenkrieg7988]

bruh if they were smart they would have used that rooftop as a farm, i'm sure there's atleast one gardening store in that mall

[@andrewwales8827]

There wasn't, at least not any that we see. There IS a hardware store, which should have seeds for sale, but we never see the inside. @@rrenkrieg7988

[@FauxRaidenator]

​@@rrenkrieg7988I have never in my life seen a 'gardening store' in a mall.

[@ninja1man4u]

I mean how long could their resources have held out? Not to mention things like the growing horde, I doubt their defenses could have withstood 1000s of zombies trying to push their way through plexiglass or even those pull down shutters

[@TheLongDon]

I mean... Plexiglass is pretty damn strong.

[@ninja1man4u]

@@TheLongDon true but what happens as the zombies say 100 or so start all pushing into each other to get at the survivors. The busses in the movie were rocking and danger of being toppled while they drove through the horde. Get enough zombies and that plexi glass won't Last

[@axellenhart7890]

@@ninja1man4u They did, the zombies around the mall were already in the hundreads if not the thousands and only very few straglers actually got in the parking slots underground, but the plexi glass and the steel(?) doors stood against them very well

[@Hebleh]

They literally had so many zombies there and were perfectly fine for so long, and they didnt even prepare properly If they werent stupid it would have been a perfect base of operations to stay in and fortify

[@ArlanKels]

They could've fortified the mall entry points. They would have access to seed and soil and planters and water. They could literally live off of the mall supplies for years, if not decades, if they were just not dumb. Not to mention jury rigging long range weapons to kill the zombies outside with impunity.

[@vertigo2894]

That surviving mall guard is the most handsome bastard I ever seen in my life!

[@duaneninjaray]

Well u have a point.. if the movie takes place in Wisconsin like u say, the only island they would be near from that area is the upper peninsula of Michigan, which definitely is beautiful but nowhere near tropical, the winter there could actually be very very harsh and cold, the best option would be to absolutely stay

[@benjamingarrett9960]

I know for a FACT that I can not be the only person in the world who wishes they would've made a part - 2, to this movie

[@mrwilliams7086]

You are not 😢😢 the ending got me like wtf 😅

[@MickMcGarnackle]

Not me. I'm glad that it ended the way that it did.

[@EastsideSILENCER777]

Nah you’re not. I really wanted to know what happened to the survivors at the end because some people insist they died and others say they ran back to the boat once zombies on the island attacked. I also really wanted to know just how bad the situation fully was and how it started.

[@TimDaGoof]

Lol fr or other survivors somewhere else

[@porkerpete7722]

Land of the dead?

[@Itsgay2read]

Fun fact, the island they went to wouldn't be a tropical island as they were in Wisconsin. They were going to most likely die when winter came anyway.

[@JT-gi8rx]

No, their plan should’ve been to ration and preserve the food so it would last them through the winter. During the winter they could scavenge to their hearts content, unmolested, because the zombies would be frozen solid.

[@ryanhampson673]

Yup, I’m originally from Michigan so did the quick mental math and went “Oh that’s Lake Superior”..Not exactly mild winters up there.

[@YomamaYodaddyYobjtchassGranny]

I thought the mall was in Pennsylvania? I’m pretty sure it’s in Pennsylvania not Wisconsin

[@benjamintriplett3]

@@YomamaYodaddyYobjtchassGranny its in Wisconsin. Because they mention Milwaukee!

[@YomamaYodaddyYobjtchassGranny]

@@benjamintriplett3 but the town and mall are in Pennsylvania 😂 I am the most confused I’ve ever been even the video states they r in Pennsylvania. 🤣

[@thelegionisnotamused8929]

8:56 When the director finds out they only have ten minutes left in the movie and need to kill a whole bunch of secondary characters off.

[@lord_haven1114]

They should have planned better, but there’s no way I’m living the rest of my life inside a powerless, dwindling food/water, mall.

[@thehorrornoobs5481]

I remember when I was a kid I watched this movie and all I could think of was “What if the zombies broke in?” And I used to have nightmares because of that very thought…Cos if the zombies did break in they’d be dead, there were at least a few thousand right outside of the mall trying to get in at all times…So even if they could get out it would be difficult, Look what happened with the busses…It’s one of those nightmare scenarios where your damned if you don’t and damned if you try.

[@MyDeathhead]

I too saw this when I was a kid and had nightmares how could you live in a place where one side of the wall is just glass with a bunch of dead people beating on it constantly that's very unsettling to think about living in a situation like that I would pilot on the roof if anything

[@JT-gi8rx]

As an adult it would be easy, given you have the right supplies. For instance, is there a mechanical type store in the mall? If you had welding rigs and cutting torches, you could make heavy steel barricades in front of any weak entrances. If there were a bunch of freezers and refrigerators, you could preserve the existing food so it would last you a long time. If there was jars/sealers and sugar, you could preserve fruit and veggies. I’d use alcohol and oil and any other accelerants to soak the zombies with and burn them, every day, until I ran out of accelerants. I’d try to last until winter, as all the zombies would freeze solid. Then use the cold months to get multiple generator units set up, stockpile more food, hunt, stockpile fuel, set up backup bases in case yours fails, and also take out as many frozen zombies as possible.

[@davidfoster8172]

biggest bitch i get in several zombie genres is when available. survivers never go back for guns and supplies from those that did not make it

[@KarmaHauntsYou]

Mall was untouched because they were about 24 hours into the outbreak. So yeah, makes sense for it to be somewhat empty. You see a few zombies here and there, but it is possible that it wasn't an immediate hub, thus, very little zombies. Within 24 hours after, they started to pile up. Probably because all of the noise made as they headed to the mall, and further by shooting zombies from the roofs.

[@ArtypNk]

@@jaredmiller8740 They are humans. That's the biggest thing people fail to remember in any movie analysis. Now, you're smart, right? Full of zombie knowledge. If zombie apocalypse breaks out tomorrow, you'd be in the top 10 survivors in the area. But you're still human who is forced to live in real time. How long could you sit put without power in a place, even if it was stocked with canned food? A day? 2? Week? Imagine sitting a week in a hole, eating reheated canned food, in candle light. This is why people shoot zombies randomly, and this is why they risk shit, and that's why they sometimes seem to make dumb choices. Lets say you are in a zombie apocalypse mall, and it's you, random 5 dudes and 2 bitches. Most of the dudes are friendly enough, but you're not homies with them, you're just like forced co-workers, and neither of 2 bitches will fuck you or do affectionate things. Would you really be happy living like this for, what, a year or two? Or would you, after a month of this shit decide that a shot at, maybe a better life, a more interesting life, is worth it? I know I would. There is a point in time where taking risks is better than being alive in a situation that is safe but completely unsatisfactory.

[@finsfan90]

@@ArtypNk Well said.

[@NiCoNiCoNiCola]

@@ArtypNk you failed to realise that I'd bite zombies, making them human and making a human apocalypse

[@Hellothere-kt7ev]

@@ArtypNk weird goddamn way to talk about women

[@noiz1762]

@@ArtypNkstrange. Odd.

[@tylerpace6517]

You always work on defenses In the military you go from: A scrape on the ground A foxhole Connecting foxholes trench system extending trenches For the mall Continue to block off doors and stairwells Make fall back areas, like upstairs and prepare exit plans: The vehicles, ways off the roof etc When to leave? When your food stocks are down to what you can carry, from 1 to 3 days. the vehicles can carry a fair amount of food

[@MadastheHatter13]

An airport would be good; you could just section off a terminal and stay there and you can expand as your group gets larger.

[@Sherudons]

This movie suffered from horror movie syndrome, they just saw a bad idea button and broke their hand on it, they were safe and clear, had access to multiple stores and defences and guns, instead of staying on the roof and clearing out every zombie with the help of the other gunshop guy, they chose to treat it like a vacation and screw around then make the most brain damaged plan of going through the city in a bus to maybe get a boat... where most of them die.

[@theheadsn]

Let's be honest, the biggest plot hole with most every zombie movie (minus 28 days), you could literally wait the zombies out and let them decompose on their own. If you could find a place to stay safe for around 6 months, the problem would literally take care of itself. Between insects eating the rotting meat and the weather ripping down the bodies, there wouldn't be any zombies left, only more recently turned ones. Also, the best place to take over would be a Costco. Giant block brick building, entrances that could easily be barricaded, full of supplies including pharmacies and auto shops

[@Snougaloogie]

The only thing I've seen explicitly address this was the World War Z novel, where it's explained that the zombie virus is highly toxic to all bacteria and other scavengers/decomposers

[@Dustinisanartist]

@@Snougaloogie Best Zombie book of all time!! The movie was a shame. I hope they would make a series from the book.

[@clydedoris5002]

It's Hollywood that'd make too much sense

[@dorkbrandon4422]

Why minus 28 days later, at the end of movie which was approx 2 months since outbreak it shows the infected laying on the road completely weak and bodies wasting away

[@DjOdyssey1971]

Except the problem, there was thousands outside the mall closer to the end, any noise from Andy shooting would draw in even more. It would basically be an endless stream of zombies. They needed to stay off the roof and away from doors and quiet, to give any sort of chance that the zombies might of moved away.

[@ChrisSaintLive]

Heck I wouldn't want to stay in that mall for long either

[@concernedandequal1928]

They were planning to leave the mall, but what RUSHED them out of the mall is that when they tried to rescue Andy, the zombies followed them through the sewers so at that point they had no choice.

[@AyumuNarumi75]

They were rushed, but, it wasn't by much. I remember Kenneth showing that sign to Andy saying they were planning on leaving in 3 or 4 days.

[@concernedandequal1928]

@@AyumuNarumi75 That's true

[@tboneforreal]

No, they rushed to save the girl that went after the dog. They already knew Andy was bitten and was going to turn so they could have planned going there later to get the guns and ammo more carefully if the stupid girl didn't drive over there in a truck to save the dog. In going to save her, they allowed the zombies into the sewer and back into the mall, which is what forced them to leave in a hurry.

[@concernedandequal1928]

@@tboneforreal I forgot about the stupid girl and the dog lol

[@bigd3041]

​@tboneforreal this is the answer to this entire video right here. Lol gotta make that money though

[@fightthebully3331]

The mall actually was compromised after trying to save the girl going after the dog.

[@MGillDesign]

Yeah, but they planned on leaving the mall (even before that).

[@TheIrishRushin]

​@@MGillDesignYeah, but not at that second. They had to ditch supplies and leave at disadvantageous moment.

[@MGillDesign]

@@TheIrishRushin they should've let someone run across the parking lot with a ham sandwich for Andy, instead of the dog.

[@Tyrant96]

Shoulda left that girl and the dog honestly I don't care how good she can suck...😅

[@bartsullivan4866]

A remote control car would have been the way to go didn't they still have KB toy stores back then or hobby shops@@MGillDesign

[@taterboob]

The friggin' power went out, and it gets cold up in Milwaukee. Their food supply was only going to hold out for so long (the dialogue even hints at that when they talk about being out of "the lemon stuff", that subconsciously puts in your head that their supplies are more finite than you might think), and who knows when the water pressure was going to stop too? There's also the fact that they were becoming more encircled by the day.

[@GuardianOfMoon]

I thought the exact same thing. Why isn't Andy thinning the herd? Then they could get Andy and live out in the mall. The ending made no sense.

[@christianc1769]

If you've seen this movie but never watched the special edition scenes from Andy's POV, I highly recommend you do. It's really good and shows the acting chops of his actor

[@MickMcGarnackle]

"Jay Leno, George Clooney, *Rooooose*mary Clooney...!" 🤣

[@yosemiteyosemi488]

I feel like the uploader did less than decent research or pay attention when it comes to this. Even in the movie its made evident that the zombies have no need for sustenance. While I agree 100% that going to an island wasn't a good idea, leaving was of upmost importance. The survivors would eventually starve and still be surrounded by the horde just like Andy did. Another point he made was to do "controlled burns" and such, which can only work to a certain extent. There were thousands of undead surrounding them and burns/explosions will only work to a certain degree. Also I think he did watch the DVD special with Andy's pov but perhaps skipped through some of it. Many people point out that Andy running out of ammo is stupid which to some point is. He's in a gun store... with hundreds of guns. 'nuff said.

[@Bentennosin]

He was from the original dawn of the dead

[@ATSaale]

​@@yosemiteyosemi488 I think Andy said he would run out of ammo before killing them all. And why not, most gun stores are not gonna have infinite ammo, especially rifle ammo.

[@mpazinambao2938]

Where do you find Andy's POV???

[@reikiv3]

My dad was always happy to point out how close we lived to the mall. He was the one that got me into horror with night of the living dead. ^_^

[@TomJones-op9nj]

A mail is big …..but with nothing else to do ….brace all larger entrances….the numerous security doors need zero attention ….have other people completely block all stairwells escalators and stairs…except one that is all but blocked just requiring a rope to be cut to completely block it if higher ground is required

[@hardbrocklife]

I want a zombie movie where everyone does everything right and good writing creates realistic, organic crisis that cause things to still go poorly. Instead of writers needing someone to do something obviously stupid to move the plot along.

[@user-cw3wm9lx7w]

copu and paste the covid pandemic but with zombies , that 8s hiw you get a realistic apocalypsw

[@danielscrimgeour8812]

Unfortunately you cant have a zombie movie without stupidity as zombies are a ez enemy to deal with.

[@ball3677]

​@@danielscrimgeour8812 Yup. In real life the military would roll over zombies it would be ridiculously easy. If they can win wars against enemies that think, plan, and shoot back. What is some dudes who can only bite you going to do?

[@Taed]

​@ball3677 it's the sheer number of zombies that makes them a problem waves and waves of undead would surely break lines eventually

[@DubSack302]

I just never understood why when they got to the island they instantly docked up. I know on most boats are flares, binoculars, and fishing gear. They could have sat a small distance off the shore and waited a few hours or days to watch and see if anything is on the island. Once night time hit, 1 flare would probably bring them all out of the woods.

[@prodbydrseelo]

They were running out of gas if I’m not wrong

[@anthonygarland8839]

​@@prodbydrseeloI think they were

[@mcbdllc2848]

​@@prodbydrseelothat's what made this movie good no plot armor no nothing just survival instinct and despair

[@Mant111]

During the credits they show a few segments of their boat trip. At first it starts off fine but then they start running out of gas and stuff. They had to dock to that island.

[@TheLAGopher]

@@prodbydrseelo They also had no water and the food supplies on the boat were contaminated by maggots. They couldn't really go anywhere else so they docked under the idea that 'Whatever happens.Happens."

[@brentoutashape9141]

Unless you're prepared to live "off the grid," I see a few major problems with staying in the mall. 1) There probably isn't a grocery store with canned foods or preserves, just food courts, which will have limited supplies of perishable goods. Unless you do, in fact, create terraced gardens on the roof, which you could only do if there's a store that sells gardening supplies and seeds, your food supply will be gone in a month, and, let's face it, soft pretzels are not going to sustain you for long, and carrots take more than a few days to sprout. 2) Eventually, the power is going to go out. Power plants don't operate themselves, and everyone is dying. This creates multiple issues. Refrigeration, water pumping stations, communications, all down. Not to mention the crushing darkness of an abandoned mall when it gets dark. 3) You could send out raiding parties and scavenge for a while, but, again, everyone is dead or dying or trying to eat you. No one is bringing in trucks full of more supplies from farms, factories, or fuel suppliers. There is no one left in Ohio to process a jar of Jiff peanut butter, put it on a truck, and drive it to Wisconsin and stock it on a shelf for you to scavenge it from. 4) Maintenance. No one is putting out fires, which will spread. No one is clearing roads, which will be clogged with wrecks. No one is clearing away the dead bodies lying around which will lead to sanitation issues, the spread of sicknesses, and the poisoning of water sources. If you don't occasionally send out teams to do these things, or at least thin out the horde, you are never getting out of there. Look how many thousands of zombies are outside of that mall, it's like a midnight rave on Halloween in the '90's. 5) Zero military presence. One helicopter flies away, ignoring the S.O.S. The guy at the gun shop might have a limited supply, but the marines? Not so limited. No tanks, no airplanes or choppers in the air, no bombs dropping, no drone strikes, no skirmishes with gunfire in the distance in a major city means they're overrun, and you're pretty f*cked. No rescue is coming. So, sorry for the book I just typed up, but my conclusion is, yeah, find a boat, grab a fishing pole and a bucket to collect rain water, find an uninhabited island, and hope zombies can't swim. Good video, by the way.

[@raven4k998]

well yeah but they left before the food in the mall had ran out they left not cause they had no food or power they just decided to leave for the hell of it

[@SomeGuyNamedTex]

I forgot what I was watching but I remember seeing a horde of zombie walking along the sea floor. Or maybe it was a lake.. I can't remember, But it was simultaneously scary af and freakin awesome.

[@raven4k998]

@@SomeGuyNamedTex your thinking of a different zombie apocalypse movie where that happened but it was a river floor not as much as sea floor to bypass the city defense's and take the city in the end it worked they were smart zombie's when I think about that movie

[@Phuckseeds]

​George Romero's Land of the dead

[@LJNason]

If I’d made it to my boat, I would’ve launched a drone while offshore first instead of just pulling up and mooring to a dock only to be overrun within minutes of tying up. Just sayin…

[@privatebandana]

I watched this movie with my childhood friends way back, we were obsessed with zombie movies and I remember us having this discussion aswell lol.

[@masongrae5010]

I’m pretty sure they mention they are running low on food and the water stopped and then the lower floor becomes overrun which really limits what they can get to and is a constant threat so they have to go. Another perspective is if they didn’t leave as soon as they did they’d have all died

[@aaronmcclellan12345]

Well it is a good thing that they did got ready to leave, after they got back from saving nicole from Andy at his store, Steve left them for dead for not doing what he was supposed to do, and was to stay and guard the door until they got back, and then the zombies got in and they had no choice but to leave.

[@jakealter5504]

Everyone always blame’s Nicole for forcing them to leave the mall and getting everyone killed when that’s not entirely true. Nicole might’ve forced them to go to Andy’s earlier than planned but they were already going to do that and the trip to Andy’s only got tucker killed. People tend to forget that it was Steve leaving his post at the door that caused them to have to leave the mall since they couldn’t get it closed in time to prevent the zombies from getting in due to having to break the lock

[@aaronmcclellan12345]

@@jakealter5504 THANK YOU, FINALLY after watching so many videos about this moment in the movie, and besides me, YOU are so far the ONLY one who has said that!!!!!👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@AntoniuDraculea]

@@jakealter5504 in reality Steve would get shot in the leg and left in the mall for what he did, but I guess the movie had a grim fate for him anyway.

[@jakealter5504]

@@AntoniuDraculea yes

[@aaronmcclellan12345]

@@AntoniuDraculea I would've kicked him in the nuts, take his boat keys from him, then shot him in the leg, and left him in the mall for dead, it's what that ***hole definitely deserved.

[@theautisticcreative2619]

Resources and time vs long term survival. They had very limited resources, so either way they'd have to leave to ensure they have food and even find a better source of food past burgers and coke. They'd also have a finite supply of ammunition. Also eventually the power would go, out leaving them with dark fire escape stairs and areas in general. However, the more problematic thing about a mall hideout is zombies will eventually get in. So if the power went out, they'd be left fighting invading zombies in the dark, with the stair well being the worst offender here. The mall was attracting zombies like a magnet, it might take some time, but they'd eventually bust down the delivery shutters and glass doors. The best way to survive a zombie apocalypse is to stay far away from them as humanly possible, meaning travelling constantly to achieve this. It just takes one to start creating a horde, then you will find escape harder and harder the longer you stay.

[@Zomboy123456789]

If you want to apply logic to a zombie apocalypse you also have to take into account it'll be three days before that huge mass of cannibals on your doorstep dies from dehydration... or a week before they are too weak from malnutrition to even move. Time is only the enemy when it's against you.

[@markjerue9734]

What if they just destroyed the stairs? No stairs = no zombies coming upstairs.

[@JetBlack2024]

Eh traveling constantly will eventually get you killed. Going into a horde you didn’t know about because you constantly moving is a flop. Avoiding them would be impossible no matter where you go. At the end it is better to bunker down and try to make something work. And the mall has so much resources to make this group work. They just didn’t do what was required to make it work. But at the end it’s hard to tell. Most wouldn’t survive anyways.

[@Mpetey123]

​@@JetBlack2024Being under siege will get you killed as well. Resources are being utilized and aren't being replaced.

[@jacobmays9103]

It’s a mall dude no way they had limited resources it’s only like 8 of them malls are meant for 100s of thousands of ppl 😅

[@WellnessWizdom]

Y'alls malls were a lot different than mine. The only source of food were two small restaurants. That would have lasted maybe 2 weeks.

[@ToxicMonster5]

Something that I always thought about with this particular set up, if there was a gym in the mall and if they had access to chains, a sport store and a few other things, they could have wrapped a chain around a heavy weight, using climbing clips to keep it clipped together, secured the other end to the roof with maybe more weights or something and just repeatedly tossed the weight off the side of the mall, crushing zombies down below, pull it back up, rinse and repeat. It saves ammo, gets a workout in and would probably be cathartic for whoever's doing it, watching zombies go splat under the heavy weight. oh and just in case, that person could secure themselves, so they don't accidentally fall off the roof as well when tossing the weight.

[@Asexual_Individual]

Very little needed to be changed to fix the issue too. Like you said, have the survivors make the battle busses for the use of supply runs when food starts running low instead of leaving (or just so they have the ability to leave instead of being stuck), then they're forced to use them to escape when the girl's stupidity leads to the mall getting compromised.

[@riptors9777]

Hell.. make one battlebus leave the place and lure all the zombies after it... it was shown that the zombles will stupidly run after anything that makes noise so with a couple of honks you could draw their attention, lead them out of town, and then return to the mall from another entrance. The Streets werent completly congested with wreckages since the outbreak seemed to have surprised humankind in their beds so to speak so it shouldnt have been that difficult to draw away the crowd to the outskirts and return either. This would have given them plenty of time to get the gunstore owner + weapons and ammo across

[@alyssapopovtls9920]

Nicole's actions resulted in the death of one person. However, it was the decision to trust Steve to watch the door that ultimately led to compromsie of the entire plan and the deaths of everyone in the movie.

[@hollowdonte]

They never would have made it the guy they had driving the buses was an idiot who couldn't even keep the thing from flipping. He was driving like a complete psycho when he didn't need to

[@taterboob]

@@riptors9777 You're never just going to "lead away" the population of a major metropolitan center. The move should have been to get out of the friggin' city as soon as possible. Rural towns have malls too (or at least they did).

[@Gantros]

Something that bothered me about Andy was how no one thought of running a line from the roof of the mall to the roof of the gun store to get food and supplies back and forth. And before you say rope would be too heavy and the store is too far, here me out. Using the most powerful bow from the sporting goods store in the mall or the same at the gun store, someone fires an arrow to the other building with some light string attached, like fishing line. Then a heavier rope is secured and pulled back. Now you have something to transport supplies or even people.

[@w8m4n]

Yeah, even if they start with thread then thick fishing braid etc until it gradually builds up to rope. Fuck all else to do 😂

[@michiel1162]

I thought that too

[@spearsage]

They have a parking lot AND the street between the mall rooftop and the next building. If you think an arrow could stuck on concrete wall and still secure enough to hold weight from that distance, well, good for you. You'll also need a very long fishing line and something that'll keep the line straight while at the same time does not provide too much drag that it hinder the arrow's flight.

[@91Definite]

At this point a helicopter drone could’ve done the trick

[@Gantros]

@@91Definite recreational drones weren’t available at the time the movie was made, even as a luxury item.

[@stonebreaker6396]

The only reason I can think of leaving would be that a mall could be difficult to properly protect due to the large size and multiple entry points. If it was just a handful of them they would have to shrink it to a usable area. This could be dangerous as they would be trapping themselves if a large horse got in, but that’s all I can think of for wanting to leave.

[@efcoolstar3849]

Zombie apocalypse in movies drives people insane and disarranged without even being prepared to fortified cities or malls. That’s how the survivors in this Dawn of the Dead movie were practically wiped out with credit scenes showing possible demise of what was left of the survivors. If they wanted to see if there were other survivors or a safe outpost like on an island, then the might need radio transmissions to see if they can come in contact with anyone from the outside world and find any military help to evacuate. Unless they want to make a shopping mall a haven, then find heavy materials to block the doors, inspect for any undead from top to bottom including the underground parking lot or garage, keep dead bodies as a possible weapon to use as a “bomb” so it can burn more dead hordes, and boobytraps in case they do get in or vandals breaking in. Malls must have sport stores and that means gear to protect themselves from the bites and scratches from the dead and to fight off in close combat. They should do a “Land of the Dead” thing like used armored buses to travel to nearby supermarkets to stock up on groceries, medical supplies, and other essentials. That means having a clear path to Andy’s Gun Store with least zombies getting in the way so Andy can eat and supply them with weapons and ammo. Shopping malls are a safe haven if they’re smart enough to stop panicking and go crazy on each other.

[@BigtimeJuicer]

This movie holds a really special place for me. I was in a very dark place in my life because I just came to the realization that my marriage was over. For me, horror movies were always a welcomed escape whenever I needed one. I caught an early showing of this movie at the AMC Theaters in Monmouth NJ. I remember being blown away & feeling as if I were experiencing everything with the characters. This movie is MUCH better than it gets credit for being. The opening scene "morning" and seeing it all go from bad to worse, was something I'd never forget. Very well done!

[@sunso1991]

Same here, I was in college, my first love just broke up with me, my grades were in the toilet, my best friend went to Japan as exchange student. Watched this movie, somehow I came out thinking, instead of running I would have built the mall into a home with massive garden on roof top. I realized I need to do that in my life, face my problems, solve them, build something for myself instead of running away. I pulled myself together and moved on from self pity. Everytime I feel demotivated, I come back to watch this movie to remember that

[@staymadloser7754]

I’m sure she’s doing a lot better with the other guy and they’re happy while you were over there crying lol

[@shooby9496]

It was probably the first horror movie that I actually watched from start to finish. It introduced me to the concept of fast zombies and the realization that I would probably attempt to off myself if they ever happened instead of trying to live in such a hellscape. 😂

[@user-dt9mk1of9i]

you survived congrats

[@leslieciao3340]

I’m going thru that now 💔☠️💔

[@ixiahj]

Malls usually don't open until 9 or 10 am and the zombie pandemic happened at night or early morning. That was lucky as some malls would have metal shutters closed before they open. They could've at least stayed there until they ran out of supplies but its a mall. The zombies would likely decay first before they ran out of supplies.

[@patricenagel9442]

No, look at TWD, as long as there are living people there will be walkers

[@ixiahj]

@@patricenagel9442 Walking dead uses different rules. Dawn of the dead requires a living person to be bitten to turn.

[@cheilech5361]

Yup and to top it off weapons store right across the street they couldve snuck there at night

[@MathayusTheMedjay]

Well you had the mall cops there they probably opened everything

[@stevewilson6723]

Most malls have a food court and elderly people who will walk inside the mall for exercise, those are called mall walkers. The problem with a mall is that there is no real chance for sustainability along with the fact that there are so many points of entry that it makes it a nightmare to secure. This makes the choice to leave almost a must for long-term survival.

[@piopaolovalenzuela5482]

Or Wait in the Mall till Fast Zombies go Hungry and die or become slow pretty sure one way or the other Zombies will die either by storm decay or whatever nature will throw at them

[@3rdosage123]

I remember the end credit scene when they all died and I was so pissed lmao

[@riptors9777]

All good points, but you did forget one: They wouldnt have all fit on the friggin boat! If they had all successfully made it to the boat there wasnt enough space for all these people, especially considering that it was a sailboat and reaching anywhere would have taken days if not weeks so you would have had to pack enough supplies for all these people ontop of their numbers. Where where you gonna store all that stuff? Where would you put all the drinking water needed for such a long trip alone? The food? The ammo and weapons? All on this little dinky sailboat? And youre gonna take that thing out to sea overladen with people and supplies in order to reach an island you have no friggin idea if it even exists (according to mallguard guy) aka. you dont have the coordinates and most likely spend even more time to search for it? I blame Snyder for this.. the dude never thinks plots through and only goes by dudebro logic....

[@AwesomeBlackDude]

You've forgotten that the movie was based in Milwaukee, and most of the first zombie flicks were set in Wisconsin. Milwaukee have a lake (Michigan) including a small island. Even though the island was small it could accommodate all survivor (in real life, eventually was blown up). As for why it was blown up, it happened during a period of political controversy and decisions. The island was considered a safe haven for victims, whether from sinking boats or crashing airplanes, who might have been able to reach it. These days, the only "zombie" thing going on in this country is the media using propaganda to downplay the recession.

[@scottmiller3930]

They could always fish from the boat.

[@riptors9777]

@@scottmiller3930 Fishing clearly didnt work. They had no fishing gear. The movie made a point in the after credit scenes that all their food went bad and thats why they had to go on land.. wich imidiantly lead to them being killed by zombies. And that still doesnt fix the drinking water issue and the fact that so many people would not have fit on the boat. That boat is made for 3 to 4 people spending a day or so on open waters maybe. As for @AwesomeBlackDude That must be the silliest reason to "blow up" an entire island i have ever heard.. then again it is the US of A... but if it was "just" a lake and not the ocean.. how come the survivors didnt even know if the island existed? That sentence makes no sense if they werent refering to the open sea. No matter how big a lake is im fairly certain the people of that city would know about that island in the lake.

[@scottmiller3930]

The water in lake Michigan may not be the cleanest closer to the city, but further out it would be perfectly safe to drink after boiling.

[@AwesomeBlackDude]

​@@scottmiller3930Wisconsinites in this movie would have been aware of the man-made island (Love Rock) if they were from Milwaukee. However, these folks were based in the town of Everett, Wisconsin. Allegedly, these survivors would have sailed near the Great Lakes for islands. Unfortunately, the rock island disappeared in the 80s, and the zombie virus emerged in the year 2004. Interestingly, "The Exorcist" and "Psycho" (featuring Norman Bates) are also based in Wisconsin.

[@suomynona4420]

They could have barricaded the entire first floor and looted everything of value to the second floor then block off the first floor entirely. It's much easier to hold higher floors with less acess points than the entire first floor with many entry points. They could have set traps all along the first floor after securing proper barricades.

[@kallias.3503]

Awesome ideas

[@blackagent4754]

This is the guy to have on your team, ladies and gentlemen.

[@MickMcGarnackle]

Exactly. Plan according to contingencies, on the assumption that your plans from A to Z will in some way fail eventually (and sooner rather than later). Just keep asking yourself, "And what if that doesn't work? What then?" until you've covered every possible angle.

[@Slickrick59]

​@@blackagent4754true he is smart

[@louguts3887]

Thank you I been waiting for somebody to break down all the idiot actions that happen !

[@arlenavila8020]

I hate that they never address how foul zombies would smell. I don't think you can never be ambushed by something you can smell 100 meters away

[@radfarlander]

In a city, everywhere would probably smell like that.

[@danielramsey6141]

The cool thing about having a mall in twenty 2023 now, especially if a Zombie Outbreak happens, is the fact we can use a drone to carry over Food and even Radio Devices to other people in need. What really caused this to be a problem was the fact that one of their Allies was on the outside, Gunstore Owner Andy who lived and sadly died from to a zombie bite due to complications with trying to give him food. He was the only character that only had a few lines in the movie, but throughout they did a fantastic job of humanizing him through the sign boards he was creating on the rooftop.

[@prolaeusmorris6540]

Good point. In 2004, the best they were selling commercially en masse were the R/C "drones" with no camera, and could only hold a couple ounces. So yeah, Andy COULD get fed, but only by a very good R/C operator, in non-windy conditions (good luck with that, being near a great lake), and only being able to deliver a chicken nuggets or two each time.

[@jaysherman2615]

​@@prolaeusmorris6540 We had RC helicopters back then. Some of the ones that were sold in Toys R Us were incredibly powerful. You could easily put a pound of cargo on the thing.

[@prolaeusmorris6540]

@jaysherman2615 no doubt. The availability at a mall in 2004 for an R/C helicopter would have been virtually non-existent, but if someone has it, or can get one easily, Andy would have been ok.

[@marks2997]

Disagree. You are assuming 1. They would have drones 2. Electricity remained available to charge them and 3 wifi stays on to pilot them.

[@Jimoshi1]

@@marks2997 malls have back up fuel generators and i bet there is a shop with generators too. and you can take engine from one cat and make makeshift generator so i dont think power is a problem.

[@flickgeek830]

I always felt it was food. I live in New England and the malls I know of tend not to be places people go to get groceries. Drugstores will have an aisle or two but a good sized group would go through that in a month. True you have food courts, but I worked in food service and most places only stock a day or two of supplies and most of that's frozen and wouldn't last long after the power goes out.

[@HeShoeTooBig]

How to save Andy and stay in the mall: Get a bow and arrow. Shoot the arrow with some rope over to Andy where he can tie it to something and you tie it Send over food and water to him as he picks off at least 50 zombies a day. In exchange, send him the best food and supplies for his work. Shoot some zombies yourself When the herd is thinned out, take those armored buses and send 4 or 5 people over to pack up all the guns and ammo and whatever else he has. bring him to the mall. Keep taking out zombies with the guns. give everyone a gun and let them use the zombies for target practice. Go to grocery stores and get gardening supplies and kits and seeds and water. get a huge garden going on the roof top and inside if there's a glass cieling with sunlight coming in. If we're talking about staying here for years and years, you gotta think about stuff like crop rotation and seasons etc. Make supply runs to the grocery store to get canned goods and supplies all the time and stock up. Eventually the armored bus is going be useless because the gas will get too old after like 5 to 8 years and stop working. So get everything you can back to the mall within 1 to 3 years. Go to all the grocery stores and shops, go to the library and hardware stores. Go everywhere you can and stock up on everything even entertainment. I bet these zombies move slower in the winter, so it might be best to just wait until winter months to do supply runs. Then during other months, pick the zombies off from the roof. Maybe library will have info on how to make more bullets or something. If not, they have enough supplies to make arrows and crossbow bolts and melee weapons. The mall likely has a store with swords in it. but I would personally want a spear. Something long reaching. especially with fast and flailing zombies. You could all live at the mall for at least 30-50 years assuming no human groups come and attack you and no one in that group goes crazy. The supply runs would be very dangerous, but if you play it smart you can around hordes. Just use RC toy cars (they should have used this instead of the dog to get food to Andy) with a radio playing loud sounds to draw out the hordes in an open area where you can shoot them from the mall roof top. eventually you'll clear out enough in the area to make it safer, but probably not safe. And who knows, maybe they're much slower when they decay. So if you wait a year, they might decay to the point where they can't even move. If they are living and just infected, they'll starve to death. Win-win really.

[@Preus-by8ru]

Dawn of the Dead 2004 was a missed opportunity. This movie should’ve gotten sequels, prequels, & spinoffs just like Train To Busan did. Even Snyder’s Army of The Dead got a sequel. I also heard that Army of The Dead is getting a animated prequel.

[@chrispember172]

i thought army of the dead (which was bad ) was the sequel to dawn of the dead

[@barrybarry8564]

The thing that always bugged me about zombie films is that they never address the possibility of waiting the zombies out as they rot. They're rotting flesh, at some point the majority of day 1 zombies would be immobile. There'd of course be some new zombies as people died but the overall number would eventually fall off a cliff. That might not be too long at all really.

[@mikelarry2602]

Zombie films aren't about logic, there about zombies and nothing else.

[@poopsyko]

Not only that but their bites wouldn’t exactly turn someone else into one of them either They’d have to have some kind of a virus for that to happen

[@MickMcGarnackle]

Max Brooks gives a plausible explanation in his book "The Zombie Survival Guide" when he points out that literally every living thing from birds to mammals to insects to bacteria are for some reason naturally repulsed by the zombie virus and any creature that carries it. Without scavengers to pick at them and bacteria to consume them, their rate of decomposition is greatly reduced. That book isn't related to this movie, but that's a really great and creepy phenomenon that I really wish was general zombie canon.

[@poopsyko]

@@MickMcGarnackle yes the book isn’t related to the movie because the writer of the movie was mad that people insisted it’s a virus for whatever hence Hence my comment,which was sort of a smartassey sarcastic comment 🤷‍♂️

[@-WolfMan-]

Hey everybody.... Just so you know... and we set the record straight once & for all - No one can Bite through a Leather Jacket .... NO ONE!!

[@Kehwanna]

5:08 Gotta love those extras playing as the zombies, including the one without makeup smirking on the right and the one girl that is smiling on the left (they're the friendly zombies).

[@frederickt8423]

You're my only go to Guy for Zombie related media lore and stuff

[@HexManiac-nf1yg]

Another thing about picking off the zombies. They're in a mall, there's a shit ton of heavy stuff they can just throw down onto the horde. And there's probably a bunch of metal or wood they could fashion into a decent number of make shift spear that they can just chuck down at the horde

[@thelordofthelostbraincells]

Hell, they could've made some spears and attract small batches of zombies to designated "kill areas" (like door ways with those falling down metal gate doors) and shish kabob some zombie brains

[@narrow7091]

​@@thelordofthelostbraincellsyou could also just throw heavy stuff from the roof with ropes

[@thelordofthelostbraincells]

@@narrow7091 ok, but you can better use these heavy items to block all entrances

[@narrow7091]

@@thelordofthelostbraincells 1 heavy thing per person and the rest to barricade sounds like a good deal.

[@thelordofthelostbraincells]

@@narrow7091 yeah, and needs to take turns for watch duty

[@ASaltyGhost]

My Dad watched this movie with me and he was always confused why the gun owner didn't just shoot the zombies that were between him and the mall, and get out. He's holed up in a GUN STORE. Surely it has literal pounds of ammo he could go through.

[@fedupN]

They tried a flimsy "Andy home video" thing where in the owner said "gawrsh, cant shoot em, more just keep coming" but that never held up under in or out of universe scrutiny. They are already gunning down celebrity zombies, the horde is already there, they have bullets would have a low enough retort it wouldnt generate too much noise, and they have nothing but time and bullets. There was literally no reason not to expend virtually every last round to thin them out and just save a few for a breakout attempt or ending your life in a worst case scenario.

[@victornieves1794]

@@fedupNThere were at least hundreds of Zombies, maybe even a thousand+ and the horde was still growing. The entire crew would need to use thousands of rounds and spend who knows how long in an attempt to kill the zombies and even then it might not work. The best shot out of all of the survivors was Andy, a guy who starving, dehydrated, and losing his sanity. Most of the survivors were civilians and would likely just be waste rounds in an attempt to take out the zombies while attracting more zombies.

[@ricksmith9555]

😮🤔😉✌️ Great Point actually, Spoiler,😅 I think he wasn't an actual person, but a figment of the survivors imaginations. Lol.

[@rustyshackleford1465]

@@victornieves1794 all they needed was a clear street for a few hours... not impossible. Even if more come later, if you kill what's there quickly enough you have a path out.

[@mcbdllc2848]

Cuz why waist all your ammo I mean early on yes it would have made sense and he did try but it was making more come from the shots

[@KingJaymo2k11]

They left because they really didn’t know how Luda (the pregnant lady) got infected…They knew it was a matter of time before the zombies got in…it’s that corner animal mentality…they felt cornered and wanted out

[@AnglerAdventure77]

The mall is the worse place to be in during a zombie apocalypse. Too many exist and you're not the only one thinking the same thing.

[@wiscesq]

All they had to do was wait until the winter. All of the zombies would freeze solid (they are dead, no longer generating their own body heat). Head out into town and resupply, or go take out all the zombies you can find with a hammer, build more defenses, find more survivors... when they are basically frozen meat statues, you've got all kinds of options.

[@TheLAGopher]

The DVD featurette had the outbreak in May and the film ends in June. The food situation in the mall didn't seem to be an immediate issue when discussing Andy's lack of food in the gun store.But that didn't mean that even if they had let him starve to death, they could have lasted into the dead of winter such as December for the cold to be deep enough to freeze the fuilds in the bodies of the dead.

[@kettch777]

@@TheLAGopher True, but you don't need to wait for the dead of winter. Even if daytime temps are mild in the fall, at NIGHT they drop below freezing in a lot of places. And the cold would last 8-12 hours. That's long enough to freeze the zombies, and if they made their breakout right before dawn, they would have had time to get away before they thawed out. They also could have planned their escape and headed for the nearest defensible terrain--an island (without a horde of zombies, hopefully,) the mountains (where freezing temperatures would occur earlier in the year during the day,) or someplace remote enough that they would be safe from large groups.

[@mythiclegend947]

Only if you're up north. Down south you would literally be waiting for hell to freeze over.

[@nathanieljohnson5430]

@@mythiclegend947 on the bright side, if you live in the south and its the summer this happens then all you have to do is wait a few months for them to decompose from the heat.

[@mythiclegend947]

@@nathanieljohnson5430 lol true. 105° consistently should break em down 👍

[@renoobed-owl7590]

I stand by my comment on your previous video 😂 You'll have to make another one ❤ 1. The movie was released in 2004, but it was set in the early 90s. Hence the conspicuous absence of cellphones. A mall at that time would not be kitted out with as much non-perishable food as now. There certainly wasn't a disproportionate amount of fast-food places there, compared to 2004. 2. Andy thinning down the herd by using up his arsenal, would only have attracted more zombies from further away. How would they craft more ammo too? 3. If they had to go on loot runs in the suburbs around them, it would have put them as just as much risk (repeatedly in fact) as the 1 run for the yacht. They were just regular people who were scared. 4. They also would have more prep time if it wasn't for the kid chasing after her dog. She panicked, they panicked. Pretty normal when someone's in immediate danger. 5. How many times does it rain throughout the movie? It is implied that they're there for months, so they wouldn't have really harvested much. I'm sure I have more debate in me, but this way too long already 😂

[@dbzlover666]

But Andy's video camera date literally said 2004. Where did you hear that it was set in the 90s? Genuinely curious.

[@renoobed-owl7590]

@@dbzlover666 I remember Romero discussing this in an interview. It was a tribute to the heyday of malls of the 90s. Even Ana is driving a car from + - 1993. With both films it was a commentary about human behaviour, that used zombies as the means to tell the story.

[@Hype679]

@@renoobed-owl7590 Zack Snyder actually includes a commercial he directed into the film showcasing a bug-eye Subaru WRX. All the vehicles except her Corolla and a Camaro are from the late '90s, early '00s. All the electronics are clearly from the early '00s. The movie heavily leans on it being during the Bush Administration/Iraq War post 9/11. Heyday of the '90s sure. But it couldn't be more of an direct period piece if it tried.

[@renoobed-owl7590]

@@Hype679 Thanks for the reminder 👍🏻 It was never 100% time period accurate for either decade, or the movie wouldn't have had the same feel. There are 2004 moments, but leans heavily into 90s malls. That's why nobody even mentions a cellphone or the internet...

[@dlbutters7164]

@@renoobed-owl7590 In the extra contents on the DVD, Andy (the gun store owner) jokingly mentioned something about "although everything went down, the internet was still up".

[@Aatell764]

I absolutely loved this flick! I haven't seen it since I was a kid probably like 15 years ago or so. Believe it or not I will randomly think about it from time to time atleast when I'm watching zombie movies, I don't know why hahaha. It's just this was one movie where there wasn't a driving force like you mentioned, I would think in an actual zombie apocalypse you would actually find plenty of peaceful times. In the movies some ridiculous thing happens like a wall of zombies somehow knock over a giant gatehouse or something. This mall would have been a great place to stay. You could build a farm on top, collect rainwater, hell a gunstore across the street, and the stuff you mentioned like it having many defense layers with multiple different gates that would absolutely hold back zombies.

[@obatron1]

I can understand them leaving the mall, too big, too many places where the mall can be breached, which happened in the og movie.

[@acewentworth]

Regardless, this remains my favorite zombie movie. Characters were great, effects were awesome, and running zombies just seem more terrifying

[@whtxombi4955]

In the original Dawn of the Dead, they were getting ready to leave before the bikers appeared. There was a scene of them loading the helicopter with supplies. They realized the mall was a trap and they needed to move on.

[@davidcuellar4410]

It just makes no sense why they decided to fight when they could’ve just took off

[@whtxombi4955]

@@davidcuellar4410 Peter thought the same thing. He told Steven it was the Mall the looters wanted and not them. But then a bullet just barely missed him. "Alright dammit! Now we've got a war!"

[@davidcuellar4410]

@@whtxombi4955 it was definitely their pride that got in the way, I mean I get that they made the mall their home but still they should’ve just took off even after the mall was compromised.

[@whtxombi4955]

@@davidcuellar4410 Absolutely

[@Foxbody429]

​@whtxombi4955 Steven opened fire on the bikers & that's when the bikers started to pay attention to them & started to hunt them down, forcing Peter to also fire on the bikers.

[@cHilLy-chEEzdAWg]

Fantastic take on a zombie classic. The original is my favorite, but I love this movie. The dvd release was cool too as it had this bonus content where Andy is documenting his day to day inside the gun store. Its fun. But yes these are the worst of the worst zombies to deal with. Why would you ever leave that place? It bothered me too that they didn't spend any time fortifying the mall.

[@TeamNapoliAdventures]

I always thought their main priority once they were settled was to clear the zombies on the outside. They could have communicated with Andy the plan and had him take them out too. Thin out the bulk with the trucks and chain saws then whittle down stragglers. Then they free to roam the surrounding area for more supples. That mall could have been a legit fortress

[@GoneFishingAmalgam]

Seems like this might make a decent setting for a video game. Stuck in a mall, using whatever you can find to hold of a zombie hoard.

[@nessadvantage9447]

Ahem...Dead Rising😂

[@georgemeza2825]

@@nessadvantage9447I feel old

[@GoneFishingAmalgam]

@@nessadvantage9447 nah man didn’t you read the box. Dead Rising is in no way inspired by Dawn of the Dead. None at all, or at least that’s the story the lawyers are sticking to.

[@nessadvantage9447]

@@GoneFishingAmalgam it's not based on dawn but, it's everything else you listed to see in a zombie game lol