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Dawn Of The Dead [1978] [1979] [DVD] starring: David Emge, Ken Foree, Scott Reiniger, Gaylen Ross

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Rating: - This is cut... slightly

It's great to finally see Dawn of the Dead on Blu-ray. I'm very impressed with the entire packaged. Everything is excellent quality though you may find it difficult to decide which cover you want to display! Having 4 covers available is a nice touch. The poster and book are good quality nice little editions also. The Blu-ray disc has a pretty cool menu, something a bit different to what I would expect. In my opinion the quality of the actual film has not improved since it's uncut release on DVD, I guess only so much can be done with a low budget film of this age, but it's still nice and clean and obviously a vast improvement from how it looked prior to DVD clean ups. However, for the hardcore fans out there, this film is cut. I am referring to the Blu-ray version as I have yet to check out the other versions which came as part of the package. None of the gore or violence has been cut, just a small section of story is missing (for those interested, it's at the beginning of the film when everyone is leaving in the helicopter; 1) a gang appear and take an interest in stealing the helicopter from Stephen and Fran, 2) Peter has a conversation with Fran during the helicopter ride). The DVD version which is available has this scene intact and I'm a little sad to see it missing as I like the completely uncut version but that's because I'm such a fan of the film and I'm picky ;)
Apart from that this is nice little addition to any fan's Blu-ray collection.

Rating: - THE Zombie film

Received this today and I must say I'm really chuffed with it,nice packaging with a choice of 4 different covers a poster a nice booklet (remember them?) and 3 discs disc 1 is the HD bluray disc which has the full uncut theatrical release of the film and after watching it I can say the transfer is lovely nice bright colours and not much grain ,a few scenes Ive never seen before (presumely theyd been cut before) the new scenes seem to be a head exploding and 2 zombie children getting machine-gunned.Disc 2 is the directors cut which im told is 12 minutes longer and is in SD.Disc 3 is the dario argento cut which is also in SD.Overall a great set which does this classic justice.

Rating: - A Must See Film

In opinion this is without doubt the best move I've ever seen. I first watched it at the movies in 1980 at the tender age of 16 and I was blown away then hooked for life. The Blu-Ray edition has a good few minutes missing in the original release but still holds up well. Taking into consideration this film was made in the late 70's and the original DVD version was a pretty poor transfer, the Blu-Ray version is a breath of fresh air. I have personally watched this movie in excess of 60 times and still enjoy it as if it was my first. For anyone who has not yet seen this movie go out and and at least rent it, you won't be disappointed. The Romero series of movies spawned a multitde of other zombie movies in the 80's although most were flops, movies like Zombie Flesh Eaters was in my opinion the only exeption. I can't wait for the march 2010 Edition as it will show the full movie uncut, worth every penny.

Rating: - Finally, a Region 2 alternative to the Ultmate Edition.

I'm not going to wax lyrical about how great a movie Dawn is, as you can find that elsewhere. I am however going to discuss the particular merits of this latest release of the film from Arrow Entertainment.

The first of the three discs is the only Blu-Ray of the set, and only the film itself is presented in HD- the rest of the extras are in standard definition. The HD transfer of the film is impressive for a film from the late seventies, although for the most part the film's imagery isn't particularly striking so HD isn't a huge selling point. Still, the vivid reds and greys of Tom Savini's makeup look great, as does the rest of the movie. The transfers for the other cuts (Director's for disc 2, and Dario Argento's for disc 3) are also impressive, even in SD.

The real selling point of this set is the package of extra features. It's been some odd years since the 4-disc Ultimate Edition was released in the States, so to finally have these extras released on Region 2 is great for those few who have yet to make the jump to multiregion players. While not all of the Region 1 extras have been ported over (specifically the actors' commentary on the director's cut, and Ken Foree's tour of the film's famous Monroeville Mall), there are more than enough on offer already and a few new ones to boot.

The first disc features Roy Frumke's essential Document Of The Dead, last available in this country on the shocking Trilogy Of The Dead set, whose only saving grace was Savini's shock on the commentary at how the exploding head had been removed from Dawn. Produced at the time Romero was making the film, Document gives a real insight into his process. At an hour and 20-odd minutes, it's a thorough affair and one of the best documentaries about moviemaking ever produced, particularly for one that predates the DVD boom by some 20 years. Exclusive to this release of Dawn are outtakes from the documentary- 7 minutes labeled as deleted scenes, and a further 20 of extended interviews with Adrienne Barbeau, Romero and Savini. In addition to previously released commentaries with either producer Richard Rubinstein or Romero, his wife and Savini, this Blu-Ray also presents us with Fan Of The Dead, another hour-long documentary in which French Dawn afficionado Nicolas Garreau tours the locations used for Romero's first three Dead movies. It's cheaply made and subtitled, but no less interesting as a result.

Disc 2 features the 75-minute The Dead Will Walk, Perry Martin's superb retrospective making-of documentary. Featuring new (at least in '05 or so, anyway) interviews with all the key players, it's a great companion to Frumke's film, offering a look back on a modern classic as opposed to a detailed, contemporary documentation. This disc isn't much different from Arrow's 2005 release of Dawn. The third and final disc presents Dario "Susperia" Argento's European edit of the film, featuring more dialogue and more soundtrack music from the wonderful Goblin. The vaguely-titled "Scream Greats" documentary is an hour-long feature on Tom Savini that was originally part of a video series released by Fangoria magazine. It's a great insight into his personal and professional life, and leaves you wanting there to be more documentaries about him, just so you can enjoy his company that much longer. The obligatory posters, reviews and trailers galleries round out this disc.

Finally, the packaging deserves a mention. The set is coupled with a booklet (remember those?) with an essay from a film critic from Scotland, although honestly it offers little that the documentaries and commentaries haven't already covered. He has some interesting points to make, but I'll let you sample those yourself. The Case itself is presented with four choices of artwork- one original film poster, and three newer pieces, all excellent. The outer slipcase has a window cut out in front so whichever you choose is framed.

Overall, it takes it's place as the best single release of the movie so far, and one of the nicest sets produced in years, hopefully setting a precedent for the release of older movies on a new format.

Rating: - There's No More Room in Hell...

The chilling words spoken by one of the survivors of George Romero's opus magnum of all his films.

Dawn of the Dead has been described as one of the best horror films ever, and I can heartily agree there. Whichever version you prefer be it the directors cut, the extended cut, the theatrical cut, the less offensive to the easily offended cut this is horror cinema at its golden best. This version of Dawn (though missing a couple of scenes that I liked from the DC) is actually a more fluid version in my mind and runs at a good pace that seems more "complete" than said DC - haunting soundtrack by the Goblins for example.

Dawn also carries with it some of the best lines for any apocalyptic, end of humanity type film, the infamous "No more room in hell" speech played to the eerie soundtrack (once again, Goblins, well done) is one. But for me the best line going is from one unsung prophet working in the TV station, who simply looks on, smiles and says coolly "Our responsibility is finished" - you can't get any better than that for a line in a film where humanity is going down the plug-hole.

Anyhow, this is easily the best of the whole saga - sounds weird even when I read it back to myself - and holds its own steam without having to even see the other films. The setting of the mall is epic and with George's "message" technique of his film, allegorically speaking, of consumerism run amok couldn't be better (and couldn't be more copied as it has been) and even still holds strong to this day. The gore is plentiful and blended with the comic book-style of filming is a little easier to bear than Day Of The Dead [1985] [DVD], which was grotesquely realistic (but still good).

In short this is a definite keeper for fans old or new, and for those who are just getting into the horror scene this a must for their collection (granted it seems old and primitive to some degree) this is low budget horror filming done well with great cast and an even greater crew this film is how horror should be done. The new documentary is a nice addition and to hear the cast and crew's opinions on how the film was made (if it disgusted George's wife, it was going in the film) and its success afterwards is a worthwhile 75 mins. As for the weaker new "Dead" films I say screw CGI, I want red paint and smelly pig guts.

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