Dawn of the Dead (2004) (Collector’s Edition) (Blu-ray Review)

Dawn of the Dead (2004) (Collector’s Edition) (Blu-ray Review)
Directed By: Zack Snyder
Starring: Sarah Polley, Ving Rhames, Jake Weber
Rated: R & UR/Region A/2:35/1080p/Number of Discs 2
Available from Scream Factory

Heart-pounding action and bone-chilling thrills power this edgy and frightening remake of George A. Romero’s apocalyptic horror classic, Dawn Of The Dead! From visionary filmmaker Zack Snyder (300, Watchmen), this pulse-pounding jolt-a-thon stars Ving Rhames (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2), Sarah Polley (Splice), Jake Weber (Wendigo), Mekhi Phifer (Divergent) and Ty Burrell (Modern Family). The world is in danger when a mysterious virus turns people into mindless, flesh-eating zombies. In a mall in the heartland, a handful of survivors wage a desperate, last-stand battle to stay alive … and human!

Back in 2004, I was a bit of a torn horror lover. I was a bit weary of remakes and I loved Dawn of the Dead, so I was a little torn going into the remake of one of the greatest horror movies ever made. One of the key things being changed from the original was that the zombies would now be running, so would it be able to even hold the tone or mood that the original had? The thing is about the 2004 Dawn of the Dead is that the movie really isn’t a bad movie, but can have trouble getting through to people due to the fact it is a remake. The movie has its own tone and really the only things you can even compare to the original is it being a zombie movie and taking place for a good chunk of the film in a mall. I actually dig Dawn of the Dead 2004 for a number of reasons, I like the characters, I like the style, and I think it can be a tense film at times. I admit I don’t think it has aged as well as some movies from the time have, but it is still a really solid horror flick for people who dig the genre.

Part of the reason things do work is due to the script that was written by James Gunn for it. He adds his own touch to it and while you can’t say it comes that close to the original Dawn of the Dead, it really does stand over a lot of horror movies that came out in and around 2004. I own the original Blu-ray release for this Dawn of the Dead and I think Scream Factory easily takes the win in comparisons of the discs, but that was the point. Here we have both the unrated version and the theatrical version of the film in new 2K masters and you can easily tell a difference in the way this looks and the movie on the old release looks. It also seems all the old extras are ported over as well as a whole bunch of new stuff that seems to be on the first disc. All in all, I dig Dawn of the Dead 2004. Maybe not as much now as I use to, but it is still a very worthy film for Scream Factory’s Collector’s Series.

Extras

DISC ONE: Theatrical Version
– NEW HD Master Derived From The Digital Intermediate Archival Negative
– NEW Take A Chance On Me – An Interview With Actor Ty Burrell
– NEW Gunn For Hire – An Interview With Writer James Gunn
– NEW Punk, Rock, & Zombie – An Interview With Actor Jake Weber
– NEW Killing Time At The Mall: The Special Effects Of Dawn Of The Dead – An Interview With Special Makeup Effects Artists David Anderson And Heather Langenkamp Anderson
– Deleted Scenes With Optional Commentary By Director Zach Snyder And Producer Eric Newman
– Theatrical Trailer
– Still Gallery
DISC TWO: Unrated Version
– NEW HD Master Derived From The Digital Intermediate Archival Negative With HD Inserts
– Audio Commentary With Director Zach Snyder And Producer Eric Newman
– Splitting Headaches: Anatomy Of Exploding Heads
– Attack Of The Living Dead
– Raising The Dead
– Andy’s Lost Tape
– Special Report: Zombie Invasion
– Undead And Loving It: A Mockumentary
– Drawing The Dead Featurette
– Storyboard Comparisons
– Hidden Easter Egg

Quality of Transfer: 95%