Before I begin, allow me to say that I love zombies. As far as I'm concerned, George Romero is the Zombie Master. Others have tried to emulate his work, but almost all of them fail miserably.
With that said, here's my review. I had heard so much about this movie that it almost became legendary in my eyes. I saw the remake, which I loved even though it's got fast zombies, but I wanted to see the original.
I caught the last 40 minutes of this on Encore one day and wondered why it was held in such a high regard. It seemed very dated and way too campy. Seeing this made me want to see it from the beginning even more. A couple of years later I finally bought this. After watching it i was kicking myself for not buying it sooner.
There are lots of movies that people call "Masterpieces." I've seen some of these yet NOTHING I have ever seen is in the same league as this movie. After watching this I finally understand the true meaning of the word "Masterpiece." Because it's Romero, the gore is top notch. You're not gonna get too much better if he's directing a movie. It also helps that Tom Savini did all of the effects. I think the only person who could do a better job than Savini is Rick baker, but that's for another post.
The story is incredibly sad and beautifully portrayed. The atmosphere pulls you into a world where the Zombie Apocalypse has come to fruition. Yes, the acting is cheesy at times and there are campy moments. The cheese I'll attribute to the seventies. The camp is there because the survivors are trying to make the best of things in a world where everything will only get worse.
I fell in love with this movie after only one viewing. I like to say that NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD is my favorite zombie movie, but I'm not so sure that I can say that anymore. I also can't say that I like DAWN better than NIGHT. Let's just say that it's excruciatingly close and I don't want to compare the two.
This movie is VERY highly recommended.
With that said, here's my review. I had heard so much about this movie that it almost became legendary in my eyes. I saw the remake, which I loved even though it's got fast zombies, but I wanted to see the original.
I caught the last 40 minutes of this on Encore one day and wondered why it was held in such a high regard. It seemed very dated and way too campy. Seeing this made me want to see it from the beginning even more. A couple of years later I finally bought this. After watching it i was kicking myself for not buying it sooner.
There are lots of movies that people call "Masterpieces." I've seen some of these yet NOTHING I have ever seen is in the same league as this movie. After watching this I finally understand the true meaning of the word "Masterpiece." Because it's Romero, the gore is top notch. You're not gonna get too much better if he's directing a movie. It also helps that Tom Savini did all of the effects. I think the only person who could do a better job than Savini is Rick baker, but that's for another post.
The story is incredibly sad and beautifully portrayed. The atmosphere pulls you into a world where the Zombie Apocalypse has come to fruition. Yes, the acting is cheesy at times and there are campy moments. The cheese I'll attribute to the seventies. The camp is there because the survivors are trying to make the best of things in a world where everything will only get worse.
I fell in love with this movie after only one viewing. I like to say that NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD is my favorite zombie movie, but I'm not so sure that I can say that anymore. I also can't say that I like DAWN better than NIGHT. Let's just say that it's excruciatingly close and I don't want to compare the two.
This movie is VERY highly recommended.
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