To say that the film feels old is a compliment to Romero... He quite literally cuts to the chase and bypasses anything resembling character or story development.
George A. Romero's Land of the Dead (2005)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:166
Fresh:123
Rotten:43
Average Rating:6.6/10
Consensus: George A. Romero's latest entry in his much-vaunted Dead series is not as fresh as his genre-inventing original, Night of the Living Dead. But Land of the Dead does deliver on the gore and zombies-feasting-on-flesh action.
Rated: 15 [See Full Rating] for pervasive strong violence and gore, language, brief sexuality and some drug use
Runtime: 1 hr 37 mins
Genre: Horror/Suspense
Theatrical Release:23-09-2005
Synopsis: It has been two decades since master filmmaker GEORGE A. ROMERO's zombies have stalked the screens of motion picture theaters. For years, fans around the world have been eagerly awaiting his... It has been two decades since master filmmaker GEORGE A. ROMERO's zombies have stalked the screens of motion picture theaters. For years, fans around the world have been eagerly awaiting his return. And now that day is here. An all-new chapter of horror is about to begin… George A. Romero's Land of the Dead is the acclaimed director's long-awaited return to the genre he invented, beginning with the seminal Night of the Living Dead and continuing with Dawn of the Dead and Day of the Dead. In Romero's harrowing newest vision, the world (as humankind has known it) is merely a memory. In its place is the never-ending nightmare existence of us—the living—versus them—the "walkers." What's left of mankind is cordoned off behind the walls of a fortified city while the walking dead roam the vast wasteland beyond. The few wealthy and powerful try to maintain an illusion of life as it was, dwelling high above the city in the exclusive towers of Fiddler's Green, the last bastion of the ruling class. On the streets below, however, the remaining, less fortunate of the city's inhabitants eke out a hard-scrabble life, seeking what little solace they can in the vices available—gambling, flesh trade, drugs—anything that offers even a fleeting respite from the hell their lives have become. Both the lofty heights of Fiddler's Green and the demoralizing lows of the city below are lorded over by a handful of ruthless opportunists, led by Kaufman (DENNIS HOPPER), who keeps his hands in everything, from real estate to less above-board pursuits. To bring food and other essential supplies to the occupants of the city and to allow the Green's well-to-do to acquire the scarce luxury items to which they were once accustomed, a hardened group of mercenaries—headed by Riley (SIMON BAKER) and his second-in-command, Cholo (JOHN LEGUIZAMO)—run retrieval missions outside the city, protected by their massive armored vehicle, Dead Reckoning. Riley and Cholo, like Kaufman, are in it for the money, which they hope to use for their own escapes— Riley to the North, with promises of "a world without fences" and freedom, and Cholo to the luxury of Fiddler's Green, far away from the violent life he has known. While Kaufman and his employees concern themselves with commerce, life is changing both within and beyond the walls of the city. Unrest and anarchy are on the rise among the city's disenfranchised and outside, the army of the dead is changing, evolving, learning to organize and communicate. When Cholo commandeers Dead Reckoning, intent on extorting millions out of Kaufman and his cronies, Riley and his ragtag group—including Slack (ASIA ARGENTO) and Charlie (ROBERT JOY)—are called into action to stop Cholo and, in the process, protect the city and its population from the growing army of evolving zombies storming its weakening perimeter. Universal Pictures and Atmosphere Entertainment MM present A Mark Canton-Bernie Goldmann and Romero-Grunwald Production, in association with Wild Bunch: George A. Romero's Land of the Dead, starring Simon Baker, Dennis Hopper, Asia Argento, Robert Joy and John Leguizamo. Written and directed by Romero, the film is produced by MARK CANTON (Taking Lives), PETER GRUNWALD (Monkey Shines) and BERNIE GOLDMANN (Taking Lives). Joining Romero behind the camera are director of photography MIROSLAW BASZAK (Picture Claire), production designer ARV GREYWAL (upcoming 16 Blocks), editor MICHAEL DOHERTY (New Blood), costume designer ALEX KAVANAGH (upcoming Saw 2) and composers REINHOLD HEIL and JOHNNY KLIMEK (Shattered Glass). STEVE BARNETT, DENNIS E. JONES, RYAN KAVANAUGH and LYNWOOD SPINKS serve as executive producers. -- © Universal Pictures [More]
Starring: Simon Baker, Dennis Hopper, Asia Argento, Robert Joy
Starring: Simon Baker, Dennis Hopper, Asia Argento, Robert Joy, John Leguizamo
Director: George A. Romero
Director: George A. Romero
Screenwriter: George A. Romero
Producer: Mark Canton, Bernie Goldmann, Peter Grunwald
Composer: Reinhold Heil, Johnny Klimek
Studio: Universal Pictures
Reviews for George A. Romero's Land of the Dead
Land of the Dead is a horror flick, but not a screamy one -- the booming soundtrack pumps up the drama, and the gore induces squirms, but zombies more titillate than anything.
The themes of oppression and greed are tied even more relevantly in 'Land of the Dead' than any of its predecessors.
Asia Argento makes her grandish entrance into Land of the Dead inside a cage.
Land of the Dead is living proof that films still can be inventive, that Hollywood is not the absolute center of the filmmaking universe and that a zombie film still can be scary and smart.
With all due respect to 28 Days Later and Shaun of the Dead, nobody goes zombie quite like George A. Romero.
The gore and gross out factors are high but that won’t stop the zombie fans from flocking to it like, well, zombies.
Fans of these insatiable, shuffling carnivores needn't fear; Romero offers enough intestine-pulling, finger-munching gore.
This new movie looks and feels like someone else's better-made schlock.
Possesses the same heady mix of satire and searing horror that characterized the director’s first two entries in the series.
Romero defiantly shows the young wannabes a thing or two about being provocative and suspenseful, instead of relying on cheap thrills and technical tricks.
...manages enough of the pathos that has made Romero's zombie movies the paragon of the genre.
A treat for people who like their horror movies brooding, bloody and laced with dark humor.
It's still pretty mindless, but, really, what did you expect from a bunch of zombies?
Once again, George Romero has made a zombie movie for the times we live in.
Romero has given us, as well as the zombies, a lot to chew on. There is as much allegory to his tale as there is blood, and let me tell you, there's no shortage of blood.
Romero obliges those who are less concerned with meaning than with hard-core gore.
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