Land of the Dead is rich with political metaphors and social satire, none of which ever throws us out of the story or slows the breakneck pace.
George A. Romero's Land of the Dead (2005)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
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
Romero was savvy enough to turn a $100,000 indie quickie into a classic and he shows he can still make a corpse stagger with his new film, George A. Romero’s Land of the Dead.
Land of the Dead has got everything Romero’s fans have been waiting for, and more.
The only summer movie that matters this year... Land of the Dead is Romero's long-awaited masterpiece...
Does the horror maestro, now in his mid-60s, still have what it takes? Oh yes, he does.
The most shocking thing about Land of the Dead is not the vivid dismemberments but how boldly Romero holds a macabre mirror up to post-9/11 America.
After a while, I was hoping for something besides more of the same old gore. The zombie genre isn't dead yet, but it's starting to look a little stiff.
Fails to deliver on its class warfare premise, fizzling out just when it should be heating up.
Pogo's mournful eureka -- 'We have met the enemy and he is us' --never resonates more clearly than in Romero's work.
Land of the Dead is easily the worst of Romero's four zombie movies, and clearly should have never been made.
This isn’t just a good horror movie; it’s a good movie, a biting look at the growing gap between the haves and the have-nots in our culture.
For those who've waited 20 years for another expert combination of social satire and zombie action, Land is a serious disappointment.
All the little touches are a delight. Romero shows you can still be creative with gore as zombies find new, inventive ways to disembowel people.
Land of the Dead works, and at times it works amazingly well -- but it's no classic, and I seriously doubt it will ever be considered as such.
There’s something Steinbeckian about Riley and Charlie, how they dream about gettin’ away and finding a bit of land where there’s no zombies, maybe gettin’ those rabbits...
The man who invented the modern zombie film comes back to his roots with this spooky, goopy horror flick about power and survival.
Good, but not great ... Romero has been surpassed by his imitators, who have learned to make zombie flicks with greater skill than the master himself.
It's really nice to see him with a budget... Romero's gone and made the zombie version of Metropolis.
Romero’s script isn’t a thing of grace and beauty, but it achieves a sort of brawny entertainment that works in the moment.
Latest News for George A. Romero's Land of the Dead
November 03, 2008:
Romero Promises "A Lot of Action" in Next Dead ![]()
It doesn't have a title yet, but production is underway on George A. Romero's next zombie movie, and USA Today has the inside scoop -- along with your first look. More...
March 07, 2008:
Guide of the Dead - An RT Romero Retrospective
As Diary of the Dead hits cinemas, we sit down with George A. Romero to talk retrospectively about what has come from his zombie opus, the Dead series, and what the future has... More...
February 15, 2008:
George A. Romero on Diary of the Dead: The RT Interview
With sequel talk already on the horizon, RT chats up horror legend George A. Romero about zombie movies and the latest addition to his Living Dead series. More...
October 26, 2006:
RT's Top 20 Halloween Movie Countdown, Part 1
Just what does Rotten Tomatoes deem the all-time scariest horror flick? Is it a gruesome slasher that results in heightened anxiety and sudden spine-tingling jolts and jumps?... More...
More DVDs
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| 68% 68% | Funny People |
| 95% 95% | Star Trek |
| 14% 14% | The Ugly Truth |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 83% 83% | Harry Potter and the H… |
| 67% 67% | Public Enemies |
| 75% 75% | Julie & Julia |
| 95% 95% | The Cove |
| 85% 85% | World's Greatest Dad |
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
Sponsored Links
Around The Network
- George A. Romero's Land of the Dead at Rotten Tomatoes
- George A. Romero's Land of the Dead at IGN
- George A. Romero's Land of the Dead at AskMen
Fresh Links
Featured

Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.

Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.





