Survival of the Dead

2010 - 89 mins. - Rated
D: George A. Romero

C: Alan Van Sprang, Kenneth Welsh, Kathleen Munroe, Devon Bostick

Group of soldiers seeking a refuge on a small island after zombies have token over the earth are caught between two feuding families, one of which wants to keep their zombie relatives alive until a cure can be found.

Romero's most ambitious horror effort since Dawn of the Dead. Thought provoking and intriguing throughout. This entry continues on with Romero's statements about society and leaves much to ponder over and think about - the training of zombies beyond their primal instincts and their ability to learn, the emotional connection for a loved one even after they've been turned into a zombie, survival instincts, pride, the arrogance of man, the destruction of society, circumstances turning people into criminals, etc. He manages to pack all of this into one cohesive, spot on, pointed film without losing focus of the zombie carnage either and the occasional bit of humor. Which of course George delivers plenty of, pushing the MPAA's R rating as far as it can go. He delivers new ideas and situations for the zombies to engage themselves in, even finding new ways for infection. This fifth entry into Romero's series of living dead films is modern, cutting edge, and inventive. No easy task to pull off when the characters and the principal setting for the film are as far removed from modern society as possible. Romero has token ideas that he has played upon his entire career and presents them in a new light. A breath of fresh air for a genre that hasn't offered up anything new or terribly original in a while.