Agree, unfortunately we rarely get good character arcs now because it seems new generations of people don't like the redemption angle. Once they decide they don't like them they keep on not liking them forever.
Arguably the best character in the film. He was an asshole you hated, you learned to love him and he redeemed himself at the end (granted, which wasn't even really necessary).
@davidcann2405 after hearing the movies intro. I had to look up when the man comes around by Johnny Cash and listen to song in its entirety then added it to my Playlist It's such haunting and dark sounding song and fits the intro perfectly imo.
Cap that off with the quote from The Book of Revelations, from the Bible: "And then came the Fourth Horseman... Who rode upon a pale white horse... And his name was DEATH... And HELL followed with him!"
I'm an old who considers the original 1978 Dawn to be the best Zombie film of all time, but I have to admit that the intro to this movie is maybe the best 15-20 minutes of any zombie movie of all time. Yes, I've seen them all. Give Zach Snyder a great script and he's amazing, just don't let the dude write. This is, by far, his best movie and I adore it.
Three of the main actors ( from 78 ) make a cameo - the General and Preacher on tv, plus the shop at 21:36 is named 'Gaylen Ross,'' the actress from 78 !
I learn this movie got some criticism over fact they put a flare on the propane tanks, because most people didn't think it was necessary. Ironically the MythBusters showed that it was needed to ignite the propane, because just shooting it doesn't work.
I never even questioned the necessity (decades of shooting barrels and tanks in video games prevent me from thinking about the realism of that lol) but simply thought the whole time they put the flare on the tank for visibility as it would just be gone in the midst of the zombie horde otherwise or would simply work as a timer and it would blow up by itself.
It still blows my mind people think shooting a barrel will cause it to explode. You need a source of heat to ignite the chemicals in just about everything a movie shows getting ignited from a gun shot lol.
I love stories like that, involving actors who WANT to be in a production, so badly, that they will personally go out of their ways to get a role in that flick. Don't hear enough of those types of stories anymore, sadly.
He also said the only reason he even wanted to do it was because the black guy lives. Low and behold test audiences convinced them to change it. It originally ended at the marina with them just sailing away.
Several several years ago, I saw this DVD for sale at a thrift store. I was like, “Oh! I need this!” It was one of those DVDs with a cardboard sleeve. I asked if I could check the disc inside. When I pulled the sleeve off, the front of the DVD read, “Dave. Shoot ‘em in the head!” and was signed by Zack Snyder. This alone, is neat. But my name happens to be David. It’s a very serendipitous artifact on my movie shelf…. Two bucks! 😊
@@borisnegrarosa9113 Nah, this is a rare thing: a remake that actually works. The original is a massive pop culture icon, it's timeless in parts, really hasn't aged well in others, but all in all, it just can't have the same impact on most newer viewers it had on us. Which is sad, because most reactors don't have the ability to put themselves in the, uh... let's say, time-sensitive headspace you have to be in to appreciate it the way it deserves. They giggle at the uneven acting and some really wonky SFX, the great Goblin score leaves them cold, and the story doesn't floor them at all - which I understand because it's been done to death by countless zombie movies/series since. So yeah, I'm glad that people like the remake.
I like this remake. I saw the original a long time ago and enjoyed it but yeah, hasn't really stood the test of time. I think the original Day of the Dead is still pretty good though.
@@Zorros2ndCousinTwiceRemoved I'm actually getting the impression that this one is aging much worse than the original, overall. The photography, the original score, the soundtrack (Richard Cheese...), the effects, the shaky camera -- everything screams early 2000s and already looks very dated to me, to the point that I can't enjoy it anymore. The original, while admittedly also dated, is still effective to my eyes, at least in overall mood. I guess we're just lucky to have both!
i wish yall owned the dvd cuz its a EXTRAS section wit 3 extra parts...and one focuses on how andy was livin before and after he came in contact wit the folks in the mall, all the way up to the point where he dies....its like 20min long...and well worth the watch😎💯
100% agree. It's not at all necessary to the film, Andy's story would not mesh well with the Mall's goings on. But, as a vlog-style behind-the-scenes look at Andy's point of view as the film progresses, it's a really really cool extra. Arguably one of the best DVD extras ever included with a movie. Well acted, well paced
I like the broadcasting part, how the ndwsancbkr slowly as the days go by starts losing hope. Also the part where the teenagers are trying to bang the zombie cheerleader with the helmet lol
@@BarryHart-xo1oy They said they've both seen "Shaun of the Dead" off the channel. I mean, they could still do it as a "review/rewatch," I guess, but I'm personally not a fan of reaction channels reacting to movies they've already seen. Especially if they've already seen it a bunch of times, and TBR said "Shaun of the Dead" is one of his favorite movies, so I assume he's seen it at least a few times.
A few people in the comments have pointed out the Tom Savini cameo, but it's worth mentioning that Scott Reineger and Ken Foree (who both starred in the original 1978 film) also do cameos in this one. Reineger plays the general telling people to come to Fort Pastor, and Foree appears as the TV preacher who gives the "when there's no more room in Hell" speech.
Tom Savini, who you saw in "From Dusk til Dawn," is a horror icon. He's been a make-up artist in the zombie genre from almost the beginning. He worked on the original Dawn of the Dead (1978).
@@45jacky77 He directed the 1990 remake which was produced by Romero and Russo. The don't have the rights to the original NotLD which went into public domain due to a clerical error, so they remade it so they could own it.
The guy from _Dusk Til Dawn_ is Tom Savini - the make-up artist of make-up artists. He also did the make-up for the original _Dawn of the Dead_ as well as several Dead movies. Now, if you do want a comedy horror movie, _The Return of the Living Dead_ will be more up your alley XD Also, hearing Richard Chees's cover of "Down With the Sickness" kills me every time, heh
I love how zombie films are a social commentary about how we are mindless and eat each other. Even going a step further to touch on how we gravitate towards the mall to just keep on consuming like usual. Consume goods, consume each other, and not care as we do it.
Additionally, a critique of mindless consumption and in particular the system that promotes it, i.e. capitalism (symbolized by the mall). At first the mall seems a refuge from that mindless consumption that has enveloped the world but then has to be abandoned since it's no real refuge at all but a slow death for the "lucky" survivors. But where to go that has not been affected by that mindless and violent self-destructive consumption?
For me the most effective moment of this whole movie was the backward fall into the bath. I don't think many of us have been bitten, but a lot of us have hit a bath edge or tiling hard. That made me wince.
17:38 - Movie trivia for you.... the big sick woman in this scene was actually a man in a fat woman's suit. He's a stuntman named, Ermes Blarasin. He's done stunt work in a lot of major films such as: "The Incredible Hulk" (2008), "X-Men" (2000), ""Land of the Dead" (2005), "The Long Kiss Goodnight" (1996), and The Boondock Saints films (1999, 2009).
Fun fact: Jake Weber (MIchael) and Ty Burrell (Steve) auditioned for each other's parts, on the same day. In the end they each got the role the other tried out for, but Burrell later said it was the right decision because he didn't think he was cut out to play the hero. He probably had more fun playing Steve anyway.
It's not so much that the Zombies are super strong or super fast, it's that since they are dead they don't have the natural inhibitors that prevent us from maxing what our body can do and hurting it in the process. They are 100% physical max (for the body that reanimated) at all times.
12:32 - Tom Savini! He did all of the makeup and special effects for the original Dawn of the Dead, also Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (aka Part IV), Creepshow 2, He also has an acting part in the original D.O.T.D.
So, back around the time that this came out, there was an earlier draft of the film's script floating the internet. Let's just note that in that draft, they lowered Chip down to the parking lot, he began wandering off to Andy's shop... and then the zombie dogs appearred. As you could see, that did not make it to filming.
I've never seen any Dawn of the Dead fans notice the store called Gaylen Ross during the music sequence after Frank was killed. Gaylen Ross was Francine in the original Dawn of the Dead. They paid homage to the og
unlike the orig, they didn't seem to have a good reason to leave when they did and how . . the mall had not been fully penetrated besides that parking area/power station / no living human threat. And with how they went underground to get to Andy, if they explored that earlier, could have brought Andy and guns over much earlier OR created diversions to draw zombies away so they could either seek out local food stores / canned goods if running low at the mall. What they did was make an emotional response to leave because of the shootout, when they should have calmed down and made long term plans and better spot checks for future wounds. Not knowing what shops are in the mall, and what else is in that area, maybe they'd have to leave eventually.
My comment but more specific! That speech Ving gave was not good enough to leave the mall. Nothing wrong with prepping the trucks to bugout, but they should have been prepared to bunker down until they ran out of supplies or got overrun.
It's so weird how people force their ideas into this. They didn't want to sit there waiting to die. Lots of people have delusions about being able to sit in one place for months. Tell that prisoners, military service members and etc. People we just watched a small pandemic and people lost their minds in real life. Over a few months in their own homes no dead cannibals.
@@thelegendsrtru those people were d--b too! And that was mostly because either a) they didnt believe there was a pandemic happening. Or b) they werent going to let the "government" tell them what to do. Very little of that had anything to do with people knowing there was a serious threat outside and that they needed to stay in. Also, if a mall with most every creature comfort wasnt enough to satisfy them because it was too small, then they would have been bored as hlll on a tiny island all the same.
I saw the 1978 original (George A. Romero) in the theater. It was pretty slow paced, boring in parts, but when it got down to business, it was extraordinarily horrific! It was definitely a "pushing the envelope" type of horror film back then!
What most people consider "slow and boring" is like magic to me. I love slow burn movies because it more closely resembles real time which personally helps me to suspend disbelief.
Master Class in setting the tone in every aspect; from the medic laying down in the back of the ambulance (fake out jump scare 101) to the mention of a patient with a bite, to the John Cash, and to the simple audio excerpt : " are these people alive or dead?" : WE DONT KNOW 😳. Should be studied and taught!! Lol
I loved the original, and thought this was one of the best remakes. Not only did James Gunn write the screenplay, but George Romero also contributed to it too.
The mistake they made was they left the Mall they had all the supplies they needed right there; it was actually the safest place to be. They could have search for food whenever they needed it, In the original one they were in there for months.
Ikr? Plus, with all the skills and materials they used to armor up those security trucks, they could've made some pretty effective barriers on the mall's entry points and been even safer. I mean, eventually they'd run out of food and whatnot but having a safe home base with all those supplies would've given them plenty of time to prepare themselves and make plans for how to go out on supply runs as safely as possible. And if zombies rot -- which you'd assume they would bc they're dead bodies -- they'd really only have to wait a few months or so before all the zombies were piles of sludge and bones and unable to move. Even if zombies don't rot for some reason, the movie is set in Milwaukee; they could've just waited for the zombies to freeze in the winter. Either way, if they'd just sat tight in the mall for a while, then they could've left the mall and gone looting safely and freely.
@@johnplaysgames3120 Does the movie tell the viewer how much supplies the group has? Can't remember... I agree with fortifying the mall, with defensive barriers (Walking Dead), bubytraps and whatever. I'd try to get all the ammo and weapons from Andy, with the bus and truck.
Pretty easy to think what's the logical thing to do in an apocalyptic wolrd when you are sitting in front of a computer eating Doritos , huh? People make mistakes when under stress. You are just in survival mode, that doesn't lead to take the most logical and "obvious" decisions.
@@j.f.l.bousquet1998 Sitting in front of a screen eatin doritos bored by modern society is what you be doing in a zombie apocalypse most of the time too. A part of the survival routine.
They promoted this film by showing the first ten minutes uninterrupted on MTV. I prefer the original 1978 film. It's just more iconic. Plus if it wasn't for the original, Robot Chicken wouldn't have a theme song.
The original is great, but iconic? Hmmm…”Night of the Living Dead” sure, and the mall setting. But there is a reason people remember this one and not the original. Besides being great, it more or less introduced “fast zombies” to the general fan.
The original had much better character. I felt this production was really not confident with long stretches of slow pacing, so in a heavy handed way, made characters do stupid shit to get bitten. However, with that said, the entire opening sequence of Snyder's take is incredible.
@@FluxNomad678 helps to have much fewer characters. We got to know four people and care about whether they lived or died. They just keep showing up in the remake and are really just zombie fodder.
On your snatch reaction you guys asked for a similar style movie where multiple storylines converge and I suggested "Go" from 1999 - It features Sarah Polley who played Ana in this movie.
@@jharbo These guys are great at taking down people's suggestions so they've probably added it to their watchlist but because it's not such a well known movie, it probably won't win any polls so won't make it to the channel anytime soon.
I love CJs character arch, but he was right all alomg. Those people got him killed. They were safer in the mall. Theyd eventually run out of resources, but the 2nd floor of the mall seemed pretty secure and had enough stock for at least a few months.
Samantha must have been thinking about "Shaun of the Dead" You both have seen Hot Fuzz, so same director. Definitely should watch it for a funny zombie movie. This was Zack Snyder's directorial debut btw.
They said in this review that they've both seen "Shaun of the Dead" off the channel and that it's one of TBR's favorite movies. Personally, I'm not really a fan of reaction channels "reacting" to movies they've already seen (especially ones they've seen multiple times); it just feels like it misses the point of a reaction channel. But I guess if they wanted to do a "rewatch/review" sort of thing, some viewers might enjoy it. Those are the videos I usually skip, but ymmv.
Actually, Zack's first directorial gig was "Michael Jordan's Playground", a NBA film that hit the home video market in 1991. It's part documentary, featuring Jordan's plays on the court and interviews with NBA personalities; part music video(the rap duo, Kid N Play make an appearance); part inspirational tale, involving a high school basketball player, played by Tyrin Turner ("Menace 2 Society"). It's surprisingly cute. After that, Zack worked on music videos (two for the grunge rock band Soul Asylum) and TV ads (the Budweiser September 11th tribute ad is his best known) before getting the Dawn remake on his lap. He was going to get the S.W.A.T. movie, but Sony Pictures wanted a PG-13 film.
"Cock gun guy" is Tom Savini, the genius FX artist who did the prosthetic effects in the 1979 original by Romero.He also did the effects in "An American Werewolf in London". He was a great character in "Knightrider" as the 'heel" of the jousting troop.
The "cock gun" guy is Tom Savini, one of the best horror make up e$facts artists out there. He did the original Dawn of the Dead (1978), Dusk til Dawn, this film, and others.
Awesome zombie action horror film! George Romero, director of the original 1978 film was very critical, saying that he liked the first 20 minutes of the movie, he hated the last 90 minutes of the film, and said that Zack Snyder ruined his vision by trying to make it look like a music video.
I completely agree with his assessment. While this version is fun, it doesn't hold a candle to the original, and the opening scene and credits are way better than the rest of the movie
I love this movie. Even more so than the original. I was shocked when I saw it in your community post. But I was also happy and couldn’t wait for your reaction. I’m also eagerly anticipating the Frighteners. Underrated imo.
The cool part is that the movie takes place in my hometown of Milwaukee WI. Definitely one of my all time favorite zombie movies along with Train to Busan.
I absolutely LOVE this movie. It's been a big favorite of mine since it came out! There's great characters here, absolutely LOVE the "Mall Life" we got to see during a Zombie Apocalypse. The absolutely killed it with the settings and the action and great use of music. I really hate that Andy and Norma ("Grandma" as ya'll called her) died and wish we got a few more scenes of them! This will he somewhat blasphemous, but I really prefer this over the George A. Romero original. I still enjoyed that one, some great acting and also a great Mall setting, but I really...realllly can't stand the Blue Zombies and having the silly Buddhist Zombie and feel its my least favorite of the original Living Dead Trilogy.
Thank you. Exactly. A couple people on this thread keep shitting on people that like this one and keep saying the original is the only one to watch, but I disagree. I love old horror and zombie films. I love both versions of Night of the Living Dead. But the original Dawn of the Dead is dry and weird and just not a good film, at all. It's one of the few films I have watched that is hard for me to get through on rewatches. It's just not good by any metric.
I remember when 'Ain't It Cool News' got a hold of the draft of the script for this movie and it was originally supposed to be set in Everett, Washington, even though the 'Crossroads Mall' is located in Bellevue, Washington. It goes a long way to explaining why they were trying to reach an island, when there are no islands in the Great Lakes.. There's a marina and a Naval base located in Everett with access to Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands within a day's sailing of the mall.
For other Zombie Movies, Ya'll definitely have to watch the original 1. Day of the Dead 2. Return of the Living Dead 3. Land of the Dead 4. Night of the Living Dead 5. Night of the Creeps 6. Zombie Land 7. Planet Terror 8. Warm Bodies
@jaypee9575 Day of the Dead is absolutely my favorite of the original trilogy and a top spot in Zombie and even Horror movies. Some of the favorite characters and absolutely crushing themes and sense of hopelessness...the opening credits (that the group Gorillaz sampled for their M1A1 song) just gets to me so well! 🫡 *Bub*
The guy on tv that was in From Dusk Til Dawn is a legendary special effects artist named Tom Savini. He did the gore effects in the original Dawn of the Dead and also had a role in that movie. Also, the truck that shows up is the company B&P Trucking, the same company truck used in the original. One of the reasons I really like this remake is I'm from Milwaukee, where this takes place. And my grandfather drove truck for B&P for the Teamsters Union.
Samantha was like my girlfriend at the time. I told her it was a “joke title” and that “it was really a romantic comedy”. “That’s what I heard.” She was not amused. In her review the “gruesome” word came up a number of times. Afterwords, I bought dinner to smooth things over. And she got to pick the next movie.
I actually did not care for this movie for a long time. Saw it in theatre’s as well. I have always been such a massive fan and lover of Romero’s original trilogy, i just refused to acknowledge it, which I’m usually the last one to do with movies. But i absolutely love it now. It’s one of my favorite zombie movies. How the tables have turned. The dvd release had an awesome short in the special features called “The Lost Tape: Andy’s Terrifying Last Days”. I would highly recommend checking that out. It’s not long, so i know it wouldn’t warrant a video, but y’all should check it out. I believe it’s on RU-vid as well. Somebody else said it already, but I’m not leaving that mall short of something forcing me too. And even then I’m not going far. It’s too advantageous. Awesome reaction. I hope y’all have more horror coming! Always look forward to y’all’s videos.
The Ving Rhames speech was not a good enough reason to leave the mall! The vehicles should have been a last resort which, in the end its what they were used for, but still, ni reason to leave the mall
The rare case where a remake is solid and stays to its core for its original classic. You so need to see the original Romero trilogy to truly appreciate all the lore and set standards for zombies overall.
I have always been partial to the original Romero films. Though his were much more oriented towards the concept of humans being their own worst enemy in a zombie apocalypse. I did see this one before the original though and it sufficed for what it was. The production hired actual amputees and people with missing limbs to serve as stunt performers for zombies. When you see a zombie running around without arms or missing body parts, odds are that's not a makeup or practical effect. The dude who monkey bars along the pipes in the parking garage is legendary.
I'm glad you guys decided to watch this. It's one of my favorite zombie movies, and not just because Zack Snyder directed it. Like all his movies, the director's cut is the best version. Whether it's Universal, Warner Bros., or even Netflix, the studios always seem to end up putting out the worst versions of his movies and his original vision always proves to be more popular. Remember that if you ever decide to watch his DCEU movies. "Man of Steel" doesn't have a director's cut, but "Batman v Superman: Ultimate Edition", "Zack Snyder's Justice League", and even the director's cut of "Watchmen" are all better than what was released in theaters.
I love how when you first watch it, you think CJ's gonna be this huge dick that they'll end up having to kill but instead he becomes one of the groups MVP's. The original had a huge impact on me as a youth and I liked that this updated version was a good watch. It was Zach Snyder's first movie, it put him on the map and though he can be hit and miss this is still in his Top 5 movies for my money. Hope you get to see Romero's movies at some point, I know they aren't easy to find in your preferred format but fingers crossed. Cheers for the great and fun reaction.😊
14:30 - This is Ken Foree! Another main character from the original 1978 film. He also stars in another fantastic H.P, Lovecraft film from the 80s called, "From Beyond", which also stars living legend Jeffrey Combs. That is a really creepy, weird horror film worthy of you guys watching it for this spooky season. :)
30:58 - One of the things I always liked about this whole "end of Andy" thing, was that by showing him 'write' one last note in blood, they hinted at like what is likely something of the last bit of humanity that gets snuffed out once one becomes a zombie. That there is just that tiniest trace of a person left before it is gone for good. Always thought that was an interesting thing that Zack Snyder touched on in this film that most people don't really talk about in the zombie lore of this film. I think that (at that time) most were just having discussions on the whole "fast zombie" thing, because I believe this movie was the one that introduced it. Some would argue that 28 Days Later was the first to introduce, BUT SORRY FOLKS, those were NOT zombies, they were "infected"; huge difference. In makes obvious sense that people (still living) that are infected with a virus that makes them insane and violent would run like wild animals. But for zombies, it was a whole new concept in D.O.T.D. ('04), because before that, every zombie film had your traditional "slow" zombies. And it did make sense for "freshly" killed zombies to still have that sort of motor function to move wildly and fast like that. However, I always felt Snyder couldn't have been more thorough to show some zombies, that have been dead for awhile, moving a bit slower.
The Tar-Man from "Return of the Living Dead" is the best zombie in any movie ever and I will die on that hill lol. Although, Bub from "Day of the Dead" is a pretty close runner-up
Tom Savini was part of the motorcycle gang in the 1978 original. He worked on special effects and stunts too. Also, Ken Foree, the guy who said, "when there's no more room in hell, the dead will walk the earth", had the same line in the original film.
They showed the intro on TV back in the day to promote the film. I was in high school. We only had cable in the living room. I remember running into the living room & changing the channel from whatever my grandmother was watching, "sorry grandma but I gotta see this" lol
DVD had a feature where it was a mini movie from Andy's point of view. Documented his communication with the mall group, as well as his descent into starvation, and ultimately, his infection/death. Worth a watch (off camera), I'm sure it's on youtube somewhere
Awesome reaction guys! While I am NOT a Zack Snyder fan, I will say that I think this is his one pretty good movie. Nailed making a fun zombie remake that paid tribute to the original while being fairly different from it. Kind of makes me wish he would've stuck to the horror genre instead of going on to make a bunch of terrible comic book adaptations. That being said, I think you guys NEED to see the original George Romero-directed "Dawn of the Dead". This is entirely subjective, but IMO while this remake is fun, the original is just superior in every way. Better pacing and characters, some really great social and political commentary weaved into the story without feeling preachy, and it was insanely groundbreaking for the time. Totally pushed the envelope as far as how much blood and gore you could show in horror movies back then, and the effects by Tom Savini are still pretty gnarly today. In fact, you guys should really check out Romero's entire "Dead" trilogy: "Night of the Living Dead", "Dawn of the Dead", and "Day of the Dead". Those movies are the jumping-off point of the entire modern zombie genre. Watching zombie movies without having seen Romero's "Dead" trilogy is like watching slashers without having seen "Halloween". You're missing the movies that established all the rules and tropes that ended up defining the genre. Oh and one last word of advice: if you guys do decide to check out the OG "Dawn of the Dead", make sure it's the original theatrical cut if you can find it. For reasons I won't go into here, there are a TON of different cuts of this movie out there, but the original theatrical cut is Romero's preferred version of the movie and the best one for a first-time watch
One of the greatest marketing tools ever was when, maybe a week or two before its theatrical release, they showed the entire pre-credit opening, unedited, on cable.
That's why zombies seem stronger. They're not, it's just the living back off due to pain & fatigue whereas zombies don't feel either and won't stop until something external stops them. Zero pain sensitivity.
The original is the greatest horror film ever in my opinion so when the remake was announced, I was very upset. I was totally wrong, this movie rocks.👍
The scene where the zombies are at the bottom of the steps looking right at the survivors after coming out of the sewer was so chilling to me, the middle zombie just had the most animalistic look on his face as if he was drooling.
