Film Review: George A. Romero's SURVIVAL OF THE DEAD

Few directors have had as profound effect on the horror genre as writer/director George A. Romero and his contributions to the zombie genre are legendary so it is with great excitement that I can talk about his latest zombie epic is his ever expanding …Dead series Survival of the Dead. Not so much a direct sequel to the previous film Diary of the Dead but a spinoff as it features one minor character from that film and expands upon his story.

This new film follows Nicotine Crocket (Alan Van Sprang) and his fellow soldiers who have gone AWOL do to the world going to the zombies. He and his platoon are now just trying to survive in a world overrun by zombies which means stealing and looting from those who are unfortunate enough to come across their path. Their luck may have changed when they come across the possible safe refuge of Plum Island only when they get there they realize that the residents of the island have their own civil war going on. Ever since the dead began to rise from the grave the two Irish clans that populate the island the O’Flynns and the Muldoons have been killing each other. The O’Flynns wants to kill the dead no matter who it is to protect the living whereas the Muldoons wish to preserve the dead in the hopes that a cure be found and if not a cure than a means in which to get the dead to eat something other than other humans. When Crocket and his team get to the island he realizes that he is caught in the middle of a war that will have consequences on all sides.

Fans of the zombie genre may be a tad disappointed by the film as there is very little zombie massacre to be had. Instead this film is a character study between three sides of one of the most important questions in regards to what should be done if a zombie apocalypse was to ever happen. How much “humanity” do we lose when the world becomes a living hell? And can the dead be domesticated?

Romero’s film is filled with the same humor displayed is his Dawn of the Dead especially in terms of the way in which the zombies are killed. This is a highlight of the film as Romero has been a tad too serious with the last two …Dead films. This film has a lot more humor despite the social commentary that is abound in a Romero film. Fans and critics who dismissed his last film for it being too apparent with the social commentary (the film was criticized for being two transparent and repetitive) don’t have to worry about this film as Romero has a lot more fun with the material and it makes for one great entertaining ride. This film will also keep gore hounds happy as it is a Romero film and gore can be found everywhere, it just has more of a sense of humor.

Produced for an estimated $4 million (more than his previous film) it’s surprising that the film wasn’t given a wider release although it did preview a month earlier on VOD, Amazon, etc. for download which is fast becoming the norm for indie films in order to recoup costs. Considering that the popularity of zombie films have been on the rise it’s hard to imagine why this film (especially since it’s a Romero film) didn’t get a wider release. Regardless, it’s a thought provoking and entertaining zombie film that will definitely find an audience once it hits DVD.