I love a good zombie movie. Actually, as a matter of fact I love a bad zombie movie from time to time. Regrettably, the ratio of good to bad zombie movies has ‘bad’ taking a strong lead. Especially now that there has been a renaissance of sorts for zombie movies. The superlative comedy “Shaun of the Dead” and Zack Snyder’s remake of “Dawn of the Dead” kick started the genre and has brought it on en masse. Pretty much every type of zombie movie can be found coming out. We’ve got zombies on planes, we’ve got zombies on motocross bikes from hell, even the other day I heard that a zombie stripper movie was about to be released (starring Robert Englund and Jenna Jameson, of all people…). As bad as most of the these films have been and are sure to be, at least I can give the filmmakers credit in making an original movie and not trying to make a profit off the work of someone else.

I mentioned earlier Zack Synder’s remake of “Dawn of the Dead.” The original was George Romero’s second step into his zombie Quadrilogy, and though it had all the trappings of an independent film, it is still considered to be a classic. I was one of the first people to snub my nose at Snyder’s decision to helm a remake. Why not make an original zombie movie? Yet, when the film eventually came out my opinion was swayed enough to admit it was a damn fine zombie movie. I never backed off of my soapbox that he should have named it something else and NOT used Romero’s name, but at least he made an entertaining movie.

This brings us to not only a new zombie movie… but another remake hoping to cash in on the great Romero’s name. Director Steve Miner has opted to film a ‘re-imagining’ of “Day of the Dead.” The original in this case was Romero’s third film. This time I thought I might put aside my prejudices and give the new version a shot. After all, Miner has worked in the genre for a while with some of the “Friday the 13th” films and “Halloween H20” under his belt. Surely he would craft a loving tribute to the master of zombie films. And with a cast that includes Ving Rhames and Mena Suvari, how could he go wrong?

Being that “Day of the Dead (2008)” ended up being a straight to video release, I should have guessed I was having a bout of wishful thinking. It turns out that this new “Day of the Dead” has as much in common with the original as “Aliens” has with “Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm.” Well, maybe a little more… there are at least a couple of character’s names carried over. Without reminding any of you what the original film was about let me introduce you to 2008’s version.

It seems that a viral outbreak has descended on a small Colorado town. This little outbreak turns the town’s inhabitants into zombie-like creatures that enjoy feeding on human flesh. A group of military reservists are called in to maintain order, but when it gets out of hand, they opt to find their way back out of town. Unfortunately, the zombies have other ideas. That’s pretty much it in a nutshell. We are given Mena Suvari as a tough soldier… which is a far cry from any other character she has ever played… to truth be told… a role that she is not able to pull off. Ving Rhames? Doesn’t last long in the movie. Nick Cannon? He’s so annoying you WISH he didn’t last long in the movie. Honestly, I’ve seen better acting at the local high school.

Then there’s the ‘zombies.’ I personally like slow, meandering zombies. I initially didn’t like the Jesse Owens zombies from the newer “Dawn of the Dead”, but they grew on me and eventually became kinda scary. But here we have zombies that not only run… but somehow they’ve stolen moves from “The Matrix” and “Spider-Man.” I’m not kidding. They actually clamber up walls and ‘leap tall buildings.’ Some may argue that since zombies don’t exist, a filmmaker can make them do what ever he wants, but that’s not really true. You see zombies in the mall everyday, and they were the model for Romero’s zombies. These guys seem to be trying out for the Olympics.

Yet all of these things I could have forgiven. I might have enjoyed “Day of the Dead (2008)” for all of its faults, totally disassociating it from the original and viewing it as a bit of a comedy horror. But then Miner did the unthinkable. He crapped on a classic character. Here’s where I will specifically mention a character from Romero’s “Day of the Dead.” The character was ‘Bub’, a zombie that was being re-trained by the rather insane Dr. Logan. Portrayed by Howard Sherman (whom I met recently – very nice guy), Bub is every bit as animalistic as his brethren, but is remotely in touch with his earlier memories. The question as to whether these are really memories as opposed to reflexive responses comes up often, but in one superbly acted moment there is no doubt that memory is involved.

In the new version, he is renamed ‘Bud’ and he becomes the comic foil for Nick Cannon’s character. And he’s a vegetarian. I really don’t think I can say any more on the subject without getting really hacked off. But I’ll try. All they had to do was make the movie, call it something else, rename the characters and it would have been a comical zombie film. The association with the original is what really ruins the fun.

The DVD for “Day of the Dead” comes complete with extra features that are every bit as infuriating as the movie. You get an alternate ending (which is really weak), some b-roll footage, and a handful of interviews. But the piece de resistance of idiocy comes with a commentary from Miner, writer Jeffrey Reddick, editor Nate Easterling. They are joined by actors Michael Welch, Stark Sands and Christa Campbell. Listening to them talk to the through the movie, one might have hoped that they would have been in on the joke, but instead they insult fans of the genre as well as some of Romero’s choices in his superior film. They attempt to explain the renaming of Bub as well as why they made the film in the first place. The one thing you never hear out of their mouths is that they truly are visionless, opportunistic idiots.

I really wanted to like “Day of the Dead (2008)” and there was a slight chance that I would have had they not saddled it with Romero’s name and screwed up an iconic character.

Directed by: Steve Miner
Starring: Mena Suvari, Nick Cannon, Michael Welch, Annalynne McCord, Ving Rhames
Extras: Commentary by Jeffrey Reddick, Steve Miner and Cast Members, Internet Only Trailer, Alternate Ending
Specifications: Dolby Digital 5.1
Studio: First Look Studios
Release Date: 4/8/2008
Region 1
MPAA Rating: R
Website

We'll give Day of the Dead (2008) a D.