Writer/director: George A. Romero | Rated: R | Review date: 24-March-2010

For the sixth installment of George Romero’s Dead series, Survival of the Dead moves to an island inhabited primarily by two rival clans: the O’Flynns and the Muldoons. The O’Flynns, lead by patriarch Patrick O’Flynn (Kenneth Welsh), protect the island from the undead by exterminating all the infected. On the other side we have Seamus Muldoon (Richard Fitzpatrick) and his family of religiously charged individuals bent on keeping their loved ones around, in hopes that they can adapt and co-exist once again. When the two groups clash, O’Flynn is expelled from the island.

Meanwhile ‘Nicotine’ Crocket (Alan Van Sprang), the sole returning character from Diary, and his group of misfit National guardsmen are in search of a safe haven. They soon run into a kid (Devon Bostick) whom they allow to tag along. The kid (we’re never given his name) tells of a ‘Captain Courageous’, a man with a plan for survival on an island. To no surprise, the Captain is actually none other than Patty O’Flynn setting out to wreak disturbance upon the Muldoons by sending groups of survivors into his settlement.

The tale soon enough becomes one of pure survival. As the Crocket’s crew, along with O’Flynn, seek refuge on the island, they clash with the Muldoons. O’Flynn’s daughters (both played by Kathleen Munroe) remained on the island after Patrick left, though one is now turned zombie. The fight between the groups is not only that of survival, but also of ideals. Family, loyalties, and morals play huge parts in this potential battle royale.

Needless to say, Romero’s past two zombie flicks have received mixed criticism. I’ve personally enjoyed both Land and Diary, thought I can see where a die hard fan of the original three films may be disappointed. Nonetheless, with this latest installment I believe Romero shows off what he does best. The story was surprisingly original and quite enjoyable. The dialog was great as the serious parts of the film were believable while the cheesy bits added nicely to the more humorous tone. Speaking of humor, it’s clear that Romero decided to have a little more fun this time around. While we have a great socially relevant story, which is to be expected from Mr. Romero, there is quite a bit of tongue and cheek humor added to make the film.

The film is shot quite well while everything from the scenery to the night shots were done with great sensibility. The music fit perfectly into the whole mood of the movie as well. Of course we cannot talk about a zombie film without mentioning some kind of gore, right? Well we’re not let down in the blood and guts department either. However there is one very important and noticeable aspect of the gore that may have a lot of viewers getting in a twist, and that is the use of CGI. Yes, some of the blood splatter and literally eye-popping scenes were computer generated. While this did take a way from the more serious and hardcore feeling of the film, it did add more to the humorous aspect quite nicely.

While I’m typically the type to enjoy the more realistic and creative effects, I did get a few laughs from what was presented. On one hand I would have enjoyed a more serious tone of the movie a bit more, but I still did enjoy myself very much with this film. I also cannot go without mentioning the excellent acting this time around. Everyone was well cast, especially Kenneth Welsh as the crazy gun-slinging old man. Kathleen Munroe also stood out as O’Flynn’s daughters, both living and dead. Van Sprang fits the role of the chainsmoking renegade leader perfectly as well.

All in all Survival of the Dead is a great zombie movie. It won’t be as revered as much as Dawn but it surely has its own unique feel to it and deserves a lot of recognition. The film was very well put together and well acted. The story was the main thing that sold me with this film, and it was topped off with a funny yet thought-provoking finale. As I’ve mentioned this film might likely have been much more epic had it been a bit more serious, however the comedy in the movie does make a strong point in itself and was satisfying in any case. Romero shows that he’s still at the top of his game, but also that he doesn’t need to take himself so seriously to make a fun flick.
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US DVD coming soon! Region 2 UK edition available below:

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