DIARY OF THE DEAD Dir: George Romero. (2008)
Man, was I psyched to see this film! After loving Romero’s zombie films (yes, even the lackluster LAND OF THE DEAD) for so long, this one seemed like a no brainer.
And then I watched it.
The big “experiment” of this one was that it was shot in handheld. It tries to explain that its for the main characters to get out the REAL word of whats going on over the net. The thing about Romero’s films that makes it successful, is that not only are they scary and great effects horror movies… but that there are underlying themes and social allagories that show a reflection of our lives. We are zombies lumbering through a mall. the military aren’t necessarily going to save us, etc. etc. This film tries to display our obsessive nature with camera, post 80’s technology riddled soctiety. To me, it all seems incoate. While interesting, its really treading old ground. Hand-held films like “BLAIR WITCH,” “THE LAST BROADCAST” and more recently “CLOVERFIELD” do a much better job at making this style more accessible and believeable. also, the idea of a film crew going over what is the actual truth has been done to death and much better. Films like “MAN BITES DOG” come to mind.
Also, we seem to be going backwards in sequence. All of Romero’s zombie flicks are partial “sequels” to the others. this one just does not fit. Is it another interpretation? As if to say what if it happened today? Yeah maybe. But I sure as hell wouldn’t film it all. I’d be more concerned for the safety and survival of my friends and loved ones. Everyone here doesn’t seem to care. Does the girl who watched her family turn into zombies show ANY emotion whatsoever? No. That this kid would take the time even while fighting with his girl to film EVERYTHING? Its just unrealistic. And the characters are extremely uninteresting. We don’t care about them. At all. At all. AT ALL.
This film just doesn’t work. And at his advanced skill, Romero could have gave us something better. I feel that this film was quite forgettable and not a timeless masterpiece as his others. I hope he’s done experimenting with old ground and obvious CGI effects that are unimpressive and we can get one more old school Romero joint that I KNOW he’s gotta have left in him.
GRADE: 1 out of 5 good Romero Zombie flicks. (Get it? There’s been 5 other Romero zombie flicks in the series! Get it? Get it? HA!)
I bought it and sold it in the same week. Whats that tell you? Sorry George. But I still love you. All is forgiven no matter what.
For more from the author ADAM TALLEY, including a look at his independent comic book work, visit http://www.idiothead.com
Raised primarily in central Michigan all his life, Adam is a successful writer, artist and self publisher. He is best known for his comics: PLEASANT LIFE, THE EXPENDABLES, WISE INTELLIGENCE and the upcoming ANNA POCOLYPSE. He also wrote a free online how to book called "IN THE TRENCHES: HOW TO SURVIVE AS A SMALL PRESS COMIC BOOK PUBLISHER." He also has done some pinup work for ANTARCTIC PRESS and logo designs for many other clients. He has been featured on web sites, newspapers, television and magazines talking about his work and travels around the country promoting it. He resides in Southwest Michigan. 
