Day of the Dead (2008)

When a small Colorado town is overrun by the flesh hungry dead a small group of survivors try to escape in a last ditch effort to stay alive.

Director:

Steve Miner

Writers:

Jeffrey Reddick (screenplay), George A. Romero (motion picture "Day of the Dead")

Stars:

Mena Suvari, Nick Cannon, Michael Welch

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mena Suvari	...	Sarah Bowman
Nick Cannon	...	Salazar
Michael Welch	...	Trevor Bowman
AnnaLynne McCord	...	Nina (as AnnaLyne McCord)
Stark Sands	...	Bud Crain
Matt Rippy	...	Doctor Logan
Pat Kilbane	...	Scientist
Taylor Saracho	...	Local Girl (as Taylor Hoover)
Christa Campbell	...	Mrs. Leitner
Ian McNeice	...	Paul - DJ
Ving Rhames	...	Captain Rhodes
Robert Rais	...	Mr. Leitner
Michael McCoy	...	Mr. Noble
Laura Giosh	...	Mrs. Noble
Vanessa Johansson	...	Receptionist

Storyline

In Leadville, Colorado, Captain Rhodes and his army seals off the town to contain an influenza-type epidemic. The locals are not allowed to leave the town and the Pine Valley Medical Center is crowded with sick people. Corporal Sarah Bowman was born and raised in Leadville and goes to her home with Private Bud Crain to visit her mother. Sarah finds that her mother is ill and takes her to the local hospital. However, the sick people suddenly transform in flesh eating, fast moving zombies which attack the non-infected humans. Sarah, Bud and Private Salazar get a jeep and head to the town exit to escape from the dead. But Sarah hears the voice of her brother, Trevor, on the radio and is compelled to go to the radio station where Trevor is hidden with his girlfriend Nina. The group of survivors drives to the isolated Nike missile site seeking shelter, where they discover an underground army base.

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Plot Keywords:

horror movie remake | zombie | colorado | epidemic | corporal | 

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Taglines:

This spring, the dead will rise!

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Genres:

Action | Horror | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong pervasive horror violence and gore, and language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 April 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

Day of the Dead: The Need to Feed

Filming Locations:

Bulgaria

Box Office

Budget:

$18,000,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$301,771

Company Credits

Production Co:

Millennium Films,Taurus Entertainment Company,Emmett/Furla/Oasis Films (EFO Films)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min

Sound Mix:

Mono Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Rhames also starred in Dawn of the Dead.

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Goofs

Captain Rhodes wears matching Captain's bars on the lapels of his uniform. Army officers only wear rank insignia on their right lapel. The left lapel is reserved for that officer's branch insignia, i.e. crossed rifles for Infantry, crossed sabers for Cavalry, crossed pistols for Military Police, etc.

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Quotes

Salazar: [about Ben] This shit is ridiculous. I mean, why Thriller over here ain't trying to eat us?
Sarah Bowman: He's a vegetarian.
Salazar: That's the best explanation you can come up with?
Sarah Bowman: You got a better one?
Salazar: All I'm saying, as long he don't try to mistake me for a soy bean burger, we're gonna be all right.

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Alternate Versions

-** SPOILER ALERT! *** The alternate ending on the DVD has Salazar's character disappearing off screen after opening fire in the Nike missile silo. He screams, fires again, then the horde of zombies appears. The film continues exactly as it did in the theatrical release, until, as they escape in the SUV, they pass a building in the exterior of the missile base. Salazar emerges, screaming that he wasn't bitten, and muttering that everyone expects the black guy to die. He gets into the SUV, and they drive off. At that point, the screaming zombie pops into frame.

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Connections

References Michael Jackson: Thriller (1983)

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Soundtracks

Stop, I'm Already Dead
Written by Dax Riggs
Performed by Deadboy & The Elephantmen
Published by Blebaby(BMI) administered by Wixen Music Publishing, Inc.
Courtesy of Fat Possum Records, LLC
By Arrangement with Music For The Masses

User Reviews

This movie is just plain bad, remake or not

When I started watching this movie I was a tad worried, it being a remake of one of my favourite zombie movies of all time, however, I found myself kinda enjoying it. That is, until the zombies came out to play. Really, what were the cast and crew thinking when they were making this? Nothing was done well, even the presence of Mena Suvari could not save the movie from the dregs of shoddiness. Bad CGI, wooden acting, zombies with super-human abilities, a lazy script and clichéd characters all contribute to make this "remake" a mess. I mention remake that way because it bears very little similarity to George A. Romero's dark, violent, claustrophobic 1985 film. The nods to the original include character's names, one line spoken by the main character and the last 20 minutes being set in an underground bunker.

Day of the Dead opens with four teenagers in the woods doing what any teen in a horror movie would be doing. Meanwhile, the army have got the city quarantined due to a flu outbreak (although we know it is so much more than that). Corporal Sarah Bowman (Mena Suvari) is put in charge of three younger soldiers (although one disappears after a minute introduction). She takes one of the them, Bub (Stark Sands) to pick up her sick mother and take her to the local medical centre. Along for the ride is her younger brother Trevor (Michael Welch) and his girl Nina (AnnaLynne McCord). When they arrive at the hospital, all hell breaks loose when the virus is unleashed and turns most of the town into zombies. From here on the movie is a standard action/horror flick with the survivors going from one place to another trying to find shelter.

First things first, the zombies in this film are stupid creations. I do not know who thought that zombies should be able to not only run, but climb walls and ceilings, jump out of two-story windows without damage, drive cars and shoot machine guns. These were like super-zombies that for some reason decayed massively when they turned, but lost no strength. No explanation was given for these zombies except for the fact it was a biochemical weapon (surprise). Not only were the undead unbelievable, but they were CGI...and bad CGI at that. I have never seen so much digital blood and gore, it was poor and only added to the straight-to-DVD feel. The entire cast were bad, Mena Suvari looked like she just needed the money as her performance was dull and by-the-numbers. Nick Cannon should never be allowed to act, but he was not assisted by the dumb script with some appalling one-liners ("by the power of grey skull"?) and rather confusing scenes of civilians becoming master gunman in mere seconds.

Basically, this is a bad movie whether you consider it a remake of Romero's film or a standalone zombie flick. It is not even "so bad it's funny," it is just bad. Sure, it is not the worst movie ever made and it is fast paced enough to never become boring, but there are so many other zombie movies out there that Steve Miner's Day of the Dead should be at the bottom of the need-to-see list.

½/5