4.9/10
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162 user 195 critic

Survival of the Dead (2009)

Trailer
2:05 | Trailer
On an island off the coast of North America, local residents simultaneously fight a zombie epidemic while hoping for a cure to return their un-dead relatives back to their human state.

Director:

George A. Romero
2 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Alan Van Sprang ... Sarge
Joshua Peace ... D.J. (as Josh Peace)
Hardee T. Lineham ... Lieutenant Vaughn
Dru Viergever ... Soldier Zombie
Eric Woolfe ... Kenny
Shawn Roberts ... Tony (archive footage)
Scott Wentworth Scott Wentworth ... Professor Maxwell (archive footage)
Amy Lalonde ... Tracy (archive footage)
Michelle Morgan ... Debra (archive footage)
Joshua Close ... Jason (archive footage)
Mitch Risman ... Drooling Zombie
Kenneth Welsh ... O'Flynn
Julian Richings ... James
Wayne Robson ... Tawdry
Kathleen Munroe ... Janet / Jane
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Storyline

In the Plum Island, off the coast of Delaware, the long feud between the families of the patriarchs Captain Patrick O'Flynn (Kenneth Welsh) that intends to eliminate the zombies and Seamus Muldoon (Richard Fitzpatrick) that intends to keep his undead relatives waiting for a cure culminates with O'Flynn expelled from Plum. Meanwhile in the continent Sarge "Nicotine" Crocket (Alan Van Sprang), Chuck (Joris Jarsky), Cisco (Stefano DiMatteo) and Tomboy (Athena Karkanis) are plundering and seeking a safe place to stay. When they rescue the young Boy (Devon Bostick) from group of sadistic hunters, Boy decides to join the group and suggests them to head to Plum Island since he had heard a O'Flynn's broadcast inviting people to move to the island. When Sarge and his team arrive in the island, they are attacked by Muldoon's men and they see that the place is crowded of undead. Sarge's friend Chuck is killed and they decide to fight against Muldoon. Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

Survival isn't just for the living. See more »


Certificate:

18A | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

This marks George A. Romero's second time using the SCOPE format (2.35:1, 2.39:1, 2.4:1) for his Living Dead films. The first time was Land of the Dead (2005). The other Dead films were either shot in 1.33:1 (Night of the Living Dead (1968)) or 1.85:1 (Dawn of the Dead (1978) and Day of the Dead (1985)). See more »

Goofs

(at around 22 mins) At one point Sarge Crockett smashes out one of the windows in the armored truck with the butt of a rifle. In reality, that is impossible since the polycarbonate "bullet-resistant" windows would not be penetrated even by a bullet, much less the blunt plastic butt of a rifle. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
Sarge 'Nicotine' Crocket: [voice-over] Last time anyone counted, fifty-three million people were dying every year, a hundred-fifty thousand every day, a hundred and seven every minute, and that was in normal times.
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Connections

Follows Land of the Dead (2005) See more »

Soundtracks

MAKE IT OR BREAK IT
Written by Charlie Finlay
Courtesy of Charfin Music
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User Reviews

 
How could he get it so wrong?
21 April 2010 | by BA_HarrisonSee all my reviews

25 years ago, I sat open-mouthed in awe of the intense visceral horror experience that was George Romero's Day of the Dead; today, I sat jaw agape once more at the director's latest zombie flick, Survival of the Dead, although for a very different reason: utter disbelief!

How could George Romero, the creator of the modern movie zombie, get everything so totally wrong?

With Survival, it looks like the director has finally taken on board the criticism aimed at his last two films and ditched the heavy-handed social commentary (the messages are still there, but are far less 'in-your-face'); unfortunately, somewhere during the creative process, he's also unwisely opted to up the level of comedy, meaning that much of this film plays the global zombie threat for laughs.

Remember how Romero used the slapstick custard pie scene in Dawn of the Dead to momentarily relieve the tension? Well in this one, it's all 'custard pie' and absolutely no tension. During the course of the film, we get to witness several cringe-worthy comedy zombie slayings, a hilarious bitter feud between two stereotypical Irish clans, a zombie woman on horseback, a car ferry strangely moored in six feet of water, zombie fishing, plus loads of other nonsense that beggars belief. Not once, however, do we get a sense of dread. The closest Romero ever comes to delivering the goods is with a couple of cheap jump scares that are accompanied by loud noises and some admittedly splattery gore (that relies a little too heavily on CGI for my liking).

Had Survival of the Dead been made by anyone other than Romero, then I may have rated it as high as 5/10: it's never boring, I suppose. But coming from the guy who practically invented the genre, the film can only be seen as a massive disappointment—easily the worst of his 'Dead' films to date—and therefore fully deserves my lower score of 3/10.


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Frequently Asked Questions

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Details

Country:

USA | Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 May 2010 (Germany) See more »

Also Known As:

George A. Romero's Survival of the Dead See more »

Filming Locations:

Ancaster, Ontario, Canada See more »

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Box Office

Budget:

$4,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$43,757, 30 May 2010

Gross USA:

$101,740

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$386,078
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

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Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
See full technical specs »

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