Land of the Dead

For a fan of George Romero zombie flicks, his fourth visit to the genre is moderate fun but a bit disappointing. Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead stand as horror classics, but Day of the Dead took the zombie film in a slightly lame direction with Bub, a zombie who learned how to use a Walkman and fire a gun. Land takes this silly notion of zombie sentience a bit further, and, while Romero seems to be seeking sympathy for his automatons, the result is unintentional laughter. Dennis Hopper plays a tycoon living in a secure high-rise that becomes a target for zombie attacks, presumably because it’s a symbol for American greed and ego. Whatever. Romero is at his best when just concentrating on the scares (the film has some good ones) and the gore (pretty gross, but relatively toned down for Romero). Zombies are sad characters as they stand, but to watch them wailing over the oppression of their kin is just too funny. I’m thinking there’s an unrated director’s cut in the making.