Customer Reviews

Night of the Living Dead - the Remake [DVD]

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

As the dead come alive and set out to devour the living, a few people seek safety in an isolated house. Do they try to hold it against the relentless tide of the living dead? Do they make a run for it in the hope of finding a safe haven? Can they even manage to agree to work together as a team? Or will they self-destruct?

Romero's original film - made at the height of the Vietnam War and in the cauldron of the civil rights struggle - portrayed young people faced with senseless slaughter, juxtaposed the imagination of the living against the blind obedience of the dead, and made emphatic the racial and generational tensions of the plot.

From the very first, Savini's remake of this classic, groundbreaking film cranks up the tension and the dramatic quality of the original as a brother and sister argue on their way to their mother's plot in an isolated graveyard. Romero collaborated in this remake of his zombie masterpiece - working closely with Savini, the remake benefits from advances in technology and the freedom of a much bigger budget, and this is apparent from the opening shots.

Faithful to Romero's original - at least throughout the first half - this is an intensified and amplified drama. While it cannot recapture the novelty and impact value of the original, in many respects this is one of those rare events in cinematography - a remake which equals its progenitor in quality. Savini has better resources and uses them to effect. If his version has a weakness it is in its failure to capture the suffocating sense of claustrophobia Romero managed with his survivors trying to barricade themselves in safely.

Savini also loses much of the political gravitas of the original. This is a commercial remake, not a statement about political realities. But Savini does diverge from the original storyline, and, in doing so, makes his own political statements. His female characters are more independent, more assertive. And the living are shown to be just as barbaric as the dead - it's not death which has turned the zombies into mindless creatures, society has already done that to the living.

Tom Savini uses his resources with authority and perception. He takes the dynamic originality of Romero's vision and elaborates on it skilfully. The result is more visceral, more mature, more sanguine in its consideration of dramatic potential. He delivers a film which is every bit as good as the original and which is a worthy parallel to Romero's work.

And the DVD offers some interesting extras - an excellent 'making of' featurette (25 minutes) is well worth watching. As a resurrected classic, this is an excellent production, a must-see for horror fans, and a DVD you should add to your collection.

I bought this on impulse and expected the worse. The cover art looks like some cheapo 80's horror, but what's inside is a surprisingly good disc.

The NOTLD remake may never be the classic the original was, but it's still a fine film. Tony Todd and Patricia Tallman are good leads, with the rest of the cast generally doing a good job.

As for the DVD, the picture quality is sharp, and the Dolby Surround is clear. There's also a director's commentary and a documentary (which features alternate footage cut by the censors).

One of the best zombie films of the 90's.

I didn't think a remake would be possible but Tom Savini pulled it off and i was not dissapointed. (well i was because of the fact that they cut alot of gory footage out which is shown on the dvd special feature documentery)I enjoyed every minute of this film and the characters are superbly chosen eg Tony Todd
(Candyman).I like the way that Barbaras personality has changed
alot because in this remake she is tough and can fend for herself.This film is worth watching.

Excellent film. No doubt about it.
If you liked the original, which you must coz it's a classic, then you'll love this. It's a complete remake, other than a few lines and scenes,(Nothing to worry about). Savini's done extremely well with directing and with the gorefest but the only downfall has got to be that there are cut scenes of exit wound shots.
This is all explained in the 25 minute documentary added as a special feature with the deleted scenes.
I don't see why they show the deleted scenes then, but not in the actual feature film itself. I was quite dissapointed but none the less an all round excellent film for a true Zombie Flick Fan like myself.
Even still has the line "They're coming to get you Barbara". That ones a classic.

Enjoy!!!!

There aren't that many good remakes out there. Perhaps The Fly, Invasion of the Bodysnatchers. Savini's effort isn't too bad, but given his make up credentials, I would have expected a higher gore count.

Not a patch on the original but worth checking out.

Probably one of my favourite films that i have seen so far. I still have to see the Dawn of the Dead Remake so that could be better than this, but this was an excellent remake of the black and white classic. The changes in the storyline helped keep me guessing when i watched the black and white version (I saw this first).

It was a great introduction to the zombie genre with my only criticism being that i would have liked more zombie vs human fights (e.g. the one between Ben and the zombie on the porch near the beginning).

Great remake-i think it is better than the original, but maybe that is because i saw this one first.

The 4 star is because it could have done with slightly more action, otherwise I would have given it 5 stars.

I have to say that when I first heard about this film, I thought it was going to be another long drawn out zombie flick, just like many of the others...but to my surprise this film was actually good, the special effects were very entertaining and Tom Savini added that extra bit of gore to make the film really come alive, the opening is better than the original because you get that feeling of being alone in the churchyard and with the zombies and nowhere to run. Pat Tallman best known for her appearances on Babylon 5, really brings the character Barbara to life, starting off as a weak and frightened young woman running to anyone who will save her and then making the transition to gun carrying kick ass tough girl who won't take sh*t off anyone, especially a few walking corpses. This was definitely better than the original, with lots of gruesome effects and surprises in store.

I wasnt impressed when i heard a remake of one of the all time classic zombie films was on the cards...However, the result surprised me and now I own both!

Very similar plot, except for a few interesting changes that keeps second time viewers guessing and of course all the quality immportal lines have been left in - as if you could take them out!

The acting is to a decent standard, if slightly over the top, but then what do you expect from a zombie film. And it contains one of my favourite ever scenes when one of our heroes goes on a crazy mission and ends up knocking over about a million zombies in the process...

So good in fact i think i'll have to watch it again...NOW...

This film has suffered from always being unfavourably compared to it's older black and white sibling, but is actually a very strong horror/apocalypse drama in it's own right. The cast are solid, with particularly strong performances from Tony Todd, Tom Towles, and Patricia Tallman (who eventually went on to star in Babylon 5). Tom Savini, who did the effects on Dawn and Day of the Dead directs the film with a sure hand, and the subtle changes in the direction of the plot and characters make it a fine companion piece to the monochrome version. The special effects are of course one area where this film excels over its predecessor with much creepier and more varied zombies, but suprisingly considering the director's track record the gore is fairly subdued. I've always been a huge fan of George Romero's zombie films, but if I'm totally honest, I have to say I prefer this version to his. George did provide the script for this re-make too though...

Although this 1990 remake of the scariest film I have ever seen is not
anywhere near as scary as the 1968 original, it is still a very good
film and has improved with age and repeated viewings. I first saw the
original NOLD upon the initial 1968 release at a drive-in, again in
1970 at a drive-in and then not again until around 1980 on VHS video.
In the interim I was lucky enough to find and buy the original
paperback edition of the 1974 Warner Books novelization. In the remake,
Tom Savini does a fine job with the director's chair and the film
benefits hugely from two very strong performances from Tony Todd and
Patricia Tallman. The make-up effects, on-location filming and music
are also all first-rate. It is a very worthwhile film despite being a
remake of a true classic. It does not attempt to be equal to or better
than the original. It doesn't copy the original scene-for-scene and
dialog-for-dialog. Although the plots are indeed very similar, the
remake offers some very unexpected twists and enhances some characters
while it somewhat changes others. And for those who have seen the
original film but not the remake, steer clear of reading spoilers for
the remake's ending. It was a touch of pure genius and won't be at all
what you will be expecting. See the remake but don't compare it to the
original classic. It stands very well on its own merits and even
compliments and pays homage and tribute to the 1968 version.