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Rating: Fourth episode of the mythical horror/political saga by George A. Romero, the true father of what is, in every respect, the most representative monster of the twentieth century: the zombie.
After the cult films Night of the Living Dead (1968), Dawn of the Dead (1978), and the perhaps overly verbose Day of the Dead (1985), here we are, 20 years later, with Land of the Dead (2005).
As in the previous chapters, Romero presents us a world infested by walking dead without providing too many explanations on how the invasion occurred. The apocalyptic vision remains valid, so dear to the director, that zombies are a divine punishment (hell is full...the dead return to walk the earth).
The plot follows the events of four main characters, aptly stereotyped to highlight the (anti)political message (in this chapter more explicit than usual) that also characterizes the other episodes.
Riley (S. Baker), Kaufman (D. Hopper), Cholo (J. Leguizamo), and Big Daddy (the first semi-conscious zombie of the saga) are the gears that make the "story" machine function properly, which reeks of criticism of modern society from miles away. In particular, Big Daddy is depicted as a sort of undead proletarian rebel. More alive than the living, lost in their ephemeral dreams. More human than the humans, corrupt and ruthless.
The film never loses its pace and remains always credible, despite some scenes being a bit too video game-like. Praiseworthy is the splendid nighttime atmosphere, spiced up with one of the best splatter aesthetics ever seen (the special effects are excellent).
Certainly, this fourth episode is the most "commercial" of Romero's filmography, perhaps deliberately crafted to better convey the underlying message. Numerous standout moments and clever ideas are present, confirming the still very sharp inventiveness of the seventy-year-old director. A film where the dynamics of good/evil overlap and invert, where the most formidable enemies are not zombies, but humans themselves.
Humans: who watch the world passively, who don't know how to react, who let things happen without lifting a finger or are dazzled by dreams of omnipotence, they are the real living dead.
The real zombies.
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