Diary of the Dead Review

Written by: TheDemon   

The world is (once again) coming to an end--and the dead are (once again) eating the living.  Sheeze; ain't we beat this horse to death yet?  Apparently not.  George Romero's never-ending saga of the dead coming back to life and eating the living has gotten ANOTHER twist.  This time the scenario plays out while some local college film students are making a cheap horror movie.  The "director' of that film decides--for whatever reason--that this Armaggedon needs to be captured on film (think Blair Witch--only a little better).  So...off we go through yet another gloom-and-doom picture supposedly with all these "hidden messages" about how we are constantly duped by the government (NO SHIT), etc., etc., etc. 

I didn't have a problem with the premise of the movie.  I'm sure that ANY tabloid would have a field day with events like this (should they ever happen).  What bothered me was the acting and the script.  The narrator of the film obviously went to the Bruce Willis school of acting...absolutely no emotion.  After a while, you kinda' hope she gets offed by a horde of zombies just to get her to shut up that monotone, monotinous, warbling of hers.  And if that's not bad enough, she then gets the idea that she needs to film the faux director (who is her boyfriend), and blah, blah, blah.  The remainder of the cast is so cookie-cutter you can sit and almost pick out who is going to die and when.  And the film students' professor is also along for the ride.  He drinks CONSTANTLY, and tries to be your quintessential "stuffy British nobleman," and all he does is make you scream "Him next--AFTER the narrator."  And he sure is an amazing shot with a bowgun while being soused to the gills all the time.  Isn't that just what you'd need if your time on this earth was running out?  Some Brit spouting "words of wisdom"?  Thanks, but no thanks.

The film lasts 95 minutes and is rated R.  It has some gore, but this installment is rather tame for Romero standards.  Geroge, baby, it's WAY past time you put this puppy to bed.