mvegas893-1

Okay. The fact that this movie is a remake, and an AMAZING film is already well covered territory here by the time I'm writing this. I'm going to address the film's realism in relation to it's setting. I grew up in Boston. I love Boston, it will always be home, no matter where I live. I came up in a neighborhood pretty similar to the one depicted in the movie, and spent some time in that neighborhood (S. Boston). I've seen comments here (by others from the Boston area) implying that Boston isn't like the one depicted in the film. Well, maybe out in Wellesley, where you grew up, it isn't. I have NEVER seen a more accurate depiction of actual Bostonians in my life. The dialog between these guys is absolutely on the money, and never before have I ever seen it quite captured. Bostonians have a seemingly magical ability to express both love and hate in the same hilarious sentence in a way that I have never witnessed elsewhere. Aside from enjoying the film for it's MANY other virtues, it was like a three hour trip home. For that I am quite grateful.

Oh, I almost forgot. Dicaprio was BRILLIANT. I had serious doubts going in as to whether he could pull this off. Walking out of the theater, I was speechless. I absolutely, 100% bought him as a kid from Southie trying to do the right thing. I'll never doubt him as an actor again.

It is a highly stylized slice of life. As usual, reading through the comments left here, I'm finding that many just can't leave their pretense at the door. It would seem that any film with an all African-American cast set in the American south is required to beat us over the head with an idea we are all (I would hope) aware of. ie; Jim Crow sucked. Instead, this film simply portrays people with hopes and dreams, faults and virtues, capable of love and hate, good and evil. in other words, people. Not "black people". That was refreshing. (and, IMHO, a far stronger statement than one could ever make through heavy-handed symbolism) Is the film perfect? Far from it. The plot is in many ways pedestrian. The film telegraphs plot twists rather than foreshadowing them. However, are there flashes of brilliance? Good Lord yes. These are two astonishingly talented men (Andre and Big Boi) and simply as a showcase for that talent, this film succeeds. If you just sit down and let the film wash over you, you will enjoy. If you over-think, and ask it to be something it isn't, you won't. It's that simple.

Okay. First off, let me state that I am a big horror film fan, and particularly of films of this genre.

That said, this movie failed at achieving both it's goals. The first would be its' attempt at social commentary. Okay.....so here's what this movie is trying to say- the humans, they're America (booo! hiss!). And the zombies, well they're everyone else (awwwwww). So the poor, sweet man-eating zombies would just leave the humans alone, and everyone could live together in harmony if the humans (America) would just cool the f**k out, right?

Sure, except

A) the zombies would EAT THE HUMANS.

B) People in the rest of the world are not zombies....they happen to be humans who are entirely capable of thinking for themselves, and acting in their own interest.....just like Americans do. The "commentary" this film makes is simply an example of a particularly patronizing and superior attitude that many in the west display, writ large.

So, I guess this film is brilliant social commentary....if you are in the 3rd grade.

On to goal #2. Being a good zombie movie. Ahhhh.... if being a good zombie movie means that you sacrifice all scare factor in the name of "social commentary" (see goal #1) and turn the zombies into poor, downtrodden morons that you are supposed to feel bad for (despite their hunger for your flesh) then this flick is GREAT.

Even the "Dawn" remake was better than this pile of crap.