Dawn Of The Dead: 5 Ways The Original Is Superior (& 5 Ways The Remake Is Better)
When it comes to zombie movies, nothing will ever beat Dawn of the Dead. Taste and opinion aside, there simply isn't another zombie movie that did for the genre what Dawn of the Dead did in 1978. It revolutionized the genre, it made George A. Romero a horror legend, and it helped launched zombies into the mainstream.
The zombie boom of the 2010s couldn't have existed without it. And, in a frankly surprising twist of fate, the remake is actually quite good. While it has very little in common with its predecessor, it stands proudly as a standalone zombie flick. Some may even say it's better...
10 Original: The Tone
Part of what makes the original Dawn of the Dead isn't so captivating isn't the cast or the gore (although those certainly help), but the movie's dour tone. While it certainly contains moments of levity, never before or since has a movie so horrifically captured the unrelenting horror of a zombie apocalypse.
The opening twenty minutes or so are splendid, perfectly conveying the complete degradation of modern society. It only gets worse from there, as the characters hunker down in an eerily empty mall and must defend it from roaming bandits hellbent on violence and greed.
9 Remake: The Action
If action is sought after, then the remake is certainly the way to go. The original certainly contains its share of wonderful action, but it's marred in the questionable depths of cheap '70s filmmaking.
The editing can be questionable, the sound design is muted and unconvincing (more on that later), and it's filmed in a generally flat manner. The opposite is true of the remake. It's far more kinetic, and Zack Snyder proves a far more cinematically competent director than George A. Romero. The increased budget certainly helped.
8 Original: The Pacing
As kinetically directed as the remake is, its flaws lie in its pacing. The remake provides near-constant violence, veering from one violent set piece to another with little time for character development or tone setting. The original is far better in this department.
It too contains many scenes of action and gratuitous violence, but it also finds time to breathe. Characters develop, motivations are allowed to flower, and tone is perfectly set. In this way, the violence proves more menacing. Constantly being bombarded with action proves tiring after a while.
7 Remake: The Extravagance
In many ways, this shares a lot in common with the action. The remake is simply more ambitious than the original, both in terms of bombast and extravagance. While both take place in a shopping mall, the remake manages to provide more visceral excitement.
It serves much like an action movie, going from set piece to set piece - the opening sequence, the parking garage adventure, the attempt to rescue Andy, the explosive departure from the mall, and the climactic drive to the marina all prove particularly engaging and thrilling. It's all so much more exciting than what the original has to offer.
6 Original: The Cast
The Dawn of the Dead remake does what most remakes do - it goes bigger and louder. The cast is greatly increased, and audiences are forced to keep up with a dozen individuals. The increased number, combined with the movie's reliance on action over character, ensures that no one gets enough time to develop.
The original follows a core cast of four characters. Everyone gets their own little arc and subplot, and the time audiences spend with them prove more meaningful and, ultimately, emotional. It's like going to a wild party versus spending quiet time with four quality friends.
5 Remake: The Sound Design
It's hard to say, but the original is really starting to show its age. Not just in terms of visuals, but sound design as well. The original's soundtrack is horrifically dated - the dialogue is barely heard above sound effects, gunshots sound ridiculous, zombie sounds are corny, and the movie is generally poorly mixed.
It's certainly not the movie to whip out to show off the new sound system. The remake is far more modern in that regard, filled with crunching gunshots, explosions, screeching zombies, and clear dialogue. Sound design goes a long way, and the original's sound may prove too dated for some.
4 Original: The Gore
There's no getting around it. Like the sound, the gore of the original looks horrifically dated. But that doesn't mean it's not commendable. In many ways, Dawn of the Dead serves as a cornerstone for gore in movies, with the make-up team being led by the legendary Tom Savini. And what's a zombie movie without a little gore?
The remake, while bloody, is surprisingly tame when compared to the far more violent and grotesque original. Heads explode, limbs are ripped away from bodies, and guts are torn from stomachs. It looks a little silly, but it's more ambitious, and more influential than the remake.
3 Remake: The Ending
As great as the original is, its ending proves a little anticlimactic. The zombies overrun the mall, Stephen dies in the attack, and both Fran and Peter make their escape in the helicopter. It's fine, but it's not very impactful.
The remake has a far more visceral and depressing ending that will stay with viewers long after the movie finished. There's no happy ending here - the characters find an island, discover that it's overrun by zombies, and die. Now that's how you end a zombie movie.
2 Original: The Social Commentary
The original works as a straightforward zombie flick. But much of its praise stems from the surprising social commentary found within. To this day, zombies are used for allegorical purposes, and that all started with Dawn of the Dead.
The movie touches on themes of mindless consumerism, inherent greed, and humanity's propensity for violence, war, and possessions. It's far smarter than it has any right to be, and this has undoubtedly aided in its reputation as the GOAT.
1 Remake: Looks More Modern
Returning to the whole "dated" aspect, the remake simply looks better than the original. Dated fashion and decoration aside, the original looks like a cheap movie from 1978. It's not sharp, the detail is muddled and flat, and colors are a little "off" (complete with the infamous orange blood).
That said, the blu ray and upcoming 4K HDR release should do wonders for its visual palette. The remake simply looks far more robust and dynamic. If visual quality is of any importance, then the remake simply triumphs over the original.