and zombies go together like blood and guts. The director is the grandfather of the zombie movie, with his Night of the Living Dead having essentially created the genre. Romero's latest work, new-era zombie flick Survival of the Dead, has been released on X-Box Live and Playstation Network, with a theatrical release soon to follow. So has the zombie king reclaimed his throne after a few lackluster outings, or is the once-proud zombie auteur simply fading into obscurity?
Survival of the Dead takes place some time after Land of the Dead, and includes typical zombie movie elements like plenty of gore, zombies with the ability to jump out of nowhere and some truly sick humor. What's missing is the social commentary that was a big part of Romero's earlier work. The best example of Romero's past glory is Dawn of the Dead (recently remade by Watchmen director Zack Snyder), which was set in a shopping mall and worked as a slick commentary on American consumerism. Survival lacks any such subtext, and rests on its tired script and less-than-sturdy premise.
This article appears in May 13-19, 2010.