IMDb > Dawn of the Dead (2004)
Dawn of the Dead
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotes
Overview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv schedule
Awards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage board
Plot & Quotes
plot summarysynopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotes
Fun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQ
Other Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDesk
Promotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo gallery
External Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clips

Dawn of the Dead (2004) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (see all 55 | slideshow) Videos (see all 10 NEW)
Dawn of the Dead (2004) -- An unexplained plague has decimated the world's population and yet, the dead aren't dying. They've become zombies, stalking endlessly in a constant quest to feed on the flesh and blood of the few remaining living.
Dawn of the Dead (2004) -- Theatrical Preview
Dawn of the Dead (2004) -- Trailerfan.com - Trailer (Flash)
Dawn of the Dead (2004) -- Sinematurk - Trailer (Flash)
Dawn of the Dead (2004) -- MyMovieScripts.com - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
7.4/10   66,491 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 34% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Zack Snyder
Writers (WGA):
George A. Romero (1978 screenplay)
James Gunn (screenplay)
Contact:
View company contact information for Dawn of the Dead on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
19 March 2004 (USA) more
Tagline:
When the undead rise, civilization will fall. more
Plot:
A nurse, a policeman, a young married couple, a salesman, and other survivors of a worldwide plague that is producing aggressive, flesh-eating zombies, take refuge in a mega Midwestern shopping mall. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
1 win & 6 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(258 articles)
What Is J.J. Abrams’ ‘500 Rads?’
 (From Screen Rant. 5 November 2009, 9:04 AM, PST)

The Disturbed From the Director of Dead Meat!
 (From HorrorYearbook. 5 November 2009, 9:00 AM, PST)

User Comments:
Why I gave Dawn a 10 (well, maybe it should have been a9). more (1008 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Additional Details

Also Known As:
L'armée des morts (France)
L'aube des morts (Canada: French title)
Zack Snyder's Dawn of the Dead (USA) (long title)
more
MPAA:
Rated R for pervasive strong horror violence and gore, language and sexuality.
Runtime:
101 min | 110 min (unrated director's cut)
Country:
USA | Canada | Japan | France
Language:
English
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The production had a blood cart on set all day due to the excessive amounts of fake blood being used. more
Goofs:
Continuity: When Ana tells Terry that the bathroom in Metropolis is fake, the position of her arms on the gate changes between shots. When she first calls him her hands are separated by a row, but when the camera comes in for a close up her hands are next to each other. more
Quotes:
Kenneth: You know how to use that?
Michael: [pointing to the gun barrel] This is the dangerous end, right?
Kenneth: [Taking the safety off] Now it is.
more
Movie Connections:
Spoofed in "Robot Chicken: The Deep End (#1.8)" (2005) more
Soundtrack:
What The World Needs Now Is Love more

FAQ

Do they die at the end?
Why doesn't Ana seem to care too much about her husband and daughter dying?
Does this film employ Romero's rule for zombies?
more
224 out of 284 people found the following comment useful.
Why I gave Dawn a 10 (well, maybe it should have been a9)., 20 March 2004
10/10

I've been to thousands of movies in my lifetime and own hundreds of videos and DVDs, so I am a fan but not a bona fide film critic. This is my first online review.

My wife and I saw the original Dawn of the Dead 25 years ago at a midnight show and left wired enough to talk each other down till the morning. Perhaps a quarter of a century has inured us to the violence a bit since we just watched it again (rental video) last week prior to yesterday's venture to the local multiplex to see the remake/"reimagining" and were mostly unperturbed by the revisit.

For some reason, I was hooked on the new Dawn months ago from the teaser and, subsequently, the actual trailer. The Sparklehorse song in the former fit perfectly and the suburban shot followed by killer Vivian and closing with the burned projector film of the latter was intriguing in its own way. So I was primed to see the movie, usually a recipe for disaster since preview expectations are rarely fulfilled by the finished product. This time, however, they were.

The cast was uniformly believable and, more important, empathizable (at least with the good guys who got sorted out along the way). Even the playboy jerk had several relevant lines. Polley was a good, strong female lead (with another great rebuttal -- "No, I'm a * nurse" to a query about her medical skills) and Rhames a cheerable, if reluctant, hero. The camaraderie, such as it was, worked, and visceral me-first survival gave way more often to self-sacrifice.

So, what's not to like? The fundamental premise that a classic got remade? Doesn't wash. These are two different movies with the same name and similar premises but very different attitudes. (Better special effects didn't hurt, either, although this new version was oddly less disturbing sans zombies munching on dismembered body parts.) Speedy zombies (except for the "twitchers")? No problem; hey, they're hungry and, as always, persistent. My attention was held for the better part of two hours; the story was interesting; the outcome ambivalent; the characters arisen to the task at hand, becoming coldly rational to the divisions between life and death and zombiedom; the music weirdly appropriate; the black humor welcome respite. No, Dawn of the Dead isn't Citizen Kane nor is it a sacrilegious assault on the horror genre. It's solid filmmaking that's entertaining and thought-provoking. Otherwise, I suspect Romero would never have put his imprimatur on the remake.

Was the above comment useful to you?
more (1008 total)

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Dawn of the Dead (2004)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Is this movie scary? matteo505
the special feature that shows andys side... edgecrusherhalo
zombie outbreak in your town? dodgethat
What I learned from watching Dawn of the Dead(2004) boowallace
How many times have you watched this movie Dead_Dude
more

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- - - - -
Dawn of the Dead Batoru rowaiaru Land of the Dead Resident Evil: Apocalypse Dèmoni 2: L'incubo ritorna
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
Show more recommendations

Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
News articles IMDb Drama section IMDb USA section
Add this title to MyMovies

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.