Day of the Dead (2008)

While I was coming up with a vision for a project I am working on, I found Day of the Dead (2008) on Showtime. Since I read about it in Rue Morgue and first saw this in the stores, the cover screamed terrible so I just walked by. Because I already pay for Showtime, I can only lose but 90 minutes of my life! After all, there is no way it could measure up to the original Day of the Dead.

Plot/ In Leadville, Colorado, Captain Rhodes and his army seals off the town to contain an influenza-type epidemic. The locals are not allowed to leave the town and the Pine Valley Medical Center is crowded with sick people. Corporal Sarah Bowman was born and raised in Leadville and goes to her home with Private Bud Crain to visit her mother. Sarah finds that her mother is ill and takes her to the local hospital. However, the sick people suddenly transform in flesh eating, fast moving zombies which attack the non-infected humans. Sarah, Bud and Private Salazar get a jeep and head to the town exit to escape from the dead. But Sarah hears the voice of her brother, Trevor, on the radio and is compelled to go to the radio station where Trevor is hidden with his girlfriend Nina. The group of survivors drives to the isolated Nike factory seeking shelter, where they discover an underground army base.

I remember seeing this on the shelf at the local Walmart and had a feeling I should stay away. After watching it today, I know why. As good as the Dawn of the Dead remake was, this is that much worse. This film is boring, with sub par special effects and a script that is just plain bad. Yes, the blood was a nice thing to see, and decapitations are always worth something, but even that could not help this movie. I mean, a vegetarian zombie…. Really!!! Fortunately, this isn’t the worst remake of a Romero classic, the 2006 rendition of Night of the Living Dead is even worse (and not worth the time to review it).