Survival of the Dead – Blu-ray Review
The Film:
George Romero said in the making-of documentary that “why does it always got to be …of the Dead? Why can’t I call it something else?” And much like what Sheriff Seamus does to loved ones on this island off of the coast of Delaware – chaining them to specific job roles – Romero too, seems infinitely tied to the zombie genre and when Survival of the Dead was released, a wave of backlash descended onto the man (like here). It’s a genre he created, but we’ve tied him to it forever, so don’t expect a non-Romero zombie movie perhaps ever again. So upon re-reviewing it, does Romero at least have something worthwhile here for us to follow him down beating-a-dead-horse-road?
Hilariously, Romero has the zombie’s eating that horse in the final credits.
Following some random soldiers who briefly appeared in his reinvention to the zombie apocalypse in Diary of the Dead, Romero continues the first days of the undead nightmare with a semi-direct sequel. Perhaps bored of the same-old-same-old, Romero picks this off-the-shore of Delaware island to have a little fun with a Western motif dressed within his social satire. It doesn’t always work, as Survival of the Dead feels uneventful, but as always he is saying something that is relevant now. While Romero had fun playing with the resource of new technology in Diary, he’s back to getting pissy about people in Survival. As an American society, we went back to becoming an us vs. them culture, much like the events that spurred Romero’s original classic Night of the Living Dead, and while that was a product of the Civil Right Movement, Survival of the Dead is something like Republicans vs. Democrats, or Pro-Life vs. Pro-Choice, but still very much Us vs. Them.
This time though, it’s heavy handed, but we should be used to that since the commentary was in Land of the Dead. Also, zombies are put in the back seat of the film, with only a few cool kills to be had, and perhaps this is why the film feels uneventful. The film never gets as dark as Day of the Dead with its commentary, yet as a new cycle of zombie films from the old master, if we must force him to do more, at least it’s worth still seeing the 70-plus year old director still doing it independently. For most, the newer zombie films from Romero’s school have alienated them, but giving it a chance, it isn’t a bad 90-minutes of zombie mayhem.The ending narration, while spills the heavy-handed elements onto us, puts it all into perceptive: nobody wins when we are constantly at odds with each other. Remember that from a man who survived the 1960s come Election 2012.
The Blu-ray:
Audio/Video: Magnolia/Magnet’s HD presentation of the film is a really good one. Shot on the RED camera, most of the film looks flawless with sharp details, earthly colors, and spot-on three dimensionality. The darker scenes are fine, with most typical night scenes flawless. The DTS track ha some thick bass, for a lower budgeted film. Ambiance in the surround speakers and front dialogue are all perfectly reproduced, for like I mentioned, a really good presentation.
Intro by George Romero: The old master is continuously being interrupted by zombies as he tries to thank us for watching his latest movie and just remember to enjoy a laugh, which this minute plus intro has.
Commentary: Romero is here with Executive Producers Peter Grunwald and Michael Doherty, and Actors Kenneth Welsh and Matt Birman. Like most Romero tracks, they’re laid-back, easy-to-listen too, and while not the most profound bits of information to be had, it’s still a near must-listen.
Walking After Midnight Documentary: Here’s a great making-of; one part fan-made by director Michael Felsher, which features him as a long-time fan wanting to document the newest Romero zombie opus, and another part nuts-and-bolts of the production, which all leads up to a great 70 minute running time. Fumkes shows up, who famously directed Document of the Dead, Dread Central’s Uncle Creepy has some fun, but it’s all about George, and he doesn’t disappoint with keen observations of the reality of his situation as a zombie filmmaker. Again, great stuff and in HD.
Time with George: Here’s an extended interview with Romero for about 10 minutes that’s worth a watch as he talks about this film’s continuity to Diary, CGI, and everything in between.
How to Create Your Own Zombie Bite: This shows us how to make a quickie zombie bite from our own indie zombie films.
Sarge Short Film: In HD, Sergeant Crockett has a monologue. Not sure if this was meant to be in the film or not.
Fangoria Interview with George A. Romero: The famous monster magazine talks with Romero about the film and his plans for further sequels in HD for about 10 minutes.
A Minute of Your Time are a series of webisodes from the film’s production, Storyboard Comparisons, and a HDNet: First Look which is all very EPK, and a series of HD Trailers for Centurion, Walking Dead, and others from Magnolia round out the extras. Also, we can choose a stylized menu background at start-up, as a military or zombie back drop.
Conclusion: Far from his immortal original zombie trilogy efforts, if he must make more zombie films, then his newer zombie films, while flawed, are still far more interesting to watch than others not directed by him. Magnolia offers up a great must-buy-for-fans Blu.
The Film: Rating: 
The Blu-ray: Rating:
