Dawn of the Dead (4K Ultra-HD) [Blu-ray] [2021]

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It’s a tour de force track that hasn’t aged at all in the in the near 9 years since it was first released on Blu-ray.

In 2004’s remake, the mall is a convenience, providing great coffee, plasma TVs, beds, and tools with which the survivors can defend themselves. Some of the special features are familiar from previous releases, but there are a couple new ones as well, including commentary tracks and interviews. As previously mentioned, the notion of fast-moving zombies has been more or less erased from the zombie lexicon, but there are certain visuals and sequences that hold up. The blankness of the zombies lumbering through the mall with grey faces also stands out more and ties into the themes of the film better than if they had been given full appliances like every Dead film since.

Grain is light-moderate to moderate, varying a bit from shot to shot, but it’s always natural-looking.

Horror Legacy, touted as The Lost Romero Interview (which was previously included as an extra on an Arrow Video release), appears to have been culled from the same interview he gave for the Day of the Dead documentary The Many Days of the Dead, but with different footage that’s Dawn centric. The exaggerated red blood looks astonishingly yucky, while neon signs within the mall have a fresh luminosity. The set is also crammed full of goodies: the iconic Goblin score, the novelization and a book of essays and photos you won't want to put down. A generation or two down from the OCN, the internegative is softer overall, with slightly less refined detail.The picture quality for Dawn of the Dead was something I was fully expecting to be a “meh” 4K UHD when viewing. Death threats and petitions came his way when the news came of him remaking the film because of writing Scooby Doo movies. The mono track is clean and bright, and as faithful as you can get to the original cinematic experience. The stereo track performs best giving a fair sense of separation and cleaner ‘lines’ to the dialogue and layers to the music.

Bullets hit with great impact, and the shotgun that Ving Rhames carries sounds like a veritable howitzer cannon. The HDR/DV is MUCH better at dealing with oranges and reds (just look at the fireball at the beginning of chapter 12. Secondary hues, likewise, are more full-bodied and varied, particularly the cheerful yellows, warm marigolds, rich oranges and the hearty tan browns. Just the idea of that, with everything you could ever want or need, satisfies a consumer fantasy that many would gladly participate in.

The only thing that that the survivors can possibly do is make an escape plan to get out of the surrounded mall, grab as much supplies as they can, and somehow make it out a boat where they can try to escape the virus fallout zone and hopefully find land where they are safe. I was initially dubious about having so many but they’re all markedly different and each offer something well worth listening to. Burrell says he prefers running zombies, but also says that they went for a more action movie approach than social commentary.