Land of the Dead + Dawn of the Dead (Collector’s Edition): Blu-Ray Reviews

Arriving this week on Collector’s Edition Blu-ray are Zach Snyder’s 2004 remake of “Dawn of the Dead” and George A. Romero’s 2005 zombie flick, “Land of the Dead”.  These two films I consider some of the best cinematic zombie fare in the last twenty years.  The zombie landscape changed quite a bit with the arrival of “The Walking Dead” in 2010, but Snyder proved that a good remake to a horror classic was possible, much like John Carpenter’s “The Thing”.  Romero, had already directed numerous films in the genre but “Land of the Dead” is considered by many one of his most underrated, myself in included.

LAND OF THE DEAD

Scream Factory has delivered a great release for “Land of the Dead”. Not only do we get a new 2K scan of the theatrical cut, but also of the Uncut Version which I prefer. This two disk set is filled with bonus features, including an interview with John Leguizomo. Any Romero fan or fan of the sub-genre will definitely want to include “Land of the Dead” in their collection.

DISC ONE: Theatrical Cut

• NEW 2K Scan Of The Interpositive
• NEW Cholo’s Reckoning – An Interview With Actor John Leguizamo
• NEW Charlie’s Story – An Interview With Actor Robert Joy
• NEW The Pillsbury Factor – An Interview With Actor Pedro Miguel Arce
• NEW Four Of The Apocalypse – An Interview With Actors Eugene Clark, Jennifer Baxter, Boyd Banks, And Jasmin Geljo
• Dream Of The Dead: The Director’s Cut With Optional Commentary By Director Roy Frumkes
• Deleted Footage From Dream Of The Dead
• Deleted Scenes
• Theatrical Trailer

DISC TWO: Uncut Version

• NEW 2K Scan Of The Interpositive With HD Inserts
• NEW Audio Commentary With Zombie Performers Matt Blazi, Glena Chao, Michael Felsher, And Rob Mayr
• Audio Commentary With Writer/Director George A. Romero, Producer Peter Grunwald, And Editor Michael Doherty
• Undead Again: The Making Of Land Of The Dead
• Bringing The Dead To Life
• Scenes Of Carnage
• Zombie Effects: From Green Screen To Finished Scene
• Scream Test – CGI Test
• Bringing The Storyboards To Life
• A Day With The Living Dead Hosted By John Leguizamo
• When Shaun Met George

 

DAWN OF THE DEAD (2004)

There are a handful of filmmakers that come to mind, whose films get worse when they are given more money to spend.  Zach Snyder is one of them. His remake of “Dawn of the Dead” is quite possibly his best and most coherent movie. Even with the many nods to the original, this remake managed to feel somewhat fresh.  Although this wasn’t the first of the “faster & stronger” zombie films it had a style and energy that I had never seen in this sub-genre before.

Scream Factory has delivered a kick-ass Collector’s Edition for “Dawn of the Dead”.  We get a new HD master of the theatrical and unrated cuts of the film.  What I like about the unrated cut, is that it not only ads more gore, but a bit more character.  This two-disk set has plenty of bonus content as well. “Dawn of the Dead” is not only a great remake, but a great horror film in general.  This is worth picking up.

DISC ONE: Theatrical Version

• NEW HD Master Derived From The Digital Intermediate Archival Negative
• NEW Take A Chance On Me – An Interview With Actor Ty Burrell
• NEW Gunn For Hire – An Interview With Writer James Gunn
• NEW Punk, Rock, & Zombie – An Interview With Actor Jake Weber
• NEW Killing Time At The Mall: The Special Effects Of Dawn Of The Dead – An Interview With Special Makeup Effects Artists David Anderson And Heather Langenkamp Anderson
• Deleted Scenes With Optional Commentary By Director Zach Snyder And Producer Eric Newman
• Theatrical Trailer
• Still Gallery

DISC TWO: Unrated Version

• NEW HD Master Derived From The Digital Intermediate Archival Negative With HD Inserts
• Audio Commentary With Director Zach Snyder And Producer Eric Newman
• Splitting Headaches: Anatomy Of Exploding Heads
• Attack Of The Living Dead
• Raising The Dead
• Andy’s Lost Tape
• Special Report: Zombie Invasion
• Undead And Loving It: A Mockumentary
• Drawing The Dead Featurette
• Storyboard Comparisons
• Hidden Easter Egg

By: Marc Ferman