"Don't stare at me, start shooting the b*****ds!"Overtaken by its slicker, sleeker modern counterparts in terms of box-office, Romero's "...Of The Dead" series remains true to itself, and this sixth entry makes a solid effort to move the concept into new territory yet retain an intimacy of how the unexplained zombie uprising affects not just society but also its people. With a film-maker of Romero's experience, there is a clear sense of his confidence and his respect for the material and audience right from the assured opening scenes. A good group of central characters is established, but they never feel fully developed. There is an astonishingly high kill-count for what is a dialogue-heavy movie, and stopping the 'dead-heads' becomes so routine for the characters that even they become openly disengaged from doing it. Much is made of Romero's sub-texts in these movies, such as militarism and consumerism, but what marks out this film and indeed the director's position in the zombie sub-genre is that he never lets go of the humanity of the survivors and, indeed, the afflicted. Survival Of The Dead opens up the scenario into new territory - a supposedly 'safe' island, and with the abandoned car ferry proving a particularly atmospheric setting - but is lacking in scale, which probably contributed to the decision for this film to by-pass cinema release. For its budget, a few of the digital effects sit surprisingly well beside more obvious old-school physical gore stunts. The zombie genre has very little scope, and Survival Of The Dead adds little that is new, but this sixth entry does provide another welcome, passable if low-key glimpse into Romero's fictional world.
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