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'Land of the Dead' falls short of the master's touch

By BOB LONGINO
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

George A. Romero's "Night of the Living Dead" eats his own "Land of the Dead's" lunch.

So does "Dawn of the Dead" and "Shaun of the Dead" and "Dead Alive" and "The Evil Dead" and maybe even "Drop Dead Fred."

Universal Studios

'Land of the Dead'

C+

The verdict: Plenty of gore and, this time, thinking zombies, too. But otherwise lacks the originality of its predecessors.

Director: George A. Romero
Starring: Simon Baker, John Leguizamo, Asia Argento, Robert Joy, Dennis Hopper, Eugene Clark, Pedro Miguel Arce
Run time: 93 minutes
Release date: June 24, 2005
Rating: R for pervasive strong violence and gore, language, brief sexuality and some drug use.
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"George A. Romero's Land of the Dead" is supposed to be the return of the master horror filmmaker to the gory, surreal world of flesh-eating zombies, a realm he so skillfully maneuvered through in 1968 with "Night of the Living Dead."

OK, so his new zombie film, the first Romero has written and directed in 20 years, is gory. Rightfully so. There are decapitations and oozing innards. Zombies gorging on human flesh. Splattered blood that runneth over. And if you ever wondered what it would look like to pull really, really hard on somebody's belly button piercing — well, wonder no more.

But aside from the sick ick, there's really not too much "master" going on here.

Romero's earlier films were as much pertinent social commentary as zombie chuck wagons. Revolutionary for its time, "Night of the Living Dead" featured an African-American protagonist as the smart guy to whom sniffling whites turned for protection. The sequel, 1978's "Dawn of the Dead," was among the first films to poke great fun at the malling of America.

"Land of the Dead" is set in a time when living corpses have consumed most of the planet. Human survivors have set up shop in a fenced-in city that's part-slums and part luxury high-rise, a well-heeled haven called Fiddler's Green. The commentary this time focuses on corporate greed, the haves over the have-nots and gasoline consumption.

Tell us something we don't know.

Simon Baker ("The Ring Two" and TV's "The Guardian") and John Leguizamo play rival mercenaries who scrounge supplies — especially booze, it seems — from ravaged towns for money-bags leader Dennis Hopper. Asia Argento ("XXX") plays Slack, the hooker and newfound zombie fighter who seems to be a poor cousin of Ellen Ripley.

There's also the Dead Reckoning, a huge armored vehicle sporting missiles and multiple machine guns. It helps make mincemeat out of the zombies.

The central conceit is that the zombies are starting to communicate among themselves. There's this big, dead gas station attendant who seems to sense stuff. Then a light goes on in his zombified head. He has a thought.

Perhaps at this point, Romero could have done something to rival the simian with the jawbone in "2001: A Space Odyssey." But, no.

We get "Wahr-aaaargh!" One can only assume in zombiespeak it means "Follow me."

There are "Aliens"-style soldiers, "Planet of the Apes"-style treatment of captured zombies, "Road Warrior"-style marauding mercenaries and "28 Days Later"-style deserted streets.

The requisite humor for this genre is firmly in place. "Zombies," Hopper says in one of his fits of superiority while picking his nose, "they creep me out."

"Land of the Dead" doesn't lack for creeps.

It's just likely not the kind of complete frightfest that will have you wanting to go back for seconds.