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'Land of the Dead' doesn't live up to the original

If you're a zombie movie fan, "Land of the Dead" has all the parts you expect — plenty of action, measured doses of humor, occasional frights — all mixed with an overabundance of blood, gore and mayhem.

If you're new or indifferent to the zombie genre, "Land of the Dead" is not where you want to enter. Far better to rent a copy of George A. Romero's 1968 "Night of the Living Dead," the campy classic that awakened the craze. None of the spinoffs and sequels has equaled the original; this one's no exception.

Universal Studios 'Land of the Dead' C The verdict: Pays homage to the original, but doesn't meet its standards — if you can admit that zombie flicks have standards. 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. See showtimes On the web Official movie site View the trailer    Trailers require Quicktime Rate "Land of the Dead"   Go see it   Make it a matinee   Wait to rent   Don't bother Voter Limit: Once per Hour View Poll Results

Romero's latest effort advances the story to present day, long after the zombies inexplicably appeared and started gobbling their way through the living. By now, humans exist only in fortified cities, venturing out to the zombie-controlled hinterlands only to forage for canned foods, pharmaceuticals and the occasional case of Scotch.

The latter finds its way to the one remaining shiny skyscraper, "Fiddler's Green," where elite capitalists live comfortably and shop opulantly while the working-class masses huddle in the hardscrabble streets below, lorded over by the city's haughty, heartless CEO (Dennis Hopper).

If this sounds a little heavy-handed, it is. Certainly, Romero isn't shy about social criticism; capitalism and consumerism have been his targets before. (He sets his 1978 "Dawn of the Dead" in a shopping mall for a reason.)

But there's nothing subtle about the politics of this film. "Land of the Dead" plods unmistakeably toward the inevitable moment the zombie proletariat rise to confront the rich. Romero clobbers you with his manifesto in this picture just as he does with the incessant violence — long past the point that either has any meaning or impact.

Predictably stuck between the classes are the movie's hero, Riley (Simon Baker), and foil, Cholo (John Leguizamo), who lead the rag-tag bunch of paramilitary stooges responsible for raiding zombie territory and defending the living. This bunch includes some plucky comic relief from Charlie (Robert Joy) and Pillsbury (Pedro Miguel Arce); Asia Argento keeps her head above water in the role of Slack.

The cast as whole seems to have fun (Hopper especially), which helps the audience over some of the film's other problems. It's supposed to be mindless entertainment. The actors seem to understand this and run with it.

The special effects won't dazzle, but neither do they disappoint. Just don't expect any hint of suspense or surprise. Romero might as well have overlayed titles reading, "Warning: Scary things happen in the very next scene." You see everything coming. Everything.

Body after body — body part after body part — is disposed in an endless gala of gore. One character describes driving the "Dead Reckoning" — a mammoth armored cross between a tank and a Greyhound bus — as "just like a video game." The carnage in this movie is the same; there's so much, it's quickly desensitizing.

Although after seeing it, you may rethink your desire to wear a bellybutton ring.