Okay, so I just got back from a midnight showing of Land of the Dead and it was actually pretty cool. Yet for some reason (and I don't know how into it I can get without giving too much away) I felt a little cheated though. The ending (NOT A SPOILER) leaves a lot to be desired and instead of feeling like a true ending feels a lot like the beginning of a new franchise.

Now that I think about it, the movie's lackluster finale really sucks the wind out of what could have been a really awesome addition to this series. One of the cool things about Romero's "Dead" films has been there's always been some kind of social commentary buried beneath the blood and guts. This film seemed to be about the rise of the working class against the rich. This point is kind of hammered home by the fact that the zombie "army" is lead by a gas station attendant named Big Daddy. Big Daddy is the one who figures out how to use tools to help maul the regular humans.

I'll admit I haven't seen Day of the Dead but I did see Night of the Living Dead and have seen Dawn of the Dead a number of times. I'd even go so far as to say that the original Dawn is not only a great zombie/horror movie but it's a great movie period. There's an epic feel about Dawn.

That's part of what's so annoying about Land. I really get the feeling that there's a really great movie lying on the editing room floor or maybe this really is just the set-up for another movie (or a series?) If that were the case then at least Romero could have hit us with some kind of cliffhanger or huge plot twist so that we may more eagerly anticipate the next movie.

Truly, I think an HBO series would be ideal. I kinda get the feeling the public's newfound interest in the zombie film might already be weakening. However, I think a smart, well-done cable series would be really cool. Call it War of the Dead or just Land of the Dead: the series or whatever. The Sci-Fi channel would probably be willing to do it but an HBO or Showtime type channel would be even better because there would be no constraints on gore and violence and what not.

So I wish I could more strongly recommend Land of the Dead but really I'll just say that if you had any inclination to go see it then go ahead if only because it will help the box-office and encourage Universal to greenlight whatever the next sequel will be. (World of the Dead? War of the Dead? Revenge of the Dead? Hmmm, how about Passion of the Dead? I mean Jesus did come back to life after dying on the cross didn't he? How about that? Jesus was the first zombie. Oh I'm going to be hit by a lightning bolt any second now....)