Dawn of the Dead (4K Ultra-HD) [Blu-ray] [2021]

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Things don’t get much better there, as the security guards try to control the group, and it’s not until they overpower and take things over themselves that they have a semblance of freedom.

On the other hand, it’s exactly what the film is about: getting it all, but not really having anything. Video Disclaimer: Screen captures used in the review are from the standard Blu-ray, not from the 4K UHD Blu-ray disc. The stories of the bikers are particularly enjoyable and don’t crop up elsewhere as a lot of the zombie anecdotes do. NEW Zombies and Bikers – With John Amplas, Roy Frumkes, Tom Savini, Christine Forrest, Tom Dubensky, Tony Buba, Taso Stavrakis and a whole host of zombies and bikers! You get to see him working on Two Evil Eyes, Land of the Dead and Diary of the Dead too and there’s a lengthy ‘Dead’ reunion section towards the end.The absence of a wider colour range an discs with the soundtrack, the novelization and a hardcover book full of trivia and tidbits - a real treat for any Dawn fan. The source for the Extended Cut presentation has used the same new 4K scan as the Theatrical Cut, and a new 4K scan of the Extended Cut colour reversal internegative, producing a new 4K DI. For a more in-depth take on the film, check out our review of the 4K Ultra HD Collector's Edition from Italy.

Oddly enough, it parallels James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, which has many of the same issues, but I digress. Teal becomes dominate once settled in the mall, driving the color to a strict, almost monochrome tone indoors. Arguably, Romero's original is the most consistent and stable, except that around the 56-minute mark when Fran confronts the men about her role in the group, we see a bit of flickering or pulsing in the background. Snyder’s film may look slick, but its dirty, ugly and pulse poundingly intense from start to finish. Night may have sown the seeds of the zombie genre, but Dawn kicked the doors down and helped it become one of horror’s biggest subgenres (aside from the slasher perhaps) and a cultural phenomenon.

Dynamics: I’m not sure as there were no notes in the press release or on the packaging, but I think the audio here is the same that was available on the Blu-ray release. The Richard France interview is quite heartfelt and he’s an honest and interesting speaker, who offers a different angle on the film than many of the other contributors do. Some of us missed out on Second Sight's big limited edition set, but this standalone 4K release of their gorgeous DAWN OF THE DEAD restoration is every bit as fantastic. Romero's cult film Dawn of the Dead (1978), starring Scott Reiniger, Ken Foree, David Emge, Gaylen Ross, and Tom Savini.