Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.5

Dawn of the Dead 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Snyder's Dawn of the Dead receives a top-notch 4K UHD presentation.

Dawn of the Dead is an action-packed horror with plenty of thrills for audiences. Produced by Eric Newman (Slither, Children of Men), Richard P. Rubinstein (Romero’s Dawn of the Dead, Day of the Dead), and Marc Abraham (The Last Exorcism, In Time), Dawn of the Dead is based on the original screenplay by George A. Romero (which was the source for the original feature-film).

Ana (Sarah Polley) is a nurse by day and she comes across an infection: a strange virus that causes human beings to become flesh-eating monsters. As Ana finds herself at a mall, she encounters Kenneth (Ving Rhames), Michael (Jake Weber), Andre (Mekhi Phifer), and Steve (Ty Burrell). The former strangers become intwined with each-others lives in a bid for survival against a horde of flesh-eating zombies. Can Ana and everyone in her band of misfits survive the virus and remain human?

One of the things that sets Dawn of the Dead apart from other horror films is the focus on the characters. The characters are adults and are given a more well-rounded storyline. These characters have human flaws and dimensions – and the audience can relate to these innately human and flawed characters. The cast did an exceptional job with the film. Sarah Polley was an excellent casting choice for the production.

As the lead hero, Sarah Polley is simultaneously beautiful and badass in Dawn of the Dead. There is a sense of dedication from Sarah to her part and to bringing her character to life (without zombies getting in her life’s way – joke intended). Jake Weber is also terrific as one of the other central protagonists and he has some great moments on-screen with Polley. (Weber would later have a terrific standout role on the hit television series Medium).

The production is impressive and well-mounted. The production design by Andrew Neskoromny (Pacific Rim, Slither) is top-notch and there is a lot to appreciate about the amount of detail that went in to the design. The majority of the film takes place in a mall and the designer takes this concept and explores things about it that most might not have considered – giving the film a sense of creative energy that endures.

Edited by Niven Howie (Resident Evil: Extinction, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels), Dawn of the Dead is a brisk and well-cut zombie film. The pacing is excellent and the edit does a solid job of helping to highlight the key visuals. The unrated version is especially impressive and is the better cut of Dawn of the Dead.

The dead will rise... in 4K.

The score composed by Tyler Bates (Sucker Punch, 300) is superb. The score is certainly one of the core highlights of the production. Bates is an exceptional composer and Dawn of the Dead is one of his most entertaining and engaging scores. The music fits the tone of the film perfectly and helps to provide the perfect accompaniment to the apocalyptic material.

The cinematography by Matthew F. Leonetti (Strange Days, The Butterfly Effect) is gritty and stylish all at once. The visual sensibilities of Dawn of the Dead are fantastic fun. The use of lighting is remarkable and the film showcases a beautiful sense of cinematography. For a film that takes place predominantly in a mall, the cinematographer had a big challenge and the results are surprisingly excellent.

The screenplay by James Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy, The Suicide Squad) is one of the most essential components of Dawn of the Dead. Gunn is a gifted screenwriter (later turned director) and his effort on the script are essential to the success of the filmmaking. One of the best elements of Dawn of the Dead as a screenplay is in how the script focuses acutely on character- development and on adult situations and serious themes.

These adult elements aren’t always given adequate attention in the horror genre and Dawn of the Dead does a good job of balancing these human elements alongside the fright-fest terror of zombies. For a production in the early 2000’s, the script helped to set Dawn of the Dead ahead of other genre films from the same time-period.  

Directed by Zack Snyder (Watchmen, Sucker Punch), Dawn of the Dead is such an incredibly fun visual experience and a great testament to the filmmaker. Fans of Snyder will appreciate this early gem from the director and will enjoy seeing the stamp of Snyder’s iconic visual style. Dawn of the Dead is a lot of fun and Snyder brings the mayhem, action, and terror – while still delivering a solid production overall.

Dawn of the Dead circumvents a lot of modest expectations circa the early 2000s and made one of the best horror films of the time. Even though most audiences will want to compare Snyder’s Dawn of the Dead to the original, it’s best to just enjoy and appreciate the film on its own creative merits – and it succeeds in spades.  Don’t miss it.

Dawn of the Dead 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on 4K UHD from Shout Factory, Dawn of the Dead is presented in 2160p HEVC / H.265 in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1 widescreen. The presentation offers fans of the film a superb 2160p 4K UHD scan. The 4K presentation comes from a new 4K scan of the original camera negative with the unrated scenes featuring insert footage from the 2K digital intermediate scan.

Though the unrated footage is of a slightly lesser quality compared to the rest of the 4K scan, the entire print appears beautiful and enjoyable. The release has excellent detail and color reproduction. The HDR grading is impressive and manages to improve the depth and clarity of the visuals. The film has never looked better before on home media. A wonderful uptick in detail on the 4K.

Dawn of the Dead 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround sound. The lossless, high-resolution sound is exceptional. Though Shout Factory opted to not up-mix to a Dolby Atmos presentation, the included audio track is top-notch and sounds terrific throughout. The horror mayhem has considerable depth and magnitude. The LFE sounds superb on the release. Detail is excellent and the track sounds clear and engaging. A superb lossless encode and it is hard to imagine anyone finding the track to be disappointing.

Dawn of the Dead 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The 4K UHD Collector's Edition package includes the same exceptional supplemental material previously available on the Shout Factory Collector's Edition Blu-ray release. For more information on the five-star supplementals provided with Dawn of the Dead, please refer to the Blu-ray Collector's Edition review.

Dawn of the Dead 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Dawn of the Dead is one of the best action-horror films of the early 2000's. The filmmaking is tense and exciting and it remembers to focus on the characters as well. Sarah Polley is a beautiful badass here: providing Dawn of the Dead with the right amount of kick-ass fun that the filmmaking needed. From screenwriter James Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy) and Zack Snyder (Justice League), Dawn of the Dead is an adrenaline-packed extravaganza.

The 4K UHD provides an excellent 2160p 4K UHD presentation from the original camera negative alongside an exceptional DTS-HD Master Audio presentation. The 4K release comes jam-packed with an excellent assortment of bonus features. The set includes three discs and provides both the theatrical and unrated versions of the film. Fans of the film should consider it a must own edition. The release comes highly recommended.