{"id":26623,"date":"2017-10-16T00:16:55","date_gmt":"2017-10-16T04:16:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/?p=26623"},"modified":"2017-10-15T18:07:36","modified_gmt":"2017-10-15T22:07:36","slug":"land-of-the-dead-2005-collectors-edition-blu-ray","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/2017\/10\/16\/land-of-the-dead-2005-collectors-edition-blu-ray\/","title":{"rendered":"Land of the Dead (2005): Collector’s Edition [Blu-Ray]"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>It\u2019s fitting that Shout Factory would release \u201cLand of the Dead\u201d right around the same time as 2004\u2019s version of \u201cDawn of the Dead.\u201d After almost twenty years in development hell, and with the title \u201cDead Reckoning,\u201d Romero was able to finally complete his planned fourth part of his dead series thanks to the success of \u201cDawn.\u201d Even Romero admitted that he owed a lot of his ability to make \u201cLand\u201d thanks to the evident success of \u201cDawn.\u201d While \u201cLand of the Dead\u201d feels incomplete and under developed, I give Romero a huge pass mainly because he was given so much hell while filming the long awaited sequel. Not only did he have to scale down his story yet again like he did with \u201cDay of the Dead,\u201d but he couldn\u2019t film in Pittsburgh which he always did with his zombie epics.<\/p>\n

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He was also forced to cast actors with considerable name recognition in his lead roles. Furthermore there was news that he walked off the set after the studio cut his budget in half. While we don\u2019t get the full vision of what Romero originally intended (it often feels like a lot of important character emphases was chopped out from earlier drafts of the film\u2019s script), \u201cLand of the Dead\u201d still ends up being a stellar post-9\/11 parable about class warfare, terrorism, and blind patriotism. Much of the latter is represented in the fact that the walking dead in \u201cLand\u201d can be distracted for a moment by lighting fireworks in the sky, which allows them to pause and gaze blankly for an instance. Set in the apocalypse where the war against the dead has been lost, a large pocket of humanity now lives in a ghetto known as Fiddler\u2019s Green.<\/p>\n

Protected by a large river and fences, the poor are forced to live in ghettos, scraping by for food and shelter. Meanwhile the head of the safe haven, Kaufman (Dennis Hopper), dwells in a high rise alongside many other wealthy individuals. Hero Riley (Simon Baker) leads a large group of scavengers that hunt for resources in the wasteland. After an unfortunate casualty among the group, Riley plans to leave Fiddler\u2019s Green for good. Meanwhile his rival Cholo (A very cool John Leguizamo) is anxious to be let in to the high rise among the wealthy. When Kaufman goes back on his promise, Cholo steals the tank \u201cDead Reckoning\u201d from the village and uses it as a bartering tool for Kaufman, threatening to destroy the city. Alongside other soldiers, Riley is hired to track down Cholo and take back \u201cDead Reckoning.\u201d<\/p>\n

As he travels to seize the war machine, no one is aware that a horde of vengeful relentless walking dead are approaching Fiddler\u2019s Green led by Big Daddy, a zombie with the ability to adapt and learn. For what it\u2019s worth the cast does a bang up job giving spirited performances, including Simon Baker, Asia Argento, and Robert Joy who portrays Charlie, one of the most memorable Romero heroes ever created. Romero is also able to create some very memorable gore and grue, which is especially emphasized in the far superior \u201cDirector\u2019s Cut,\u201d featured in the new Edition from Scream Factory. \u201cLand of the Dead\u201d is a very good horror film with a great vision and some fun ideas, and if Romero would have been allowed to go all out, it could have been the zombie epic that he always wanted.<\/p>\n

The release from Scream Factory is a two disc deluxe edition. Disc One features the \u201cTheatrical\u201d version of the film. Among the features, there\u2019s \u201cCholo\u2019s Reckoning: An Interview with actor John Leguizamo,\u201d an interesting sit down with actor and comedian Leguizamo who discusses his character in the film, and the current political climate. \u201cCharlie\u2019s Story\u201d is an interview with notable character actor Robert Joy who plays the marksman Charlie. Joy has wonderful things to say about the late Romero, working with him on \u201cThe Dark Half,\u201d and his expectations for Charlie. \u201cThe Pillsbury Factor\u201d is an interview with actor Pedro Miguel Arce, who plays the underused giant soldier Pillsbury. Arce gives us a back story on how he became an actir, his preparation for the role, and his life after the movie.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s the fun \u201cFour of the Apocalypse: An interview with actors Eugene Clark, Jennifer Baxter, Boyd Banks and Jasmin Geljo\u201d which is an interview with the four more prominent zombies in the movie, and how they worked on their roles as well as their lives after the movie. \u201cDream of the Dead\u201d garners commentary with Roy Frumkes and is an homage to Romero and Tom Savini. There\u2019s Deleted Footage from \u201cDream of the Dead,\u201d Deleted Scenes from the movie with no commentary, the original theatrical trailer, and a photo gallery.<\/p>\n

Disc Two packs the \u201cUnrated\u201d version, which is undoubtedly the superior cut of \u201cLand of the Dead.\u201d The pacing is better, there\u2019s much more grue, and it watches so much easier. There\u2019s an audio commentary with the Zombie performance Matt Blazi, Glena Chao, Michael Felsher and Rob Mayr, all of whom provide a new commentary for the film. There\u2019s a ported over audio commentary with the late great George A. Romero, who writes and directs the film. There\u2019s also Peter Grunwald and editor Michael Doherty, all of whom join for a commentary. \u201cUndead Again: The Making of Land of the Dead\u201d is another making of but with more substance and a deeper look at the history of the film and zombie culture.<\/p>\n

\u201cBringing The Dead To Life\u201d is a technical look at making the zombies pop, \u201cScenes of Carnage\u201d is a montage of the film\u2019s most gruesome and gory scenes, and \u201cZombie Effects: From Green Screen to Finished Scene,\u201d a look at scenes filmed in raw form and how they were manipulated or touched up with CGI. \u201cScream Test \u2013 CGI test\u201d is a crude test with animated zombies, and there\u2019s \u201cBringing the Storyboards to Life\u201d a look at the film\u2019s storyboards and their completed scenes on film. \u201cA Day with the Living Dead hosted by John Leguizamo\u201d sees co-star John Leguizamo adding humor to his time on the set, taking us on a tour, and his mock argument with a stunt zombie. Finally, there\u2019s \u201cWhen Shaun Met George,\u201d a look at the creators of \u201cShaun of the Dead,\u201d Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright, and their experience meeting their horror hero, and working as zombie extras in the final film.<\/p>\n