Diary Of The Dead (18)

Mar 7 2008 By Graham Young

VETERAN filmmaker George A Romero is back with his fifth zombie feature since he rattled off Night of the Living Dead in 1968.

It opens well and George reckons he hasn't had this much freedom in 40 years.

Holding your own video camera while you walk down Broad Street at 1am on a hot Saturday night in summer would make for a far more frightening experience, yet George is already planning a Diary sequel for next year.

Cinephiles interested in the finer arts of zombie films will probably get the most out of this. It takes a satirical look at the post 9/11 world and, in questioning what constitutes acceptable screen entertainment these days, culminates with a gruesome final shot that's extremely graphic even for this genre. But, for undemanding popcorn-munchers who just want some cheap shocks and fun, this Diary just puts a fourth extra Z into z-z-z-z-zombie.

The final nail in Romero's zombie franchise was, of course, hammered in exactly four years ago by Simon Pegg's agreeably funny homage, Shaun of the Dead. And, coming so close after last month's Cloverfield, Diary of the Dead's shared lack of logic again dilutes the tension.

Having people making a film within a film is all well and good if there's a specific purpose a la Blair Witch, Here, as in Cloverfield, the on button stays active beyond all reasonable purpose. This is in sharp contrast with a marvellous little Spanish shocker called (REC) coming our way next month with no little menace and sense of foreboding woven into its raison d'etre.

Seeing (REC) last month has spoiled both Cloverfield and Diary of the Dead for me.

But it's a price I'm happy to pay for knowing the best is yet to come.

Website: www.myspace.com/diaryofthedead