A George A. Romero Retrospective: ‘Land of the Dead’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

‘They’re trying to be us.’
‘No, they used to be us -- learning how to be us again’.
‘No way. Some germ or some devil got those things up and walking, but there’s a big difference between us and them -- they’re dead. It’s like they’re pretending to be alive.’
‘Isn’t that what we’re doing, pretending to be alive?’
- Mike and Riley Denbo

​Truly, there is no genre better suited to comment upon the human condition than the horror genre. Simply because the possibilities are limitless within the framework of said genre and using the fantastical to teach people about our world and the troubles that plague mankind is indeed an effective method to make that happen, since a single character, or an outright monster can serve as the allegory for a great many things. Which is why we continue to see scholars and reviewers and fans of this genre pour over the modern and original classics and find new meaning in these stories, since the people that created them were able to inject all kinds of in incredible lessons and notions and observations into the framework of their tale of total terror. 
 
However, there is another good reason that horror is the perfect place to comment upon the world and its structure, in that, fear is a wonderful teacher. In fact, many of our formational moments in life came out of fear. For if our parents told us not to go to a particular place because we would potentially be hurt, the thought of harm and pain immediately motivated us to avoid that location, for fear of our own safety. And the possibility that we might sear our flesh is what kept us from ever touching a hot stove or placing our hand upon it again because fear truly is the greatest teacher in all of the land. So, if by chance a storyteller can bury a lesson with the structure of a horrifying moment, it will indeed stick with us for long after the story has come to an end.
 
Yet while horror has proven itself to be quite the effective teacher and a genuine safe harbor for social commentary, what’s fascinating about the genre and its lessons, is that a great many of its storytellers tend to shy away from analyzing or commenting on current events and understandably so. Because sometimes, we don’t even understand what’s happening right before our eyes, so to try and make sense of something that has taken the world by storm might be a foolish notion indeed. Or for that matter it would be embarrassing for a filmmaker or a writer to try and offer up a half-baked or incorrect assessment of what’s going on in the world, simply because it would make them appear to be eager to cash in on the moment. But some creatives, are daring in that manner, and spot the reality of the world with little to no problem, and are quick to offer up lightning fast commentary if they can get their film to market quick enough, as was the case with George A. Romero’s next film; Land of the Dead.
 
For this particular living dead tale, was released in 2005, amid a resurgence of zombie themed films and horror in general. A genre that was seeing new life (pun intended) simply due to the fact that the world was in a terrifying and unsettling place. Because we were only four years removed from the horror of 9/11 and well, while the timing of this film was perfect in its own right, it is what George had to correctly say about modern America in 2005 and 2020 for that matter as well, that makes this movie so powerful and so poignant. Because this movie clearly points out the fact that we went backwards as a society after September the 11th. A notion that some might deem to be blasphemous or cynical for certain, but it really is a correct assessment. 

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Because all that wonderful goodwill and unity that we saw in the days and weeks following the attacks, faded into oblivion, and was quickly replaced with fear and anger and a desire for revenge and well, what makes that so relevant to today’s discussion, is that Romero created a clone of our modern world for his fourth zombie film. For those who survived the onslaught of the zombie apocalypse are bitter and filled with a desire to make the dead pay. To the point where these creatures are now entertainment, and this world in and of itself is just desperate to enjoy some semblance of peace and not have any more worries because of the trauma they’ve suffered, and those parallels are frightening for certain. Since that is more or less where we were back in 2005 and it is where we are now, and the comparisons don’t end there. 
 
For in many ways, Riley Denbo and his beautiful creation, ‘Dead Reckoning’ speak to how America turned to the might of its military to heal its wounds. Because seeing that monstrous and kickass machine roll into Uniontown and anywhere else it needs to go in order to bring supplies in for the masses, feels akin to the ‘Shock and Awe’ campaign of the ’03 Iraq War, or the onslaught of forces that were sent to fight in Afghanistan, and the irony inherent is that this storytelling decision also allowed for Romero to properly capture the harsh realities of fighting an entrenched enemy. Since Denbo and his rag tag group of heroes, can never defeat the dead. In fact, attacking them on their own turf, only makes them mad in this film. Making this an ‘endless’ war against living death, one that echoes the fact that we are still at war, with no end in sight.
 
But truly the most striking commentary present in this film, is what Romero has to say about modern government and how our cries to make America safe and ‘great’ again, have enabled bad people to do bad things. Because Kaufman is the perfect amalgamation of the rich white guys that run the government and send boys off to war. All in the name of ‘safety’ of course, in order to keep the masses in line, and seeing him in his ivory Pittsburgh tower whilst the good people below fight for meals really is prophetic in nature. Since that’s where America is at right now in regard to class warfare and what’s equally as ironic is that Kaufman is no longer a character trapped in time. For Dennis Hopper said he wanted his performance of this man to be a spitting image of Donald Rumsfeld from the Bush Administration, but his despot like tendencies and desire to save his own hide gives him a hint of Donald J. Trump, which is chilling to say the least.
 
However, while all of these elements are powerful and fascinating in their own right, make no mistake about it, this is still a Romero zombie flick. Which means we are treated to some delightful gore and homages to the films that preceded this one, by way of surprise cameos and Greg Nicotero’s brilliant special effects, and the horror elements here are a real treat and are genuinely creepy and there are more elements that make this movie so worthwhile. Take the cast for instance, since other heavies such as Simon Baker and John Leguizamo are in this flick, and there’s the fact that Universal gave Romero a worthy budget, one that allowed for Romero to bring most of his original script for Day of the Dead to life and well, this one really is a fine entry in the saga for certain. One that holds Romero’s zombie standards high and it is also a film that managed to influence the Godfather of the Dead to attack more contemporary topics at the end of his career. Since his final two zombie movies and works in general would dive deep into our modern world.

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