AM - Land of the Dead opening deconstruction

Director + Year: George A. Romero (2005)
IMdb Rating: 6.4/10
Budget: $15,000,000
Gross: $20.7m (USA) , £ 2m (UK)

Synopsis:
The living dead have taken over the world, and the last humans live in a walled city to protect themselves as they come to grips with the situation.

Deconstruction:
During the opening credits of the film we see Sans Serif font which is a rough edged font which is white, this signifies that it is a serious and there isn't going to be the prettiest of scenes in the movie as sans serif font , and it is obvious that it isn't going to be a rom-com. During the opening scenes we hear non diegetic sound, which sounds like horror type screeching suspense sound. At the start of the first scene we see flickering images, and fast takes, and clips that have been sped up. These images/clips are in black and white one of which includes watching a motorway and cars eventually stop. And another is of a person evolving into a zombie. When the credits finish, we see an establishing shot of the typical modern Romero zombies slowly limping around, there has been a blue tint added to the shot, to signify a cold atmosphere and dark gloomy depressing setting. This tells us that the film is going to be quite dark and violent.

In the shot we see zombies that are playing instruments, this tells us that something has changed and provides anchorage for the movie genre.

Throughout the opening, Romero uses a variety of shot types, from Extreme close ups to Extreme long shots, he also uses the basic 180 degree rule.

He also uses the stereotypical zombie generalisation that he invented, the undead bloodthirsty, scaly skin and angry expressions.


One of the many Film reviews from IMDB:

I'm kind of surprised by all the rave reviews of Land of the Dead. I've been a moderate Romero fans since I was kid in Pittsburgh, watching Night of the Living Dead. But this new film only confirms for me why Romero has never achieved true greatnessRomero is an idea man, not a real filmmaker. Even after three decades, he hasn't mastered his craft. His films are intelligent but poorly constructed, sluggishly paced, and downright boring, actually. In fact, it takes flesh-eating zombies to bring some excitement to his leaden style of film-making.Now don't get me wrong. Conceptually, he's a genius. The themes and social satire of Night and Dawn of the Dead deserve all the acclaim they've received. His psycho-vampire flick, Martin, is stunningly original, insightful, and moving. Season of the Witch and The Crazies both have very cool concepts. Even Monkey Shines sparkles with cleverness. But let's face it: All of Romero's films are as slow, awkward, and cumbersome as the lumbering zombies he shoots.Land of the Dead is just the latest, most glaring example of what's wrong with his work -- and why he's never grown into a Most Valuable Player in Hollywood or even Indie film-making. Maybe he should just come up with the basic stories and concepts, and let other screenwriters flesh them out and other directors give them style.Sorry, George. I love you but you gotta put some life into your high-concept, undead creations.

SOURCE:(monsterflick - imdb user) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0418819/