Like most Romero flicks, Survival takes place during the zombie apocalypse. The dead have returned to life with a taste for human flesh and anyone who still has a pulse is struggling to survive. A group of renegade soldiers seek refuge on a small island off the coast of North America. They soon discover that the island is inhabited by two feuding families at war with each other because of their ideological differences concerning the undead. One side believes the zombies should be disposed of while the other side believes their souls are still intact and humans and zombies will eventually be able to coexist. Romero uses these families to provide interesting social commentary for the pro-choice/pro-life debate. The soldiers must now settle the score between the two families and, at the same time, somehow manage not to be eaten by the ever-growing army of the undead.
Say what you will about how the acting bad or how the plot is absurd, but you cannot deny that everything about Survival is completely deliberate. Romero is fully conscious as a filmmaker and his work is unapologetically his own. This film won’t win awards or be remembered for its innovation or artistic merit, but it is still a thrilling ride from start to finish. While this may not be on par with Night of the Living Dead or Dawn of the Dead, a lesser Romero zombie movie is still better than 90% of the zombie movies out there and this is one that should not be missed. Survival of the Dead is now available on DVD. See it.
- Jonah
Poster by Charlie Adlard.
jonah = micah
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