It's been twenty years--twenty years--since George Romero dropped some good old-fashioned zombie nastiness in our plates. Sure, he did "The Facts in the Case of Mr. Valdemar" for Two Evil Eyes (review here), and there was his scrapped involvement in the original Resident Evil, but it's been two decades since he's helmed a full-blown "Dead" flick.

So what happens when the Master is given a decently beefy budget and a good degree of creative control to continue developing on themes he only glanced at in his original trilogy? You get Land of the Dead, which slices with both sides of its double-edged sword: old Georgie-boy's still got the chops to make us think in between all those gut-munching scenes, but sometimes even his best intentions can be mired in a slurry of gory money-shots.

After a quick rehash on the history of the zombie epidemic (done in a rather creepy stop motion-cum-Moviola opening credits sequence), we're thrown right into the action, as is tradition in the Dead films. Civilization has started to rebuild itself in small pockets around the world in odd parodies of medieval fiefdoms: the privileged live in cushy skyscrapers (in this case, the high-rise known as Fiddler's Green), whereas the working class are living off the scraps in the surrounding slums.

What allows Fiddler's Green to survive is a one-two defensive punch of electric fences and the tank/trolley-from-Hell called Dead Reckoning. Taking their cues from the sleazy entrepreneur Kaufman (slimily played by Dennis Hopper), the Dead Reckoning's crew lays down cover fire of "sky flowers" (fireworks to you and me) to distract the undead while they make quick offensive excursions into the surrounding towns for supplies. Headed up by the soon to be retired Riley (Simon Baker) and Cholo (John Leguizamo), the crew experiences firsthand "zombie evolution."

Much like any other creature will evolve (according to Darwinian theory), the zombies have begun to adapt even further than the previous three films touched upon. Remember the semi-cognizant Bub in Day of the Dead? Well, Land's expanded further on that concept with "Big Daddy," a former gas station attendant that's the alpha male in a more organized zombie pack, taking risks and teaching them how to use tools. There's an odd exhilaration in watching the zombies develop and begin to understand simple cause-and-effect relationships (gas is flammable, guns make people die). Numbers were their weapon before. Now, they have numbers and an intelligence on the same level as simple primates. Zombies didn't need to be "sped up" in order to make them more threatening, which Romero proves quite well.

Despite the world still pretty much going to Hell in a handbasket, society still insists on having a hierarchy, and the desire to scramble up the ladder. Cholo was Kaufman's gofer for years, all in the hope of getting his "own place," a suite in Fiddler's Green. Unfortunately, bigotry is still around in the future, and Kaufman tells Cholo that he, under no circumstances, will get a suite in the Green, nor will he receive payment for his services. Enraged, he steals the Dead Reckoning and holds it for ransom, demanding Kaufman pay him five million dollars for its return (as well as the promise of Cholo not raining the entire payload of rockets towards Fiddler's Green). "We don't negotiate with terrorists," Kaufman insists (one of countless anti-establishment sentiments in the movie), and pulls Riley out of retirement to hunt down Cholo and the Dead Reckoning. With the assistance of three MP officers, his sharpshooter friend Charlie, and a plucky hooker named Slack (the always-luscious Asia Argento), he has 2 hours to do the deed.

Of course, you've also got the newly organized zombies being led by Big Daddy making an assault against Fiddler's Green to complicate matters. In their arrogance, the powers-that-be underestimate zombie intelligence, expecting a river to keep them safe from the undead hordes. When the zombies realize that they can go underwater (not breathing helps), that "safety barrier" is quickly breached in a watery scene that was half D-Day, half Carnival of Souls, and totally creepy. The ensuing bloodbath is awe-inspiring, to say the least.

The best part about Land of the Dead is its distinctive style. The crew of the Dead Reckoning drive modified vehicles that look like they drove right out of The Road Warrior, from motorcycles with monstrous cargo sidecars to woody station wagons bristling with weapons. There's even a "Thunderdome" of sorts where zombies are forced into combat with one another over food. All of that contrasts with the glossy sheen of the Fiddler's Green tower, a glassy behemoth with vaulted skylights and an all-white population. Guess it wouldn't be a Romero "Dead" movie without a commentary on racism, huh?

That twenty-year break must've given George plenty of time to think up more social commentary, as Land was positively packed with it. The parallels between zombies and "normal" people are more obvious than ever...one could even argue that the zombies are moving past humanity in this movie. Kaufman is a blatant racist, with a black servant and a severe dislike for Cholo (actually referring to him as a "spic bastard" towards the end of the movie, which elicited a disapproving grumble from the primarily Latino audience in the theater) who keeps his ideal community as Caucasian as possible, as well as hoarding money, which serves almost no purpose in the anarchic world. However, much as the zombies are acting on instincts from their previous lives (the movie opens with a zombie band mindlessly playing in a gazebo), even the "superior" mankind is unable to escape their previous instincts of commercialism, even in a situation where these desires are virtually useless. Of course, it's this desire and selfishness that makes the shit ultimately hit the fan, just as it has been in the previous films. Of course, when the zombies have begun to have an almost insect-like group thought mentality, this incessant bickering becomes even more dangerous than before. I've heard some people complain about the zombies being more "human," sometimes even going so far as to show compassion (Big Daddy emptying a clip into a burning buddy to ease his suffering, howling with rage at the massacre of his comrades), but in my opinion, it makes sense. Zombification is a sort of "birth," and even these new "infants" have to develop through instinct or being led by example. This is reflected in Big Daddy, whose make up less resembles a walking corpse, and more an old wise man (even the "Daddy" moniker ain't that subtle, people!).

Speaking of make up, you will gasp in at least a few scenes of the movie. The practical effects were completely top-notch, with a few zombies being almost impossibly well done. One zombie, a cheerleader, has a torn cheek through which we can see her teeth gnashing. Headshots result in geysers of clotty gore, a priest zombie has a flip-top head much like the nurse from Dead Alive, and even the dead that are "fresher" look suitably mottled and gross. While one may sadly miss Savini's work (although he does make a very welcome cameo), the work supervised by Gregory Nicotero is so damn good that you'll be happy nonetheless. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for some of the CG shots, which look rushed and unnatural.

The only real problem I had with Land of the Dead is that it seems like it was "dumbed down" for more widespread appeal. If you take out the unnecessary "cool" gore shots, the movie would've honestly been a good twenty minutes shorter. Sure, the Dead movies have always had a good helping of the red stuff, but it seems like there were plenty of Fulci-esque shots leering at the carnage onscreen in order to turn the stomachs of the audience. This is a very hard R movie, skipping on the razor's edge between that and NC-17. Sure, I love a onscreen Grand Guignol as much as the next guy, but I like to think sometimes, too. Thankfully, even in twenty years' time, George still hasn't lost the ability to have us do just that, and that's what makes this so damn good.

Thumbs up.