...But is all of that accurate? The theory sounds right based on what we know, but it still relies on speculation and presumption. Do we know for a fact, for example, that the Universal blu was taken from the DI and not the IP, or are we just assuming? And one interesting detail is that while all of Scream's announcements (on Facebook, their store website, etc) have clearly said "interpositive," the case itself repeatedly says "internegative." But really, the best way to know which blu-ray came out better is to look carefully at both of them and see for ourselves.
Update 10/16/17 - 10/21/24: Scream has given us a fancy, new 3-disc UHD/ BD combo-pack. This time the packaging says it's a "2024 4K Restoration From The Original Camera Negative." Really? So does that mean they scanned the original negatives and then re-finished all the digital effects? You wouldn't think so. Do they mean the "internegative" again, if that wasn't a mistake before? Their listing on their website does correspond with the packaging, unlike last time. I'd love to hear someone from Shout explain what was done, precisely, each time. But in lieu of that, we can at least crack this sucker open and see how these discs look for ourselves.
If you've never even seen Land Of the Dead, well, I reckon you should if you're a horror fan. Yeah, it's got a decidedly lesser reputation compared to the previous films in the series. But then again, Day of the Dead enjoyed a pretty similar lesser reputation until being reappraised by fans and critics alike in more recent years. And I think Land is due for a similar reevaluation; and Scream Factory including it in their collection may be the first sign of that happening. I mean, for all the Walking Deads and Zombie Flesh Eaters we've had over the decades, this is the original, core zombie series that started it all, written and directed by the man himself. Then, will we see the same thing happen for Romero's final two films, Diary and Survival, a few further years down the road? Well, let's not go crazy. But really, I think Land deserves more credit than it gets.
Not that I don't get the criticism. First of all, some of the digital effects are shaky. Romero's dead films are famous for having some of the greatest, cutting edge horror effects in the genre. ...Up until this one. There is still a ton of fantastic practical effects, but the digital blood and crazier CGI moments don't entirely blend in with the rest of the film.
And even more critical than the effects, the story is, well, awfully ambitious. I mean, this is the only film set in the series that basically takes place in a sci-fi future. Okay, technically you could say Day of the Dead has to be set a couple years ahead of the present in order to be able to present half the world as having already been overrun by zombies. But it's basically contemporary people dealing with the situation the way contemporary people would. Land, however, imagines a whole new, society that's developed after the world as we know it has crumbled. And that's taking a big risk with a series that got most of its strength by tackling a supernatural horror in the most credible, authentic way possible. The original Night Of the Living Dead was the most powerful "what would it be like if this unnatural horror actually happened to us in the real world right now?" that had ever been made up to that point, and arguably since.
Meanwhile, Land sets a scene in an underground saloon where Asia Argento is dressed in black leather wrestling two zombies in a cage match scored with Spanish rap music, while our other heroes have a shootout with a midget pimp dressed in purple shouting "they ruined my suit!" One of the soldiers rides a skateboard in every single scene. At this stage, the tone of the series has veered dangerously close to Escape From LA; so I can see why fans shunned this entry. But if you can get past the most egregious moments, this film is actually pretty effective, both as a compelling zombie story with good, if not so subtle, social commentary, and in delivering genuinely atmospheric horror that also never skimps on the goods. For the most part, it plays far straighter than Escape From NY, let alone LA.
Land's got a pretty great cast, too, including Dennis Hopper, Simon Baker The Mentalist, John Leguizamo who can be quite over the top but here gets it just right, and even Tom Savini, bringing back his character from Dawn Of the Dead for a cool cameo. The score's effective, the film's shot really well, and George was finally able to bring his Dead Reckoning dream to life. The story gives us a nice follow-through on the set-up of Bud from Day Of the Dead, and if you just want to see cool zombie kills, Greg Nicotero (who also has a cameo... in fact, this film is laden with cameos) and Howard Berger do their damnedest. I guess this is one of those films like Halloween 3 or Hellraiser 3, where you have to let go of your expectations from the previous films in their series to appreciate; but if you can just do that, it's hard to imagine anyone not having a good time with this sequel.
A shot only in the theatrical cut. |
A scene only in the unrated cut. |
1) 2005 Universal DVD; 2) 2008 Universal BD; 3) 2017 SF theatrical BD; 4) 2017 SF unrated BD; 5) 2024 SF theatrical BD; 6) 2024 SF unrated BD; 7) 2024 SF unrated UHD. |
Universal blu left; 2017 Scream Factory right. |
2024 Scream Factory UHD. |
By the way, the audio options keep shifting with this flick. The DVD gave us the choice subtle choice between DTS 5.1 and Dolby Digital 5.1 audio tracks, with optional English, French and Spanish subtitles. Then the 2008 blu-ray dropped the Dolby, just giving us the DTS 5.1 in HD, along with the same subtitles and a Spanish dub. In 2017, Scream Factory gave us the DTS-HD 5.1 track plus a new DTS-HD 2.0 stereo mix, as well as English subs. And in 2024, they've carried all of that over, and also thrown in a new Dolby Atmos track. So that's a net positive.
Universal's releases were already pretty swagged out with goodies, including probably the most important extra, a George Romero audio commentary (also with producer Peter Grunwald and editor Michael Doherty). There are a few momentary lapses of dead air, but for the most part, it's everything you want it to be. There are also a whole bunch of featurettes (Undead Again: The Making Of Land Of the Dead, A Day With the Living Dead, Bringing the Dead To Life, When Shaun Met George - a fun behind-the-scenes look at a cameo by the stars of Shaun Of the Dead, which was still pretty new at the time - Scenes Of Carnage, which is just a skippable montage of gory scenes from the film, Zombie Effects: From Green Screen To Finished Scene, Bringing the Storyboards To Life and Scream Tests: Zombie Casting Call), that range from fifteen to as short as one minute. There's also a few brief deleted scenes and bonus trailers, including one for a Land Of the Dead video game. The blu-ray converted a couple of those features into picture-in-picture commentary with their funky U-Control gimmick, which is slightly annoying, but it's all the same stuff on either release. The DVD also came in a nice slip cover.
Road To Fiddler's Green, the Land Of the Dead video game trailer. |
Then you've got new on-camera interviews with actors John Leguizamo, Robert Joy who played Charlie, Pedro Miguel Arce and a featurette that edits together interviews additional cast members Eugene Clarke, Jennifer Baxter, Boyd Banks and Jasmin Geljo. Disappointingly, Baker and Argento gave Scream a miss; but Leguizamo was a good get. Anyway, there's also a new photo gallery, the original theatrical trailer (surprisingly absent from the Universal discs), and a cool slip cover. It also came in reversible artwork and included a poster if you ordered it directly from their site (and it's rolled; they stopped folding them!).
Scream's 2024 release doesn't have any new extras, but it's hard to complain given how packed their set already was; and they've hung onto all of it. They've also got a better cover and slipcover, returning to the original poster art, which I appreciate. Plus, if you order direct from their site, you can get two exclusive 18"x24" posters (yes, rolled) and a second, exclusive slipcover.
So at the end of the day, yes, Scream Factory's latest Land Of the Dead is an upgrade and the definitive edition going. If you're going to pick this movie up, and you should, their new 2024 Collector's Edition is the one to get. That said, if you've already got the 2017 edition... yes, this is still better. Not so much in the resolution, but in the dynamic range. Still, I'd prioritize upgrading other BDs in my collection to UHD before this one, especially since that one already netted you all the latest and legacy extras. I was worried when this I saw this title get announced, but no, they didn't muck it up. And, if anything, maybe they've corrected a slight misstep from their previous version.