We Hate Movies S16 Ep857: Dawn of the Dead (2004)
Apr 7, 2026
A lively take on Zack Snyder’s 2004 Dawn of the Dead remake, comparing its action-first style to Romero and 28 Days Later. They riff on the bloated ensemble, standout turns like Ving Rhames, and the eerie zombie baby moment. Music choices, mall-set survival tactics, overstuffed arrivals, and the chaotic escape sequences also get spirited breakdowns.
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Too Many Characters Dilute The Stakes
- The film piles on secondary characters without developing them, weakening emotional stakes.
- Steve and Andrew point to a second bus of arrivals that bloats the cast and leaves many people as disposable background.
Watching It In 2004 Felt Bigger
- Andrew and Steve recall seeing Dawn of the Dead in theaters and enjoying its violence and energy at the time.
- They admit the movie aged less well on rewatch but still tapped the adolescent appetite for gore in 2004.
Fast Zombies Modernized The Genre
- Dawn of the Dead leans heavily on 28 Days Later's fast-running infected idea to modernize zombies.
- Hosts argue that this shift helped usher in later mainstream zombie media like The Walking Dead.