Legendary filmmaker George A. Romero returns to unleash another chapter in his classic zombie series! In this towering tale of terror, a new society has been built by a band of ruthless opportunists, who live inside a luxurious skyscraper, high above the less fortunate citizens who must eke out a hard life on the streets below. With the survival of the city at stake, a group of mercenaries is called into action to protect the living from the evolving army of the dead waiting outside the city walls. Land Of The Dead features a cast of amazing actors including Dennis Hopper, Simon Baker, Asia Argento, Robert Joy and John Leguizamo.

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Video Quality

Land Of The Dead makes its 4K UHD Blu-Ray debut with the Unrated Cut in a resplendent 2160p Dolby Vision transfer from a new 4K scan of the Original Camera Negative. Given that the Theatrical Cut was also provided a new 4K scan, it’s slightly odd that this version is only presented on Blu-Ray, but the label did thankfully choose the version most fans would want for the premium presentation. The new 4K UHD allows the film to easily look the best it ever has on home entertainment. The previous Scream Factory Blu-Ray was released seven years ago which looked good, but this new disc offers strong improvements in all respects.

The Dolby Vision presentation allows the film to appear more refined than ever, as the aggressively dark settings unleash more character than previously thought was present. Black levels stay deep and detailed with no indications of crush. Highlights offer greater stability without veering into blooming. This is not the most colorful movie by any stretch of the imagination, yet the UHD takes these hues and dials them in to their most pleasing intended frequency. Key lighting choices and the bright orange of explosions appear with a lovely intensity. Skin tones look natural and the clarity of the transfer gives you an impeccable amount of facial detail.

This new release of the film retains a fantastic amount of natural film grain that allows this movie to be its gritty best with a world of texture and detail. For the first time on home entertainment, you can clearly see specific facets of the makeup, backgrounds, and production design that were more of a homogeneous block before. The setting is also given much more depth to make the world feel more spacious. The improvements in contrast and overall clarity are a triumph, especially when you are witnessing elements such as bloody entrails and wounds that look all the more visceral with the enhanced resolution. Scream Factory has done some great work.

Audio Quality

This 4K UHD Blu-Ray release boasts the previous DTS-HD 5.1 and 2.0 lossless tracks along with a new Dolby Atmos track across all discs that packs a major punch. This disc perfectly brings the thrills and horrific moments to life with a depth and clarity of sound not to be missed. Dialogue comes through clearly without getting overshadowed by the music or any sound effects. Kinetic sequences are consistently doled out with a dynamic sound design that impresses without fail. Elements such as gunfire, explosions, and crashing vehicles certainly resonate. The activity in the low end is formidable and never lacks strength.

As the characters move throughout the crumbling world, the sounds of the environment permeate your side and rear speakers for a fully three-dimensional experience. The addition of the height channels allows the mix to sound more fully enveloping. They may not carry the main load most of the time, but the expansion is a blessing. Each sound is precisely placed with perfect spatial awareness. The track engages all of the channels with sound effects and ambient noise that makes you feel like you are transported into this story. The score utilized in the film comes through with a pleasing fidelity. Scream Factory has delivered a plethora of options unlikely to displease anyone. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided on this disc.

Special Features

Disc One – Unrated Cut (4K UHD – 1:36:57)

Audio Commentaries: There are two great archival commentary tracks provided in which the creative team discusses various aspects of the production including how the story evolves from the previous Dead films, casting both the humans and the zombies, common misconceptions about the film, working within a tight budget, the work of the stunt team, small mistakes that can be seen, small easter eggs within the film, and more.

- Audio Commentary #1: Writer/Director George A. Romero, Producer Peter Grunwald, and Editor Michael Doherty

- Audio Commentary #2: Zombie Performers Matt Blazi, Glena Chao, Michael Felsher, and Rob Mayr

Disc Two – Unrated Cut (Blu-Ray – 1:36:57)

Audio Commentary #1: Writer/Director George A. Romero, Producer Peter Grunwald, and Editor Michael Doherty

Audio Commentary #2: Zombie Performers Matt Blazi, Glena Chao, Michael Felsher, and Rob Mayr

Undead Again – The Making of Land of the Dead: A 13-minute archival overview of the development and production of the film with the cast and creative team discussing the excitement of George A. Romero returning to his roots.

Bringing The Dead To Life: A nearly ten-minute look at the special effects work and squib work that went into making this zombie carnage come to life.

Scenes of Carnage: A two-minute look at some of the most gruesome moments from the film.

Zombie Effects – From Green Screen to Finished Scene: A three-minute featurette that tracks the evolution of certain shots as special effects are layered onto the footage.

Scream Tests – CGI Tests: A minute-long look at some silly CGI creations.

Bringing The Storyboards To Life: An eight-minute comparison of the storyboards to the finished film.

A Day With The Living Dead: An eight-minute behind-the-scenes tour with John Leguizamo.

When Shaun Met George – Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright Visit The Set: A 13-minute visit from the Shaun of the Dead team and the act of filming their cameo in the film.

Disc Three – Theatrical Cut (Blu-Ray – 1:33:00)

Cholo’s Reckoning – Interview with Actor John Leguizamo: A nearly 16-minute interview with Leguizamo in which he reflects on his time on the film, the themes of this installment and how they resonate today, the joy of working with George A. Romero, shooting in Canada during the winter at night, memories of his fellow performers, and more.

Charlie’s Story- Interview with Actor Robert Joy: A 15-minute conversation with Joy in which he discusses his love of his character, his relationship with Romero, proving himself during the audition, thoughts on his fellow cast members, and more.

The Pillsbury Factor – Interview with Actor Pedro Miguel Arce: A nearly 18-minute conversation with Arce in which he discusses his journey to acting, working with Romero, his excitement over tackling his character and bringing depth to him, the importance of having fun with your role, his fear of clowns, and more.

Four of the Apocalypse – Interview with Actors Eugene Clark, Jennifer Baxter, Boyd Banks, and Jasmin Geljo: A 19-minute collection of interviews with the zombie performers in which they discuss being brought on board this project, working with George A. Romero, the space they had to work within, the shooting conditions, and more.

Dream of the Dead – The Director’s Cut: A nearly 25-minute documentary that explores the making of Land of the Dead and the legacy of George A. Romero. This can be viewed with optional audio commentary from director Roy Frumkes moderated by Michael Felsher from Red Shirt Pictures.

Deleted Footage from Dream of the Dead: There are 18 minutes of footage that didn’t make it into the final cut of the documentary provided.

Deleted Scenes: A three-minute collection of unused material is included.

Photo Gallery: A collection of stills is provided here.

Theatrical Trailer: The nearly two-minute trailer is provided here.

Final Thoughts

Land Of The Dead is a fine return to the zombie universe that kicked off the legendary career of George A. Romero. The film is not quite up to the level of the original three classics, but it is a solid outing that carries the heavy political resonance mixed with zombie destruction. The cast that was assembled is a major benefit to this entry as they bring some necessary gravitas to the proceedings. It is a bit clunky at times, but it is quite fun. Scream Factory has released a 4K UHD Blu-Ray featuring an excellent A/V presentation along with all of the terrific legacy special features. If you are a fan, the film has never had a better presentation on home entertainment. Highly Recommended

Land Of The Dead is currently available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Scream Factory has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.