The Dead Don't Die

Jim Jarmusch is an accomplished filmmaker, but has clearly been listening overmuch to sycophantic praise over the years. That old saw about someone so talented you could listen to them reading the phone book aloud doesn't pertain to JJ, who has consciously made a lousy horror film akin to the license pornographers use when making "porn-parody".

Rounding up famous, big-name talent to walk through nothing roles, and then execute, rather than actualiy satirize horror movie cliches is of zero interest, and why a top tier storyteller would waste the considerable effort it takes to make a real feature film on worthless material like this is beyond comprehension.

If "fake hipness" is what Jarmusch wants to be remembered for rather than an original talent, this is certainly a proper nail in his coffin. I'd also be interested in the formula of the kool-aid he served this cast to get them to sign up for such menial roles.

If you read that Jim Jarmusch made a new movie and you read the list of involved actors/musicians the expectation of course just explodes. And if you like zombie movies with comedy elements your expectations hit the Milky Way. Sadly, The Dead Don't Die just don't delivers. Compared with other zombie comedies of high rank, most of the comical or fun moments of The Dead Don't Die just don't work too good. The horror elements are also just rather mediocre and just feel like necessary additions because of the genre. So what's left!? Some reviewers say that there is some references to other movies or the movie business to detect, and/or there is some commentaries on our today's society. That all may be right, but mostly the movie is just very slow and won't satisfy neither the horror nor the comedy audience. On top, even as an arthouse or artsy whatever movie The Dead Don't Dies is rather a weak endeavor. Of course, the actors are not bad and still there is here and there a little shiny moment. My rate is 5 but that's already the highest rate that I can give - and in my view this movie is a great missed opportunity to make something great, especially for the genre.

I saw the trailer and all the great actors, so I was naturally excited. Then I saw the whole thing and was extremely disappointed. Such wasted talent. The acting of course was phenomenal but the writing was just dead.

Typical Jarmush. Is it slow paced? Check. Is it dialogue heavy? Check. Is it absurd at times? Check. To the people that complain it's not action packed enough I would reply it's as action packed as Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai.

Also I think because this movie has zombies in it people give it lots of low reviews, because it's a case of missed expectations.

There's a simple filter you can use to decide whether to watch it. If you enjoyed any of the previous Jarmush movies you won't be heavily disappointed. While not an instant classic it's true to his style. If not, maybe start with one of his earlier movies (Broken Flowers, Night on Earth, Ghost Dog, Dead Man) to get a taste of Jarmush first.

In Centerville, the undead rise when there is a shift in the axis of rotation of Earth. "The Dead Don't Die" is the slow development of this storyline following several dwellers of this town. Films by Jim Jarmusch are usually cult and slow paced. His navigation through the zombie genre is an uneven film, with at least a good surprise like the flying saucer scene and many boring and unfunny moments. The cast composed by many veteran actors and actresses is a plus but the final result is neither cult nor worthwhile spending 1h 44 min watching. My vote is five.

Title (Brazil): "Os Mortos Não Morrem" ("The Dead Don't Die")