By the site's standards , to call George Romero's Day of the Dead a sci-fi film is almost a stretch. Our definition of science fiction, while not perfectly in- and ex-clusive, is nonetheless tightly focused and does not allow for zombies alone to qualify, but this one does something that many other living dead films do not -- it investigates the matter scientifically. Day of the Dead uses zombies to examine the boundaries and fundamentals of humanity.

The movie begins artistically with its heroine, Sarah, in a cement-walled room with no doors or windows. The only object is a calendar on the wall. She approaches the calendar, which shows that the day is Halloween. She puts her hand up to the calendar's photograph of a pumpkin patch, and suddenly a dozen or so zombie arms burst through the wall at her. Then she awakens from the dream. This opening scene, which highlights Lori's sense of being walled in -- by the zombie threat, by her tyrannical patriarchy, and by her underground living quarters -- at first seems unnecessary because all of these things are explicit in the film. If we remember, though, that dreams are expressions of our repressions, it makes perfect sense. Lori is by necessity too strong, too self-reliant, to admit her own oppression (to add another pression to the list). The scene shows us that that feeling of despair is indeed there, even though it is being fought.

The film takes place in an underground military base in Florida. It has been established to capture and research zombies, mostly those that have made their way into its adjacent caves. As was inevitable, though, the radio transmissions from the government spontaneously ceased arriving. The only "life" that exists for, apparently, a hundred miles in any direction from the base is that of the dead. The facility consists of a handful of scientists and about a dozen soldiers, and they have all cracked. The head scientist, Dr. "Frankenstein" Logan, has gone truly mad in his grisly experiments. Captain Rhodes, the man who is now in charge of the operation, has turned into a ruthless tyrant. Rhodes' footmen seem to do nothing but make lewd comments to Lori, insult the zombies (how can you insult a zombie?), and laugh hysterically. Now that they have no instructions for their operation, they're all stuck trying to figure out what to do.

Until writing this review, I was not consciously aware that the plot is really just about them getting through day-to-day life alive and trying to figure out what to do with themselves, as we do even in our non-zombie infested lives. Their biggest threats are the zombies and each other, and, in classic Romero style, the latter is the most threatening and the most thematically important. The military, of course, is the most threatening to both themselves and the scientists. Since the American government is presumably collapsing, this one little node of the government is forced to extreme measures to retain the authority it so desperately fears losing. In the situation we have, everyone, including the scientists, has become less civilized and more carnal in their actions and interactions, as if they are approaching who they truly, primally are -- just like the zombies. Interesting, no?

Another, probably more important, facet of the movie is the zombie experimentation, which leads to a slew of gruesome images and memorable moments, all of which add to the series' greatest contributions to the zombie mythology. We discover that their bodies take no energy or nutrients whatsoever from the flesh they devour. Logan learned this from one zombie he disassembled and which, shortly after we see him, leans over and spills his guts all over the floor. However, we also learn something much more important: the zombies can learn.

The wonderful irony of the film is that while the living are becoming more animalistic, the dead are becoming more civilized. That's right: Dr. Logan has discovered that the zombies can be conditioned to behave peacefully as long as they are rewarded, just as we are conditioned to act civilized, he points out. The only difference, it seems, is that their rewards are buckets of fresh human entrails. Logan is your classic mad scientist, walking around with blood-stained clothes and messy hair, but he is also very human. He understands the reality that our baser instincts are our true selves and that civilization is a way to control those true selves, but he is also decidedly un-nihilistic, understanding the importance of civilization, however artificial it may be. He trusts in the middle path between anarchy and totalitarianism. When persuading Rhodes to calm down while in front of an experiment-zombie, for example, he sternly declares, "Civility must be rewarded."

This new understanding of the undead brings us to the zombie that has become one of the most famous of them all: "Bub." No Day of the Dead review would be complete without mentioning both Bub the character and Sherman Howard's (credited as Howard Sherman) magnificent acting. Howard incredibly gave this zombie believable civility, wonder and awareness, and even . . . feelings. In every way, Bub is the exact opposite of Rhodes. Romero, realizing this, gives us an amazing sort of final showdown between the two.

Day of the Dead is definitely one of those movies that gets better upon repeated viewings. Believe it or not, despite all of its great aspects, I did not care for the film the first time I saw it. It is slower paced than just about any A-list zombie movie, and there seems to be very little zombie screen time. Its pace, though, is due to its patience with the material, not a lack of material. All of the elements are slowly cooked together so that as the film nears its end they release an array of deeply-felt events and images.

For those who are willing to deal with the fact that the zombies in this zombie movie are mostly sidelined, Day of the Dead is a rewarding film. It also has three very creative death scenes, one of which is the most famous of all of Romero's zombie films ("Choke on 'em!"). This movie should not be passed up. If you're a sci-fi lover, a living dead maniac, or someone who appreciates the payoff of a slowly paced story, Day of the Dead should be granted at least one viewing.