George Romero’s third followup to his seminal 1968 zombie flick isn’t quite as awesome as you might expect from such a widely respected auteur of brain gore. True, there’s plenty of blood and guts and the added twist of semisentient zombies, but within the recent spate of living dead movies, you might be better off with 28 Days Later.

Seems the zombies have spread all over the world, leading the comparatively few surviving humans to hole up in a walled, heavily fortified city, Most of its denizens struggle on the streets or in small shelters, in utter squalor, many suffering from horrible, disfiguring diseases. A select few, however, spend their lives in happy comfort in a giant skyscraper presided over by Kaufman (Dennis Hopper), who offers the elite all the protection possible to keep the zombies off their trail.

The city is bordered on three sides by water, and the zombies have no idea how to cross it. But supplies aren’t infinite within the city, so Kaufman sends out recon bands, headed by Riley (Simon Baker) that infiltrate the neighboring (ghost) towns at night. Why night, you ask? Because then they can shoot off fireworks, which apparently mesmerizes the crap out of the mindless sacks of meat.

Completing the trifecta of Important Characters is Cholo (John Leguizamo), a recon soldier who also delivers supplies to Kaufman personally. When Kaufman rebuffs Cholo’s request for residence in the Big Ol’ Skyscraper of Cool, Cholo steals the former’s multiterrain, super-tricked-out ubervehicle, called Dead Reckoning, threatening an attack on the tower if his monetary demands aren’t met. Kaufman sends Riley, and there’s your plot. Oh, and there’s zombies all over the place.

It’s disappointing that Hopper wasn’t given a more maniacal role, like Deacon in Waterworld, or even Frank Booth in Blue Velvet. He was evil, sure, but almost in a Donald Trump way, far too bland given the irascible actor involved. But at least he doesn’t seem completely out of place, like Baker. The role might have worked with an actor who had a bit more panache, something of substance to offer. Instead, Riley seemed almost like a cardboard leader, a meaningless prop. By contrast, Leguizamo (predictably) walks off with every scene he’s in, lighting up the screen even in the dark of night.

We do learn a few things about the zombies, but there aren’t many twists and turns to the plot at all; the result is a cheap knockoff of most other postapocalyptic-nightmare movies, such as (come to think of it) Waterworld. Or The Road Warrior. Or even Tank Girl.

Romero’s movie isn’t terrible, necessarily, but it’s a far cry from his previous zombie outings and therefore a bit of a letdown.

Land of the Dead: **