I watched this back to back with 2007’s Diary of the Dead, and together they make for a disappointing conclusion to Romero’s Living Dead trilogy. Still, even compared to the ambitious but sloppy Diary, Survival of the Dead feels like a step down from the series’ 5th entry, and it’s sad that this ended up being Romero’s final film before his death in 2017.

It has a sort of interesting setup, being about a bitter family feud that continues regardless of all the zombies around, who ultimately pose a bigger threat. In looking at how a shared disaster doesn’t necessary unite survivors, it has some merit, but it becomes clunky and too on the nose by the time it reaches the half-hour point.

Sadly, the more visceral stuff disappoints, too, as the zombie scenes aren’t really in the film much, until the climax. The zombie action in that finale might be a bit better than the zombie scenes in the 5th film, but they pale in comparison to the first four films in the series.

Also, I’m not sure if the final shot is good or really stupid. It’ll be memorable, at least. 
So I guess this is a movie with a serviceable setup, mildly fun climax, a bold final shot, and then a whole lot of nothing for its middle hour or so. It’s a bit of a disappointment overall, for sure.