When it comes to a few relevant ideas, if that and only that, about the start of a virus outbreak, essentially, Dawn of The Dead 1978 mirrors what is happening today in society with the COVID-19 virus.
There’s a lot of private planes in farm country like this. I guess they all hit the pumps and they took off. Yeah, to where?
To start, with a backdrop of fear and panic setting in, the introduction of this movie is especially chilling. First, this movie shows a public slowly beginning to unravel as it hears chilling media virus reports (from scientists and leaders). Also, we begin to learn people are getting infected with a strange new virus, which basically turns people into the walking dead.
Next, we learn the government is going to Congress to get bills passed. These bills include Marshall law, curfews, and detention camps. The government needs these extreme measures, which are needed to maintain control over society and the virus.
Further, we learn all local news responsibility is ending. First, we learn all federal emergency networks are taking over as the main provider of news. This happens because local responsibility of news reporting is ending due to the strain of local reporting at the local level. Further, as this is happening, we learn all communications networks are falling apart throughout the United States.
As a result of all local responsibility ending, the police abandon their posts. In one scene, a police officer tells Peter, Roger, Stephen, and Francine that they are headed to an island. The police plan to hide out on an island in order to escape the virus.
As society falls apart, privacy becomes an issue. People are not allowed to remain in their homes even if they are well stocked or well protected. The army begins to enter private dwelling to forcibly take people from their homes. People begin to lose first amendment rights as citizens.
Additionally, when it’s too late, the army takes over. They start to round up infected people in detention camps. The army disposes of people infected in an attempt to halt the spread of the virus.
Moreover, we begin to see bad people. These include scavengers, rednecks, vigilantes, and motorcycle gangs. These groups of bad people band together to kill and take what they want in order to survive.
Finally, with society beginning to lose humanity, it’s comes down to survival. Good people must decide who to have around when society is falling apart. Of course, the bad people are doing the same thing in an attempt to survive.
In conclusion, Dawn of the Dead has some good ideas. If you skip the rest of movie due to the violence, you can pick all the important ideas of a virus outbreak in the first six minutes of this movie in regards to the breakdown of society. Basically, Dawn of the Dead is art imitating reality.
