Set during the start of a zombie outbreak, the plot revolves around the adventures of a group of college film students whom are trying to survive the flesh eating zombies and make sense out of what is happening around them. The structure of "Diary Of The Dead" is told via a film called "The Death Of Death" which consists entirely of footage one of the main characters (Jason) and others shot.

For those expecting "Diary Of The Dead" to be similar to Romero's four other zombie classics, you may be disappointed to learn that this one isn't packed with humor and action. Instead, Romero goes back to his indie roots with a more realistic approach to the genre. In his fifth zombie centric film, Romero asks viewers to imagine a zombie outbreak in today's technological world. Among the questions that are raised: Why do people watch/film and not help those in danger? Are people trying to avoid reality by filming? How would the media respond to a crisis like this? Would they lie to the public? Would they tell the truth? How could people believe what anyone is saying if so many truth and lies were being spread? It's thoughts like this that make 'Diary' a very topical and intriguing zombie picture.

Of course, the tone isn't all serious. Romero does sprinkle in some fun moments involving such things as a deaf Amish zombie killer, a zombie birthday clown, and living dead hospital patients. Viewers should also take note of some great voice cameos that appear via news footage.

As intriguing as 'Diary' is, the film is not without flaws. First and foremost, most of the cast is very amateurish. The only real actors are the man who played the Professor and Michelle Morgan as Debra. In addition, I felt the ending was a bit rushed and somewhat poorly executed. The life imitating art scene in particular was flat out ridiculous.

Conclusion: 'Diary' may not be the homerun I was expecting, but it is still a provoking piece about the dangers of media.

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