Film review - Zulu Dawn

This isn't as good as Zulu by a large margin, but it wasn't as bad as I remembered either. It's a prequel to Zulu and tells the story of the events that lead up to the battle of Isandlhwana and subsequently Rourke's Drift. Like Zulu it features a battle where the British are heavily outnumbered. Unlike Rourke's Drift the British lose and the war could easily have been avoided.

It takes a while to get going and hammer the point home that we seriously underestimated the Zulus. As such it's difficult to build much attachment to the main characters. The final battle is well done and shows the different stages. To be honest this is the best part of the film and almost cancels out the poor build up.

It's not rubbish, but you'd be better of watching Zulu again rather than this.

The story of the 1879 battle of Isandlhwana, one of the worst defeats in British colonial history, 'Zulu Dawn' describes the diplomatic errors and ill-advised military decisions which led to a confrontation between 1,500 British soldiers and a 25,000 strong Zulu army. A prequel to the 1963 classic (and schoolboy's favourite) 'Zulu', the emphasis is again placed upon huge, awe-inspiring battle scenes and the brave stand the soldiers take against unsurmountable odds.

Buy Zulu Dawn now from Amazon (it's ok, but Zulu is better)