Dawn of the Bread (extra credit)

As many zombie films are, Dawn of the Dead comes with a deeper meaning than what meets the bloodshot eye. Consumerism is the clear message in this film and it shows itself in many forms. Through all of the examples, however, the underlying theme is the attempt to live "normally".
Beginning at the start of the film, one can get an idea of what this film is trying to say. Francine and Stephen are seen at the TV station where everyone is scrambling to keep the news running. Everyone begins yelling to stay on the air so that they don't lose any viewers, and it becomes clear that their main priority is not to survive and fix this zombie outbreak. Rather, it is to continue making money and providing for the consumers of their program. This same concept is brought up later in the film as the characters have established a comfortable place in the mall and they tune in to the only TV station that is still in operation. Not only are they striving for a normal life again, but so are the people that are running the show. In the middle of a zombie apocalypse, where people are losing the fight for their lives everyday, the last thing that most of us would be trying to do is broadcast a TV show. But the comment on our society is suggesting that we have such an innate need to feel normal, that we go to great lengths to get it.
Looking back at the beginning of the film again, we see more signs of striving for normalcy in the scenes where the military is going through the apartment building. Even though there are zombies living in the basement of the building, the rest of the tenants are still staying there as well. This is there way of trying to keep the status quo in a time of peril. They don't know what to do about the outbreak, so they just push their problems to the basement and continue to try and live normally.
Of course the most obvious sign of consumerism comes in the form of the zombies themselves. From the literal consuming of flesh, to the blatant quotes saying that they are "drawn to the mall for some reason", the zombies represent the purest form of consumerism. There are countless times when the other characters say things that allude to the fact that the zombies have an innate sense to gravitate toward the mall. And just like the infection that spreads the zombie outbreak, the acts associated with consumerism are contagious like a disease. But the flesh eaters are not the only consumers drawn to the mall. Peter, Francine, Stephen, and Roger all see that the mall is very useful, or perhaps they too are drawn there by an unseen force. In addition, the biker gang also finds their way to the mall eventually, whether it was on purpose or by accident. These people are still consumers at heart even though they still have their lives. Their actions of striving for normalcy are brought out in their use of establishing the mall space as their home and ultimately, trying to live like they would in the absence of the epidemic. In doing so, they are consuming in a way much more relevant to society than the zombies actions, and therefore, bring the real message of consumerism to the audience.