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No, not a sequel to the Sandra Bullock rehab dramedy, this is Danny Boyle's boiled-down twist on the Zombie genre.
London, modern day. The movie opens on some animal rights activists on a late-night raid of a primate lab of some sort. Before they can release the monkeys from their cages, a technician warns them, pleading not to let them go, that they are infected and highly contagious. Alas, the monkeys are freed, and a pendemic that almost instantly turns humans into raging beasts is unleashed.
Twenty-eight days later, a young man who had suffered an accident and went into a coma before the virus hit the streets, awakens alone in a deserted hospital. He soon realizes all of London is deserted. Well, not quite deserted. Roaming murderous zombies still rule in darkness what is left of the shell of civilization, and one single drop of their blood or saliva will infect. The few non-infected survivors do battle and try to find a way out of this apocalyptic nightmare.
That's the set-up for 28 Days Later, a rip-roaring fun - yet also understated and low-tech - movie that has already played theatrically last year and even been released on video in the U.K., and will hit American screens this summer.
The sci-fi explanation of the zombies makes it all the more interesting, especially in this age of SARS, Mad Cow Disease, the West Nile Virus, and every other micro-assault on the planet. The narrative is economical, shot very convincingly on DV, and engrossing as it follows a handful of characters through this unlikely but remotely possible scenario. All the genre tension and gore of a good Zombie flick is in tact, but there are more levels to it than simply a monster movie. The third act, where our small band comes in contact with some gung-ho military blokes who have a stronghold at a countryside estate, saves it from being only about the Zombies, and makes for a very satisfying finale.
28 Days Later is a return to form for director Danny Boyle, who after hitting two home runs with the dark and brilliant Hitchcokian funfest Shallow Grave (1994) and the stlyish and uncompromising look at Heroin addicts Trainspotting (1996), had struggled since with the lame would-be lovers on the run road comedy A Life Less Ordinary (1997) and the silly potboiler The Beach (2000). After a few short films in the interim, Boyle has returned to good movie making here.
The cast is headed by mostly unknowns, which adds creedence to the low-budget aproach. Christopher Eccleston, who was so terrific in Shallow Grave and has since gone on to become a welcome gaunt character actor in the likes of The Others, eXistenZ and 24 Hour Party People, is quite strong as the leader of the military bunker. Brendan Gleeson is the other recognizeable face, who has been working a lot lately from Mission: Impossble 2 and Lake Placid to Dark Blue and The Tailor of Panama to A.I. and Gangs of New York. The rest of the cast are much less familiar, but all do good work, especially Cillian Murphy in the lead as the coma survivor who awakens into Hell, Naomie Harris as the strong sword-wielding beauty, and Megan Burns as the youngest of the uninfected.
I'd like to think it'll have a chance when released in mid-June in the U.S., as a well-made, low-budget, genre alternative to the Hollywood FX-fests out there. But if it does make any dent at the boxoffice at all, it'll have to be through word of mouth, as the T3s have their built-in audience and overloaded marketing. 28 Days Later is a good little movie. Pass it on.
Grade: B+
London, modern day. The movie opens on some animal rights activists on a late-night raid of a primate lab of some sort. Before they can release the monkeys from their cages, a technician warns them, pleading not to let them go, that they are infected and highly contagious. Alas, the monkeys are freed, and a pendemic that almost instantly turns humans into raging beasts is unleashed.
Twenty-eight days later, a young man who had suffered an accident and went into a coma before the virus hit the streets, awakens alone in a deserted hospital. He soon realizes all of London is deserted. Well, not quite deserted. Roaming murderous zombies still rule in darkness what is left of the shell of civilization, and one single drop of their blood or saliva will infect. The few non-infected survivors do battle and try to find a way out of this apocalyptic nightmare.
That's the set-up for 28 Days Later, a rip-roaring fun - yet also understated and low-tech - movie that has already played theatrically last year and even been released on video in the U.K., and will hit American screens this summer.
The sci-fi explanation of the zombies makes it all the more interesting, especially in this age of SARS, Mad Cow Disease, the West Nile Virus, and every other micro-assault on the planet. The narrative is economical, shot very convincingly on DV, and engrossing as it follows a handful of characters through this unlikely but remotely possible scenario. All the genre tension and gore of a good Zombie flick is in tact, but there are more levels to it than simply a monster movie. The third act, where our small band comes in contact with some gung-ho military blokes who have a stronghold at a countryside estate, saves it from being only about the Zombies, and makes for a very satisfying finale.
28 Days Later is a return to form for director Danny Boyle, who after hitting two home runs with the dark and brilliant Hitchcokian funfest Shallow Grave (1994) and the stlyish and uncompromising look at Heroin addicts Trainspotting (1996), had struggled since with the lame would-be lovers on the run road comedy A Life Less Ordinary (1997) and the silly potboiler The Beach (2000). After a few short films in the interim, Boyle has returned to good movie making here.
The cast is headed by mostly unknowns, which adds creedence to the low-budget aproach. Christopher Eccleston, who was so terrific in Shallow Grave and has since gone on to become a welcome gaunt character actor in the likes of The Others, eXistenZ and 24 Hour Party People, is quite strong as the leader of the military bunker. Brendan Gleeson is the other recognizeable face, who has been working a lot lately from Mission: Impossble 2 and Lake Placid to Dark Blue and The Tailor of Panama to A.I. and Gangs of New York. The rest of the cast are much less familiar, but all do good work, especially Cillian Murphy in the lead as the coma survivor who awakens into Hell, Naomie Harris as the strong sword-wielding beauty, and Megan Burns as the youngest of the uninfected.
I'd like to think it'll have a chance when released in mid-June in the U.S., as a well-made, low-budget, genre alternative to the Hollywood FX-fests out there. But if it does make any dent at the boxoffice at all, it'll have to be through word of mouth, as the T3s have their built-in audience and overloaded marketing. 28 Days Later is a good little movie. Pass it on.
Grade: B+
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"Film is a disease. When it infects your bloodstream it takes over as the number one hormone. It bosses the enzymes, directs the pineal gland, plays Iago to your psyche. As with heroin, the antidote to Film is more Film." - Frank Capra
"Film is a disease. When it infects your bloodstream it takes over as the number one hormone. It bosses the enzymes, directs the pineal gland, plays Iago to your psyche. As with heroin, the antidote to Film is more Film." - Frank Capra
Last edited by Holden Pike; 11-12-03 at 12:32 AM.
. Briliant to see England deserted like that. The only thing that I did'nt like in this film was the main character wakes up on a hospital bed in the buff, starkas,stark bollock naked 
, I dont know about you guy's but they could have at least put a pair of pants on him or something.
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. But you can all look at as many weiners as you all want, it doesnt bother me, all I was sayeing was that I didnt like that scene. Think about it he was suppost to be in a coma, how many people have you seen in hospital in a coma in the buff lying on top of the bed. Ho no its the end of the world but lets first take this blokes clothes off and leave him on a bed for all of the zombies to lauth at 
. I'm sorry but there was no need for this part in the film ???.