 |
|
|
 |
|
“28 Days Later” is not the sequel to the 2000 Sandra Bullock comedy about an alcoholic in rehab. It’s a triumphant return to the Zombie horror genre by filmmaker Danny Boyle (“Trainspotting”).
“Days” combines the apocalyptic biological fears of the “The Omega Man” with the structure of George A. Romero’s “Night of the Living Dead” trilogy.
It starts with an animal rights liberation gone terribly wrong. The chimpanzees freed from a British lab are infected with a deadly and mysterious virus known only as “Rage”.
Twenty-eight days later, a quiet, twenty-something bicycle courier named Jim (Cillian Murphy) comes out of a coma, only to wake up in a deserted hospital and discover, a deserted London. Wandering through the wrecked city, seemingly abandoned in a series of surreal scenes, he wanders past a stilled Big Ben, through empty squares and comes across a message board covered with hundreds of pictures and names of the missing.
Jim, of course, is not alone. Hordes of the infected roam the streets after dark, looking to kill and feast on anything they encounter. Jim is saved by a handful of survivors: Selena (Naomie Harris), Mark (Noah Huntley), Frank (Brendan Gleeson) and his adolescent daughter Hannah (Megan Burns). The survivors are eventually drawn out to the country side by a repeated radio message that promises safety at a military encampment.
The Manchester base, which is maintained by an uninfected Army unit, sets up the third act. The officer in charge. Maj. Henry West (Christopher Eccleston) invites them to join his men as they struggle to survive and adjust in the horrible new reality.
Even though I think that Boyle could have provoked even more suspense and terror from the premise, there were some great moments. One scene where they struggle to change a tire before they are overtaken by blood thirsty zombies is a high point. After a stampede of rats, we see the growing shadows of the infected as they draw closer. Then there's the pressure to get the tire fixed in time. Boyle also includes some emotionally charged human moments, such as when Jim discovers his dead parents and when Frank says goodbye to Hannah.
As opposed to past Zombie films, the virus and the infected move very quickly. You only have 20 seconds to kill your friends before they turn into a berserk, devouring zombie.
This prevents characters from keeping their infection a secret and increases the brutal nature of the plague.
The film is taking place assuming that the virus has infected the entire world. However, logically the virus would not have been able to cross over oceans. Once word of the virus got out, only boats and planes would have been able to bring the infected across water to places like America, Australia etc. The military would be waiting for them at the docks and the airports. Even still the infected in the vessels would probably have crashed the planes. Also the surviving zombies raise the question: How long can you live once you have the virus?
Others have pointed out that the actual 28 Days during which the virus ravaged mankind would have been extremely compelling and should not have been skipped over.
But by taking the less is more approach, similar to “Signs”, and giving us a very narrow view of a small group of survivors, Boyle creates more potential mystery and discussion that is lost in big budget disaster films like “The Core” and “Armageddon”.
Over all, the first act was brilliant. During the second act, I was on edge because I expected to be freaked out, but for the most part was not. Most people have said they felt let down by the third act, which might be the biggest fault of the film. I wonder what would have happened if Boyle had hooked up with a more experienced horror director.
“28 Days Later” m ight not be “scary as hell” or even as creepy as “The Ring” but this is a very creative and memorable film, especially for a horror movie. (B+ to A-)
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
| "We use words like honor, code, loyalty. We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something. You use them as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom I provide, then question the manner in which I provide it." |
- Jack Nicholson
A Few Good Men
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
Distributed Beers
|
| 5 |
Sierra Nevada Bigfoot |
| 4 |
Guinness Draught |
| 3 |
Newcastle Brown Ale |
| 2 |
Bass Pale Ale |
| 1 |
Samuel Adams Boston Lager |
|
|
|
|
|
