28 Days Later

Saturday, 05 July 2003 19:00 Sean Graham Reviews - Movies
There has been alot of buzz about this movie redefining or reinvigorating the zombie genre. Sometimes, critics go as far as saying that this movie has breathed new life into the entire horror genre. I am going to go even further and say that in this year of stale sequels, rehashed plots, and indie documentaries, "28 Days Later" has reinvigorated my interest in the cinema. Director Danny Boyle ("Trainspotting", "Shallow Grave") and writer Alex Garland, while obviously drawing from many sources in both direction and script, have created a film which really sinks its teeth into the minds of the audience.

A group of animal rights hippies break into the Cambridge Primate Research Facility trying to save some monkeys. In the process they let loose Rage, which within 10 to 20 seconds after infecting a human turns them into a zombie-like maniac out for blood. Fast-forward 28 days and we find our protagonist, Jim (Cillian Murphy) waking up from a coma in a deserted hospital. Jim meets up with a handful of other survivors of the disease in an otherwise abandoned London.

Does this film derive from other work? Certainly. Is, at it's heart, this movie still just a zombie flick? Yes, but it's a damn good one. Every time you think you expect a horror movie cliche to pop out of the woodwork Boyle surprises you and has the characters do the expected believable thing. The reason critics are amazed is because this movie is intelligent, which seperates it from its peers. But that handicapped judging doesn't change the fact that this is a wonderful film.
Last Updated on Friday, 09 September 2005 02:15