28 Days Later

Year: 2002 Director: Danny Boyle

A Zombie movie that is not an actual Zombie movie - how does that work?

The story centres around the character of Jim (Cillian Murphy) a young cycle courier who is knocked off his bike and falls into a coma. At the same time a mutated virus accidentally gets released from a laboratory into public. The virus named "The Rage" is transmitted readily and causes the infected person to be thrown into a permanent state of murderous rage. 28 Days Later Jim wakes up in a deserted hospital. He walks out onto the streets of London to find it similarly deserted and seemingly in a post apocalyptic silence. But he is not all alone and he discovers people infected with the virus. He is saved by some fellow survivors and the full horror of the situation hits him. The survivors make a break from the city and head up to Manchester to an encampment run by the Army. But how will the military actually take care of them.

For all intents and purposes 28 Days Later is a Zombie movie of sorts. The difference being that, unlike Zombies, the virus sufferers are not actually undead, in fact they are not even dead yet. Also Zombies traditionally tend to be rather slow whereas The Rage sufferers operate at normal to fast and frenzied speeds.

What strikes you first about the film is its digital video look which immediately heightens the realistic feel of the movie. Using digital video also allowed the many faublously stunning shots of a desolate and deserted London which is quite breathtaking and earie to those familiar with the London landscapes that are always inhabited (its obvious allusion to 9/11 is absolutely chilling). Whilst the action and Zombie fighting, sorry Rage sufferer fighting, is a considerable part of the film, and is realised with tremendous aplomb, the actual plot is rather good. It has some nice twists and plenty to think about in its obvious comments on the society in which we are living. In less skilled hands this film could have been a bit lame, but with the innovation and visual mastery brought to it by director Danny Boyle this becomes a tremendously well crafted movie. The recent sequel 28 Weeks Later is also superb.

28 Days Later features in our Interactive Haunted House of Horror guide to horror films and scary movies.

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