28 Days Later
28 Days Later
28 Days Later -
Overview
Positives
Negatives
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Brief Review
28 Days Later is a film of two halves with the first half drenched in a tense atmosphere of uneasiness setting the scene perfectly. The deserted London is strange to see and definitely adds to the tenseness of it all. However, it all falls apart in the second half with some shocking scenes that really weren't needed. The graphic nature of this part of the film hurts the overall value and leaves it stuck in mediocre limbo.
Full Review
28 Days Later is a British Horror from Danny Boyle released in 2002 focusing on the aftermath of a zombie invasion. It's been four weeks since a deadly virus spread through the blood of the infected has engulfed England. Herein lies the start of our tale with the struggle for survival and the need for refuge and sanctuary taking centre stage.
The story, for the most part, is paced well and features some good tense scenes. The first half of the film in particular is fantastic, really hammering home the feeling of loneliness as the survivors wander around the urban wasteland of London looking for refuge and sanctuary. These scenes are by far the best in the entire film and I just wish the rest of the film was done in this manner. Unfortunately its not.
The second half of the film focuses on the human reaction to the disaster and in particular a small army outpost on the outskirts of Manchester. This is where the film takes an uneasy approach and borders on being inappropriate throughout. Its a different kind of horror but for me it didn't work. Its clear that Danny Boyle was trying to hammer home the message that humans will go to great lengths to continue living but introducing themes of rape and forced sex? I just couldn't get there. It's not that it wouldn't happen because to be honest it might do its just not needed in the film. An internal struggle for power and greed with our main characters caught in the middle would have worked just as well here without the need to bring rape into the foreground.
The other nagging thing is the plot has some poor motive choices. The main one being the whole idea of going to Manchester to seek refuge with a small group of Army soldiers who may or may not be there. To me this train of thought wouldn't cross my mind in that situation. If you're looking to escape surely the Channel Tunnel would be a more appropriate avenue?
Cillian Murphy plays Jim to perfection and we relate to his character as he is as much in the dark as we are after awakening from a coma to find London a zombie-infested wasteland. His character bounces well off other lead Naomie Harris who plays Selena but to be honest they were about the only stand-outs in the acting department. (minus the zombies who are brilliantly recreated here with some excellent costume and make-up work)
28 Days Later is, in my opinion, a groundbreaking film for the horror genre with something new and different to bring to the picture. The only influences found here are from the film 'Day Of The Triffids' but apart from that the whole film grabs the genre by the neck and yanks it in a new direction. This is a character-driven story that focuses on the human reaction to the disaster. Hope, despair, aggression and insanity are all on display here from the various different characters throughout and this range only heightens the story overall.
The theme for the film is by far the most noteworthy piece here and captures the atmosphere perfectly, raising the bar for other horror theme artists. The special effects are few and far between which is good as this helps the believability of the picture and with decent camera and photography work it doesn't even cross your mind.
So overall 28 Days Later could have been a brilliant film, with some good acting and a diverse range of characters portraying different emotions. The first half of the film is worth the price alone as this shows effortlessly how to start a horror film and raise tension and fear without the need for "Boo" moments. The second half, however, is much more human-driven, slowing the pace and featuring some shocking sexual scenes that weren't needed. Apart from a sour second half, this film shows how to start a horror film properly. Worth the money but only for the first half.