28 Days Later

Rating:

Be One Of The Infected

Main Cast: Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, Brendan Gleeson, Megan Burns

Director: Danny Boyle

This is a tightly controlled, intense horror/thriller set in England that focuses on a small group of people trying to live in a suddenly chaotic world.

28 Days Later begins inside a laboratory, where other primates are tested upon. A group of animal rights activists break in at night and, through a series of misadventures, set off some type of plague or disease. Using those who wished to do no harm to set off the entire horrible chain of events was a twist that I particularly enjoyed.

We then focus on a man, Jim (Murphy), who wakes up in a hospital bed. He finds the place empty, as well as the streets, in an eerie montage that shows off most of the famous sites of London. He finally finds other survivors and learns of the plague that has swept across the world and turned people into the “infected”, brute animals that only wish to kill and feed.

Jim and Selena (Harris) then begin their journey across London, meeting up with Frank (Gleeson) and his daughter Hannah (Burns). They all decide to try to hook up with a group who may have the cure to the disease, if their radio broadcast can be believed. More I shall not reveal, as we follow their journey across England and their encounters with the infected and non-infected alike.

28 Days Later is a small, controlled look at four well-developed characters. The infected do their part in keeping the action going, but mostly we feel for these characters and try to place ourselves in their situation. The movie is very well acted and does not have the slick, Hollywood-style editing of major horror films, and that is what I enjoyed most. It is somehow more real, more intense and focused on the here and now.

This is definitely a very good take on the genre, not gore-splattered but very intense, especially at the end. But it holds together, and I can definitely recommend 28 Days Later for an enjoyable viewing. Go get infected.