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.