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28 Days Later28 Days Later is a 2002/2003 post-apocalyptic science fiction movie directed by Danny Boyle and written by Alex Garland. 28 Days Later is set in England at the beginning of the 21st century. Style and inspiration The film is Boyle's re-interpretation of the "Zombie flick" genre, The film was very well received both in England and internationally. - "the power of the film is not that it hasn't been done before, but that it hasn't been done recently."
- Kim Newman, Empire
Similarities in the concept could be drawn to David Cronenberg's horror film Rabid and in storyline to works by George Romero. The film also bears similarity to John Wyndham's novel The Day of the Triffids in several of its story elements, notably in scenes depicting a post-apocalyptic London. The plot device of the military post also bears noticeable resemblances to the warren of the Efrafa in Watership Down. Boyle has written that 28 Days Later is not a science fiction or horror film but rather a drama. Indeed, the film's "zombie moments" are few and far between, and the bulk of the running time is dedicated to character study and building suspense. Of particular note is the character Selena, one of the strongest black female heroes in recent years. We first meet Selena as she saves a life, and her physical strength, cleverness and determination are vital to the film's plot. The film inspired and is somewhat parodied by another British film, Shaun of the Dead. It was also the inspiration for the music video for the song "Blood Red Summer" by the progressive rock band Coheed and Cambria. Tagline: Day 1: Exposure - Day 3: Infection - Day 8: Epidemic - Day 20: Evacuation - Day 28: Devastation Synopsis The film begins with a group of activists storming an animal testing laboratory and releasing the chimpanzees therein. The animals however, were being tested with a virus known as "the rage", making them extremely violent. The virus is highly infectious, and any contact with infected blood will transfer the disease in a matter of seconds. The activists release a monkey, which straight away attacks and infects them. The virus is impossible to contain and inevitably spreads across the entire planet. 28 days later, Jim (Cillian Murphy), a bicycle courier who had been in a coma all this time, wakes up to find his hospital completely empty. Wandering around empty London streets he soon realises that something completely devastating has happened. He unwittingly attracts the attention of some 'infected', and narrowly escapes death when two fellow survivors pick him up. The survivors, Mark (Noah Huntley) and Selena (Naomie Harris}, tell Jim what has happened. Jim insists on trying to make a trip to visit his parents' house. The others reluctantly agree, but on arriving there Jim finds that his parents have committed suicide together. An infected — one of their former neighbors — attacks them, and Selena hacks Mark to death with a machete when she realizes he was himself infected in the attack and about to turn. Jim accepts, however tentatively, that Selena will be more than willing to do the same for him should he be infected. The two of them venture out once again and spy a set of working Christmas lights — an aberration when there is no electricity — in the window of a flat. The building itself has been heavily barricaded from within against infected, and inside they meet Frank (Brendan Gleeson), a cabdriver, and Hannah (Megan Burns), his teenaged daughter. They haven't seen anyone in weeks themselves, and are only too happy to have Jim and Selena as company. A pre-recorded looped radio broadcast reveals an area near Manchester which the military have secured. The four eventually decide to set out for it in Frank's cab and subsequently find a group of soldiers, who take them to a large mansion that has been converted into a military post. Frank is infected when a drop of tainted blood lands in his eye. Jim is about to reluctantly kill Frank when Frank is riddled with bullets, ending his misery. The bullets were fired by the soldiers who have been transmitting the broadcast. Jim, Selena, and Hannah are taken to mansion that has been turned into a base of operations by the small band of soldiers. Their leader is Major Henry West (Christopher Eccleston). The mansion has hot water and a kitchen where food can be prepared — prepared food is a luxury that the trio haven't experienced in a long time. Unfortunately, the soldiers are in their own way just as dangerous as the infected. Selena and Hannah are set up to be sexually enslaved. Jim tries to escape with the women but is captured. He narrowly escapes execution and in a grim series of incidents, he uses the infected as a weapon against the soldier-rapists and helps free the women. In the film's coda (shot on 35mm film, unlike the rest of the film), Jim re-awakens in a country cottage to find Selena and Hannah have managed to attract the attention of a jet pilot from another country (possibly Finland). Their fate, along with the fate of the rest of the country, is left open-ended. Filming details The film features spectacular scenes set in normally bustling parts of London such as Piccadilly Circus, Horse Guards Parade and Oxford Street. To capture these locations looking empty and desolate, the film crew closed off sections of street for a matter of minutes at a time, usually early in the morning, to minimise disruption. The film was shot on Digital Video cameras, which are much smaller and more manoeuvrable than traditional film cameras, on which such brief shoots would have been impractical. The use of digital video also adds a 'documentary' feel to movie, and adds to the realism. The scenes of the M1 motorway completely devoid of traffic were also filmed in limited time slots. In this case, a mobile police roadblock slowed traffic down enough to leave a long section of carriageway empty while the scene was filmed. Public and critical reception The film was a considerable success at the box office and became highly profitable on a budget of about 5 million. In the UK, it took 6 million, while in the US it became a surprise hit, taking over US$30 million despite a limited release at less than 1,500 screens nationwide. Critical views of the film were mixed. On the whole, the reception was positive, with the L.A. Times describing it as a "stylistic tour de force", and efilmcritic.com describing it as "raw, blistering and joyously uncompromising". While most critics were impressed with the technical acheivements of the scenes of a devastated London, some were not taken with the overall effect of the film. Philip French, writing in The Observer, said that the film was "at best clutching at a straw", and was a "gory, depressing affair" http://film.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/Critic_Review/Observer_review/0,4267,824813,00.html. Technical Details External links
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