28 Days Later (2002) - Review

28 Days Later (2002). Starring Cillian Murphy, Brendan Gleeson and Megan Burns

Three stars.

Originally published on Thursday, October 9, 2014.

SPOILERS

This film is one that some dispute arises over in regards to its place as a zombie film. Considering the impact it's had on the sub-genre ever since (including the obvious rip-off in Dawn '04), I think it's now safe to say that this is a zombie movie. Even despite the fact that the people are still believed to be alive.

For those who've not seen it, I'll sum it up like this: a guy named Jim (Murphy) has been in a coma for a month (hence the title). Unbeknownst to him, some really awesome animal rights activists freed a bunch of test critters from a lab in London. The problem is that one was a chimpanzee that carried a virus developed for biological warfare. As a result, the entire island of Britain has been ravaged by people turning into maniacs with bloodshot eyes and superhuman powers. This includes their ability to run faster than when they were healthy.

And that's the one truly thing that bothers me about this film. Just exactly how many viruses give people superhuman abilities? I mean, zombies being dead people who have come back to life have the same fallacies, I understand that. But at least the Romero zombies appear to have severe restraint as a result of having been reanimated. And this certainly wouldn't be much different with a flesh eating virus.

That aside, the movie starts out exceeding expectations and takes off from their. Jim attempts to wander the city, fighting off infected persons coming from everywhere. Along the way, he hooks up with a girl named Selena (Naomi Harris), a former cab drive named Frank (Gleeson) and his daughter Hannah (Burns). I love seeing Gleeson pop up in these roles and he's easily the most sympathetic character in this film. I would love to see a director put him in one good lead role, something Oscar worthy perhaps.

The four embark on an road trip out of the city to find other survivors. Along the way, Frank is infected and killed by a paramilitary group before he can attack the others. At first, the soldiers take Jim, Selena and Hannah for what appears to be benevolent purposes. The suspense begins to build when Jim discovers the designs the soldiers have for the female members of the group.

It took me a long time to warm up to this film. I actually hated it until I watched again a couple of months ago, the first time I had watched it since it came out on video. Followed by a sequel.