28 Days Later

February 06, 2007

12. 28 Days Later... (2002) starring Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, and Christopher Eccleston was directed by Trainspotting’s Danny Boyle. This is an incredibly scary movie to watch… because this movie could actually happen.

Jim, Cillian Murphy, wakes up on a hospital operating table and finds no one operating on him or in the room with him. Jim then gets up and walks outside to find the hospital empty. The city of London is also empty. It turns out there was a plague and Jim slept through the whole thing. Now alone Jim goes to church and finds some people but they are infected. Infected with what? Rage!

Danny Boyle has reinvented the Zombie film. Now in his film, Zombies are not staggering decomposing bodies, they are rage filled deranged murderous people with no intellect or reasoning. Boyle places his hero completely naked in a city filled with these creatures. Now the brilliance of Boyle’s film is that he makes it a disease. Not a passing comet or some unknown reason. He gives us something we all fear and all know to be real.

Now through the course of the movie or hero Jim finds other survivors. This causes changes in Jim. One of these survivors is Frank, played by Brendan Gleeson, a loving father and cautious man who has taken great measures to protect his daughter and survive in the wasteland of London. But even Frank knows he will need help from Jim to survive. Jim sees this man as his new father and Jim takes on characteristics of Frank and cares for Frank’s daughter, Hanna, as his sister. This change is not noticeable at first but it parallels Jim’s second father figure in the movie played by Christopher Eccleston. Eccleston plays Major West, a man who has several “children” of his own; children being young soldiers in the British Army. Now where Frank was caring and giving Major West … well let’s say (without spoiling anything) is different. Mayor West doesn’t need Jim, he needs what he has. Jim has to become like Major West to protect what he holds most precious.

This is a powerful, scary film. One that makes you think what is important, what is worth fighting for, and what is worth dying for.


Click here to read the staff review by Mania.