Written by: Alex Garland
Starring: Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, Christopher Eccleston, Megan Burns, Brendan Gleeson
Rating: [3.5/5]
Movies centered on zombies have continually evolved over time, as the general fear these creatures provide makes for timeless storytelling. They play into fears stemming from medical outbreaks and isolation, and most importantly, they all typically lean on the biggest concern emanating not from the monsters but rather other humans. Despite this universality, 28 Days Later changed the game in several ways, both narratively and stylistically, that allow it to remain a staple of this horror subgenre.
Following an infection spreading like wildfire in the UK that turns humans into raging monsters, Jim (Cillian Murphy) awakes from a coma and finds an empty London. As he deduces that something horrific has occurred, he learns through other survivors what has happened, and they all work to survive this terrifying new reality.
The quickness into which the UK descended into complete chaos following the release of this virus indicates just how quickly this thing can spread amongst individuals. As the title of the film indicates, this all happened in 28 days, where only a few survivors remain, and they try to make it by each day without raising attention from the infected. These infected operate differently than how zombies were portrayed in the past, where instead of the undead slowly but surely making their way towards you, these infected are all-out sprinters. The last thing you want to do is catch their attention as they relentlessly bolt in your directions, which unlocks a whole new level of fear with these zombies. Before, the concern mostly lied in the swarm surrounding you, but now just one could make life quite difficult. This is one of several ways Danny Boyle and Alex Garland shift this entire subgenre.
Another comes from the editing style on display. The quickly paced editing utilized throughout this film, especially when highlighting a pursuit of the infected, stands out and remains unique even to this day. It goes hand-in-hand with the general filmmaking on hand, where all of this feels intentionally rough around the edges. Utilizing a lens that makes much of the film look somewhat grainy, this film has such a uniqueness in how it seeks to present this story to the audience. Moments that need to be fast-paced move at a break-neck speed, but then they slow down when necessary. A worthy approach and one that continued to allow it to stand out amongst the deluge of zombie movies that have followed it. Others may try to imitate, but none other have been able to capture the grunginess of this movie along with the quality attached to it.
As much as this film is seen as a zombie movie, and rightfully so, it mostly works as a drama with thriller components to it with the infected sprinkled in. Like in many productions within this subgenre, fellow humans prove to be worse than the monsters most of the time, and this one is no exception. While Jim meets some upstanding individuals who seek to help him out as he begins to collect his bearings, we see later in the film a group who utilize the situation and the general desparateness of individuals for their own gain. A level of selfishness that has never fully evaded humanity, but it’s something they deem as necessary while everyone else, including the audience, will disagree. For certain stretches throughout the film, it’s easy to forget this film centers on the infected, as large segments focus on the human drama, and it works to its benefit as it makes the presence of the zombies all the more terrifying in the impact they have in the screentime they receive.
Iconic for a reason, 28 Days Later leaves its mark as a film that completely changed the game in the zombie genre. Through the directorial work by Danny Boyle and the editing by Chris Gill we get a film that looks like nothing else. All components come together fairly well as Cillian Murphy makes one of his first big splashes as an actor and does well to carry the emotional fortitude of this film. He helps display the growth in his portrayal of the lead character as he goes from a helpless survivor to someone not to mess with. Overall, a very respectable movie that has earned its place in the pantheon of its subgenre.
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