’28 Days’ will reach fright fans
Here are four words that will delight fright-film fans who have been anxiously anticipating the arrival of a genuinely unnerving work that chills the blood and excites the senses: The wait is over. With “28 Days Later,” talented British filmmaker Danny Boyle, whose credits include involving works such as “Shallow Grave,” “Trainspotting” and “The Beach,” takes a stark no-frills approach to deliver a frighteningly believable tale about endangered survivors of a deadly “rage” virus. That infection turns the living into ravenous zombies with the ability to move at lightning fast speeds in their quest for fresh blood, and the few humans left must employ any means necessary to remain among the living.
The plot to the R-rated picture sounds simplistic, but Boyle elevates the material by weaving numerous ideas through the narrative. The director is especially keen at drawing a parallel between modern-world rageaholic behavior revolving around deadly incidents on the road and suggesting that such totally unnecessary violence is in its own way a social infection damaging the fabric of our lives. “28 Days Later” contains some themes involving contagious illnesses such as AIDS and SARS and also offers a scathing cautionary message about the dangers of allowing military leaders to assume too much power, something that results in an unsettling subtext about what really poses the most danger to mankind.
Certainly, viewers can enjoy “28 Days Later” as a grisly fright tale with plenty of startling scare tactics and stunning action sequences, but there’s much more going on just under the surface. Boyle, who filmed the picture on high-definition video for just $5 million, layers the work, allowing viewers to strip away elements and discover themes worth discussing and contemplating. As the tale begins, some misguided animal activists break into a lab to liberate monkeys involved in experiments involving violent imagery that causes them to become “infected” with rage. The animals immediately attack and kill those who came to help them, and soon the highly contagious primate-based rage virus spreads through contact with blood to the unsuspecting residents of London and beyond.
Just 28 days after the incident, Jim (Irish actor Cillian Murphy of “Sunburn”), who had been in a coma, wakes up in a deserted hospital and walks on London’s deserted streets. Initially, Jim believes he’s lost in a dream, one that becomes a nightmare when a couple of fellow survivors (including scene-stealing Naomie Harris of “Crust”) explain the situation in England, which is virtually deserted except for a handful of non-infected humans and some soldiers in an encampment outside the city.
According to Boyle, much of “28 Days Later” was inspired by George Romero’s zombie trilogy, “Night of the Living Dead,” “Dawn of the Dead” and “Day of the Dead.” The British filmmaker, who attracted talents such as Brendan Gleeson (“Gangs of New York”) and Christopher Eccleston (“The Others”) for supporting roles, triumphs as he dusts off the zombie genre and takes it to a new level.
With “28 Days Later,” Boyle and his creative team (including screenwriter Alex Garland, author of “The Beach”) prove there’s still plenty of life in the undead and give fright-film fans a reason to celebrate a powerful work that abounds with rich ideas, dark moods and disturbing images.
FILM REVIEW
“28 Days Later”
Grade: B+
Starring: Cillian Murphy, Christopher Eccleston and Brendan Gleeson; written by Alex Garland; produced by Andrew MacDonald; directed by Danny Boyle.
Running Time: 108 minutes.
Parental Guide: R rating (grisly violence, nudity, sexual elements, harsh four-letter profanity, drug use).