28 Days Later Review

Written by: Ash's missing hand   

This is  Danny Boyle at  the top of his craft. A solid script,  a top-notch cast, great makeup, fx, and camera work add up to a hell of a ride for fans of the horror genre.

The films centers around an awakening coma patient  named Jim (Cillian Murphy), who discovers an abandoned London, as the movie opens. In a series of great shots he roams Picadilly Circus and crosses Westminster bridge with not another person in sight, learning from newspapers of a virus that turned humanity against itself.  As he wanders London he eventually encounters  Selena and Mark, who have avoided infection and explain the situation.  Selena says the virus has spread to France and America before the news broadcasts ended. If someone is infected you have twnty seconds to kill them before they  go berserk and try to kill and  (possibly) devour you. 

Selena becomes the dominant member of the group enforcing survival over all else. Eventually. they encounter Frank and his daughter Hannah. They are barricaded in a high-rise apartment and use their radio to pick up a broadcast from an army unti near Manchester. After deciding to risk trying to reach a safe zone, they use Frank's taxi to try and reach manchester.  The army unit sets up the third act, which is good, but i feel goes on a bit too long. The officer in charge, Major Henry West, invites them to join his men at a dinner where everyone is so nice the guests start getting suspicious. The conclusion, while well done, is fairly standard.

this is a tough, smart movie where everything depends on the understanding of human nature.