"28 Days Later"
Fox Searchlight
Rating: A+-á-á-á-á-á-á-á
"28 Days Later" is absolutely incredible. In a summer of blockbuster thrill rides that are a little over-produced and a little too clean, it is arguably the only true "must-see" of the year thus far.
It's part "Reanimator", part" Lord of the Flies" and part "Heart of Darkness." It is the "Blair Witch Project" without the pretension.
The movie begins with some less-than-intelligent environmental terrorists breaking into a science lab to free tortured chimps. A scientist in the lab pleads with them to stop, explaining that the apes are contagious and "infected with rage." The plot must move forward; of course the apes infect the burglars.
The movie takes us 28 days later where our hero Jim (played by Irish newcomer Cillian Murphy) awakens in an abandoned hospital. He wanders the evacuated streets of London searching for any sign of human life. He comes to learn the hard way that most all of England has been infected by a virus that turns men into rage-filled, flesh-craving zombies called "The Infected."
Jim meets some other survivors and together they journey toward a military base that promises salvation. Along the way they encounter the Infected left and right. There is no "secret" to beating The Infected, such as fire or holy water. Only a good old-fashioned beating does the trick.
The attacks from The Infected are not a part of the plot structure. Rather, they are randomized events that drive our beloved characters deeper and deeper into chaos. Sometimes The Infected come out of the shadows; other times they cross our heroes in broad daylight. This isn't a movie about people running away from monsters. Really, it's about people running toward each other.
Upon reflection, the beauty of the film is that the zombies are but an after-thought in the film's terror scheme. We fear not who The Infected will slaughter next, but rather what the characters' next desperate move will be. Very early on it is made clear to us that no unthinkable act of the darkest human nature is off limits. Believe me, it gets dark.
Director Danny Boyle ("The Beach," "Trainspotting") shot his movie on video. The "this-is-really-happening" look suits the films' themes well. The cinematography in the first half of the film treats us to expansive, panoramic views and gritty extreme close-ups, with very little in between. One minute we marvel at the beautiful things man has created; the very next second we fear all those things are doomed to be lost forever.
Unlike the abhorred rash of teen horror flicks in recent years, this movie takes time to allow us to get to know the characters. Their relationships are not contrived. Everyone in this movie can be identified with. Like most films Fox Searchlight has distributed, the movie never second guesses the intelligence of its audience.
Watching "28 Days Later" is like watching a labor of love. The people who made this film clearly cared deeply about it. Everything in it is done with intention and intelligence.
Best of all, this film leaves us with hope. Filmmakers wishing to delve into the darkest corners of humanity usually leave us with a bitter, satirical anti-denouement. The makers of this film chose not to resent our humanity, but to cherish it. Encore, I say.
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