Like the drone of flies around a fresh corpse, there was quite a bit of buzz around this movie. I was very curious to see what the big deal was - I had heard "next generation of zombie movies" among other things. So I headed off to the theater before it left the big screen in my metropolis of Huntsville, AL. I walked into the theater in the midst of an ad for a Tom Berenger-helmed USA network television show. I don't know why that struck me as odd...Anyway, I found a seat with only one other person in the theater sitting way behind me (whew! he won't have anyone to talk to). I think that's the quietest movie I've ever been to. But I digress...

The movie launches into an intense opener that immediately captures your attention. During this violent first five minutes, a nasty virus is unleashed into the unwitting populace of the world. 28 days later, the real story begins as Jim (heh) wakes up in an abandoned hospital, with no one around for miles. Immediately, you can tell this is a low-budget indie ($8M as I understand it). The film is grainy (ok, I realize it was filmed DV, or digital video for those of you behind the times), the sound is definitely not the crisp Hollywood sound we're all use to, and I don't think any of the actors have ever appeared on the cover of Entertainment Weekly. All of this serves to lend a certain creepiness to the film.

Jim soon meets up with Selena and Mark, a couple of other survivors, then finds Frank and his daughter Hannah holed up in a high-rise. They set off across country looking for others, like them, who managed to dodge the plague, while evading swarms of violent mindless creatures (infected humans who are still alive).

28 Days Later was an enjoyable film to watch. The pacing was very well-done. There are times where the action is intense and you're sitting on the edge of your seat. There are also times where you can sit back and relax and just take it in. In a poor movie, these scenes are boring; in a good movie, they tend to add to the atmosphere and overall feel of the film.

It was also a fascinating character study - particularly for a horror film. The portrayal of a small band survivors when the human race is on the brink of extinction has been attempted before, but I think the writers and directors here bring a certain creativity. Especially showing how sometimes the uninfected humans can be scarier than those who are carrying the plague.

This film is under the horror genre, and although the horror elements are obviously there, to me it watches more like an intense thriller with more suspense than horror - more an edge-of-the-seat kind of film than a hide-under-the-blankets kind of film.

			See it if you like a decent horror film, or just like good low-budget movies. Don't see it if you're expecting Sandra Bullock to be in it, or if you're not into horror films.

© 2003 Jim Manchester