Yeah, I know it ain’t a recent release, but I just watched it on DVD and I need to post about something, so here it is.
Well done, visually astonishing suspense/thriller/horror movie. Very well paced and acted, which is saying something for what is essentially a zombie movie. But really, it’s much more than that, since it uses as its starting point a very realistic scenario (guerrilla animal rights activists releasing infected chimps at a research center) and maintains a level of modern-day veracity throughout. The blood and guts are not used for the sake of titillation alone. As I recall (and without doing any background research since I want to keep this visceral and off the cuff) this movie was made on a relatively small budget, so it’s one of those gems that managed to rise above the dreck that so often comes out of the major studios/production companies.
The DVD includes deleted scenes and no less than three alternate endings, all with commentary from director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland (who also provide commentary on the finished film, which I didn’t listen to). There’s also a “making of” featurette that I turned off after 5 minutes since it got way too much into the reality of infectious diseases and the threat they pose to the human race, which is far too depressing to get into after being entertained and frightened by an excellent movie.
Standout moments/scenes for me:
- The shots of deserted London are absolutely amazing. I know from watching the deleted scenes with Boyle & Garland’s commentary that some of that was done with CG in post production, but there was also the very British “thank you” at the tail end of the end credits to the “traffic marshalls for holding back London” or something to that effect. Overall, these shots immeasurably add to the desolation Jim wakes up to, and set a powerful tone for the rest of the film.
- Jim’s transformation during his escape from the execution and eventual return to the house is powerfully and convincingly portrayed by Cillian Murphy. I really felt and believed the adrenaline pumping through his veins fueling his desire for revenge, subsiding only when he was reunited with Naomie Harris‘s Selena.
- Jim’s survival at the end seemed to me like a very “Hollywood” ending that might have been different than what Boyle and/or Garland initially conceived. Indeed, when I watched the alternate endings, this suspicion was confirmed: in all the alternate endings, including the one originally shown to test audiences, Jim dies. Audiences, it seems, wouldn’t have it that way, so we had the theatrical release with the sort of “happily ever after” ending.
28 Days Later is highly recommended for both its entertainment and filmmaking qualities. Not for the squeamish. Excellent score. What other non-sequiturs can I put in here? ‘Nuff said. If you haven’t seen it yet, go rent and watch it.
The Wikipedia article is a good source of background information, too, with all sorts of goodies like the methods used to capture those shots of London without any people or vehicles.