The Popkorn Junkie :: 28 Days Later

This is one of the most flawless horror films I have ever seen, and the overall best horror film since "Jeepers Creepers". I walked into the theatre expecting to see a somewhat typical zombie flick, with that ever present Danny Boyle twist, but was instead delivered a suspenseful, taut, horrifying, and absolutely brilliant zombie film that takes paranoia and distrust to a whole new level. Danny Boyle has crafted a masterful work of cinema and has cemented his place in the horror genre forever.

The plot is typical. A virus is unleashed from a British research facility that causes the infected to become afflicted with a super desire to kill and inflict harm, turning them into mindless, blood thirsty zombies. The virus spreads quickly and twenty-eight days later, almost all of the world is obliterated, except for a small group of survivors in London, who desperately try to survive. The biggest threat, of course, comes from within, as paranoia and distrust build between them. The central character is Jim (Cillian Murphy), and he delivers an eerie and complicated performance in a role that could have just as easily been played tongue and cheek.

What makes this film so truly terrifying is that it takes aspects from Stephen King's epic "The Stand" and skillfully blends it with films like "Day of the Dead" and "Demons". This film reminded me of just what you would expect to see from director Dario Argento. This is just as masterful as anything he ever did, including the classic "Suspiria". Danny Boyle uses the camera to tell the tale and captures some beautiful, yet unnerving shots throughout the film, filling the gaps in with make-up effects and, you guessed it, zombies. I remember how I raved about "Resident Evil" for trying to revive the zombie movie genre. Well, Danny Boyle has not only revived it, but taken it all the way to the top.

I expect this film to do monstrously well at the box office, thanks to an outstanding trailer (that, thank God, does not reveal the entire film), and some excellent critical reviews -- this is one of the most critically acclaimed horror movies to come around in recent memory. Some of you are probably thinking -- "Hmmm, how good is it compared to "The Ring" "? My answer -- it is better. "The Ring" was outstanding and all, but not horror throughout. Sure, there is drama and humor mixed in with this film also, but you will note the difference upon seeing the film. The shot of a deserted London is one of the most breathtaking shots ever captured on film.

I thoroughly recommend this film to any human being on the face of the planet, and especially those of you who share a passion for the horror genre. It has always been my favorite and will continue to be as long as talented directors keep churning our these marvelous pictures. Many people say horror is a dying genre, but they must not be going to the theatres too often, or they would see the opposite. "28 Days Later" is one of the best horror films of the last ten years and one of the best films of 2003. This film opens June 27 in 1,500 theatres and I recommend you go to great lengths to find it.

-- Billy Ray ( 4 out of 4 pops )

Talk about this film with other Popkorn Junkies

Other Junkie's opinions.....

James ( 2 out of 4 pops )

What's the big deal with this movie? It's made out to be some big scary movie but it is hardly scary at all. It just has a lot of gore and violence. I didn't like it. Lemme count the ways: 1) It was grainy, like it came out of my Sony handycam. 2) Whatever happened to that thing called plot? this movie didn't really have a plot, besides the epidemic one. There's a lot of questions left unanswered. 3) It's f@#$ing grainy!!! And consider yourself warned (wish I was warned), there's full frontal male nudity. And I'm not talking about no quick shot of it, it's like right there, in the middle of the screen. Not to be uptight, hey the human body is a great thing, but is that really necessary? Why weren't any of the females given a full frontal shot? Women will never be equal in the entertainment industry. (sarcasm)

Mike ( 3 1/2 out of 4 pops )

I ended up liking this movie a lot more than I thought I would. It was a genuine creepy modern take on the old zombie films, yet the story was fresh and original. There were many scary (but more creepy) scenes, especially the part where a flat tire had to be changed in a tunnel. I especially liked the photography technique used during all the action attack scenes. These scenes had a similar look and feel to them like the battle scenes in "Saving Private Ryan". And by doing this, it made these creepy and bloody scenes even more scarier. The acting was very good in this movie and all the characters were believable and interesting. A big plus for this film was that it was much more character based than action oriented. I even liked the gritty look of the film which I believe added a more surreal feel to this post-apocalypse story. The film was actually much less gory than I was led to believe, much of this was due to the way the bloody scenes were filmed. This movie is part road story, part science fiction and part horror... and the blend turns out to be one fine film to see.

Matt ( 3 out of 4 pops )

I'm quite a fan of scary movies, but rarely do I watch one that actually "scares" me. This one really sent chills down my spine! I was so glad when I found out this movie was playing at my local theater, which plays mainly commercial movies. I loved "Trainspotting," so I'm curious to see any movie directed by Danny Boyle. I was even more impressed when I found out afterwards that the film was made on a low budget and shot entirely on digital video. The low budget sure as hell doesn't show! OK, so the picture quality is a little grainy, but when you're really into a movie (like I was in this case) things like that don't matter. There's lots of blood and gore (hence the chills down my spine), but it has two other things horror movies don't always have: a good story and character development. The film gets off to a moderately slow start (with way too many shots establishing that England got wiped out), but as it goes on, the tension and excitement builds up to quite an extreme. Thankfully, I didn't check out the cast list before watching the film, so I was so excited to see the great Irish actor Brendan Gleeson appear on screen. He's most famous for his role in the hit Irish comedy "I Went Down," (if anybody hasn't seen it, please check it out!) and is one of my favorite actors outside the U.S. Despite tons of blood and guts, the film never avoids plot development, so some horror fans might be disappointed by the quiet scenes in between the extreme violence. But I loved the premise, as it's very original, so I didn't simply find myself waiting to see how each character gets killed, like in the case of the Jason flicks. If there's one final (minor) criticism I have to make, it's that the death scenes are so fast-paced that it's sometimes hard to keep track of the action.