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Zombie rage
28 Days Later frighteningly scary
By LIZ BRAUN -- Toronto Sun
In 28 Days Later, animal-rights activists free some chimps that have been infected with a deadly virus. The virus is a psychological item that infects within seconds and puts its victims into a permanent state of murderous rage. Victims make furious sounds and also tend to spew blood and look like zombies, so it's a gross and noisy sort of situation.
Then, 28 days later, a young man wakes up in hospital where he has been lying in a coma. He walks outside to discover that his city -- London, England -- appears deserted. He knows nothing of the apocalyptic events unleashed by the virus and he wanders around the apparently empty streets. Our hero, Jim, is a bike courier (Cillian Murphy) who will soon encounter a few survivors and a lot of "infected" ghouls.
Just which of those groups is the more dangerous is one of the themes 28 Days Later examines.
As the story unfolds, Jim meets a man and a woman (Noah Huntley and Naomie Harris) who teach him how to survive, as well as a father and daughter team (Brendan Gleeson and Megan Burns) who give him hope. Only when this lot goes to a group of soldiers for protection does it become apparent that 28 Days Later is also a story about war.
28 Days Later is brisk, smart and often truly frightening. The film was shot in digital video -- which gives an appropriate edge and seamy look -- and a certain urgency colours everything in the movie. An unusual and intelligent story is the real draw here, but the performances are likewise better than the norm.
You could look at 28 Days Later as science fiction, as a type of creature feature or even as a particularly dark coming-of-age story -- Jim is a laid-back bike courier at the start and a warrior by the end. Whichever view you take, the film presents plenty of interesting notions about contemporary life and does so with the same energy that the filmmakers put forward on Trainspotting, Shallow Grave and Alien Love Triangle
28 Days Later frighteningly scary
By LIZ BRAUN -- Toronto Sun
In 28 Days Later, animal-rights activists free some chimps that have been infected with a deadly virus. The virus is a psychological item that infects within seconds and puts its victims into a permanent state of murderous rage. Victims make furious sounds and also tend to spew blood and look like zombies, so it's a gross and noisy sort of situation.
Then, 28 days later, a young man wakes up in hospital where he has been lying in a coma. He walks outside to discover that his city -- London, England -- appears deserted. He knows nothing of the apocalyptic events unleashed by the virus and he wanders around the apparently empty streets. Our hero, Jim, is a bike courier (Cillian Murphy) who will soon encounter a few survivors and a lot of "infected" ghouls.
Just which of those groups is the more dangerous is one of the themes 28 Days Later examines.
As the story unfolds, Jim meets a man and a woman (Noah Huntley and Naomie Harris) who teach him how to survive, as well as a father and daughter team (Brendan Gleeson and Megan Burns) who give him hope. Only when this lot goes to a group of soldiers for protection does it become apparent that 28 Days Later is also a story about war.
28 Days Later is brisk, smart and often truly frightening. The film was shot in digital video -- which gives an appropriate edge and seamy look -- and a certain urgency colours everything in the movie. An unusual and intelligent story is the real draw here, but the performances are likewise better than the norm.
You could look at 28 Days Later as science fiction, as a type of creature feature or even as a particularly dark coming-of-age story -- Jim is a laid-back bike courier at the start and a warrior by the end. Whichever view you take, the film presents plenty of interesting notions about contemporary life and does so with the same energy that the filmmakers put forward on Trainspotting, Shallow Grave and Alien Love Triangle
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