Review of 28 Days Later (2002) by Ben L — 22 Jan 2015

Considering how much I despise horror movies and zombie movies in particular it's surprising to me that I got some genuine enjoyment out of 28 Days Later. What makes this movie so interesting is the fact that it is very character driven.

While there is a post-apocalyptic zombie element it focuses very heavily on the main characters and how they will survive in the aftermath. It's an interesting journey, and they do a fairly good job of setting up all the rules of the infected.

I wasn't exactly a fan of the overly gory moments, like excessive blood vomiting, but it was actually surprisingly rare in this movie. That was one of the best things, the fact that they kept the attacks to a minimum but left you in constant tension thinking one could come at any moment.

The sound design and musical composition deserve some high praise for adding to the uneasy feel I had in my gut even when the characters seemed safe and surrounded by beautiful scenery. There were definitely some predictable moments but for this type of movie I think 28 Days Later was actually a great, innovative film.

It doesn't hurt that Cillian Murphy is such a charming actor, and he and Naomie Harris had some good chemistry. Because of my aversion to films of this type I'm naturally never going to want to watch it again, but I must admit it did some good things to revolutionize the genre and institute some plot into a movie that could easily be made as mindless as the creatures that fill it.