Review of 28 Days Later (2002) by Matthew H — 11 May 2014

Scary, disturbing, sad and at times even darkly comedic. These are just some of the words that describe Danny Boyle's modern horror classic, that's also possibly the best zombie film ever made. My reason for thinking this is because it doesn't focus on the 'zombies', or even the situation the characters are in, but the characters themselves. It gives, in my eyes, a very accurate and honest view of what would happen to humanity in a post apocalyptic world, and raises some interesting philosophical points that aren't really explored in any other film of this type, but really should be. That's not to say its perfect, it has some silly character choices and absurd conveniences, accompanied by some terrible acting by a certain young actress. The cinematography isn't particularly great either in my opinion, but I'm willing to look past all of this and focus on the well written characters and brilliant study of humanity. It is also the best zombie interpretation in a film, although its not zombies in their classic sense, they're a lot more human than any others I've seen which makes them a hell of a lot scarier. Another thing that has to be admired about this is how it was made. I mean, I don't think clearing some of the busiest places in London was an easy task, as well as whole motorways, and it was all just for a few short but brilliant shots. Even if you don't like the film, you've just got to admire that.

This film definitely earns its title as a modern horror classic, and is up there with the best British horror I've seen to date.