It was followed by a 2007 sequel, 28 Weeks Later, a graphic novel titled 28 Days Later: The Aftermath, which expands on the timeline of the outbreak, and a 2009 comic book series titled 28 Days Later. It was also a financial success, grossing more than $82.7 million worldwide on its modest budget of $8 million and becoming one of the most profitable horror films of 2002. Despite Boyle not considering it a zombie film, 28 Days Later is credited with reinvigorating the zombie genre of horror film, with its fast-running infected and character-driven drama. Many praised Boyle's direction, the performances, Garland's screenplay, atmosphere and soundtrack.
The plot depicts the breakdown of society following the accidental release of a highly contagious virus and focuses upon the struggle of four survivors (Murphy, Harris, Burns and Gleeson) to cope with the destruction of the life they once knew while evading those infected by the virus. After all, if according to the old saying, “order is born from chaos,” it must also be true that chaos is born from order.28 Days Later is a 2002 British post-apocalyptic horror drama film directed by Danny Boyle, written by Alex Garland, and starring Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, Christopher Eccleston, Megan Burns and Brendan Gleeson. However, the circularity of the movie’s plot is most likely to inspire dismay. The possibility of renewal suggested by the survivors’ attempts to start over certainly points toward hope.
In 28 Days Later the film’s characters seek protection with a group of British Army survivors but face abuse and violence at their hands.įinally, whereas 28 Days Later revisits consolidated sci-fi/horror narrative patterns, its political undercurrents and resemblance to the current world order make one wonder whether history will ever stop repeating itself. The Beach‘s pseudo-hippie community abandon one of their number to die in agony in the woods after he’s bitten by a shark, so that his moans do not disturb their peaceful existence. In Trainspotting a group of youngsters causes the death of a baby because they are too stoned to hear her cry. Nonetheless, people’s unpredictable reactions to different sorts of violence are a frequent preoccupation in Boyle’s films. Even though the script was written before 9/11, the analogy between what Boyle calls the “social rage” portrayed in the film and present day social unrest is inevitable-and that certainly adds interest to the movie. One of Boyle’s accomplishments is his mingling of naturalistic technique-stressed by fluid digital camera movement-with highly surreal imagery in which red-eyed creatures attempt to devour the uninfected.
It is hard not to think of the TV images of Ground Zero or of Baghdad devastated by war when watching 28 Days Later‘s scenes of destruction, all shot on DV. Hence it anticipates, and is contemporaneous with, 9/11. In fact the movie began shooting on September 1, 2001. Not to mention the current SARS epidemic. After all, the rage virus seems as uncontrollable as a biological/chemical attack or a suicide bombing.
Nevertheless, the film’s real interest lies in its relationship to contemporary events-or how its plot can fit different political backdrops-and it is tempting to read it in terms of the world’s current state of affairs. In that sense, the film is just one more in a genre that includes Night of the Living Dead, The Thing, Virus-which is not to deny Boyle’s unquestionable talent. The group sleeps amidst debris in deserted buildings, eats canned food gleaned from an abandoned supermarket, fights off the Infected, and worries about having to kill one another in the event that one of them becomes contaminated.Ģ8 Days Later aligns itself with the typical loss-of-individuality plot-once an individual is infected, their humanity gives way to the monstrous. With few exceptions, those who haven’t fled the country after the outbreak are either dead or have become “the infected.” And it is with these survivors-Selena (Naomi Harris), widowed Frank (Brendan Gleeson), and his teenage daughter Hannah (Megan Burns)-that Jim will struggle to stay alive. Finding the hospital abandoned, he walks out and wanders through the empty London streets. The film then cuts to a young man named Jim (Cillian Murphy) waking up from a 28-day coma following a car accident. The epidemic begins with chimps infected with “rage” (as part of research into what we presume is a cure for violent impulses) liberated by animal rights activists. The movie starts with the usual sci-fi tropes: mankind’s experiments go haywire with destructive results.