28 Days Later…
IMDB Rating: 7.30, 44477 votes
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Taglines
- Be Thankful For Everything, For Soon There Will Be Nothing...
- Day 1: Exposure - Day 3: Infection - Day 8: Epidemic - Day 15: Evacuation - Day 20: Devastation
- His fear began when he woke up alone. His terror began when he realised he wasn't.
- The Days Are Numbered
Storyline
A powerful virus escapes from a British research facility. Transmitted in a drop of blood and devastating within seconds, the virus locks those infected into a permanent state of murderous rage. Within 28 days the country is overwhelmed and a handful of survivors begin their attempts to salvage a future, little realising that the deadly virus is not the only thing that threatens them.
Actors
| Activist | Bindu De Stoppani |
| Activist | Alex Palmer |
| Activist | Jukka Hiltunen |
| Scientist | David Schneider |
| Jim | Cillian Murphy |
| Infected Priest | Toby Sedgwick |
| Selena | Naomie Harris |
| Mark | Noah Huntley |
| Jim's Father | Christopher Dunne |
| Jim's Mother | Emma Hitching |
| Mr. Bridges | Alexander Delamere |
| Mr. Bridges' Daughter | Kim McGarrity |
| Frank | Brendan Gleeson |
| Hannah | Megan Burns |
| Infected Kid | Justin Hackney |
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Posted in: 2002, High IMDB rating, Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Tagged: accident victim, alcohol, allegory, animal attack, animal research, animal rights, apartment building, apocalyptic, army, attempted rape, baseball bat, beaten to death, betrayal, bicycle courier, bicycle messenger, big ben, blood, blood vomiting, british army, bullet wound, cab, cab driver, car accident, car crash, chain, child driving car, child murder, chimpanzee, church, church of england, coma, coming out of a coma, contamination suit, corpse, credit card, dead parents, death, despair, disease, dismemberment, disturbing, dream sequence, dress, end of the world, epidemic, escape, exploding body, exploding car, exploding gas station, explosion, eye gouging, fantasy sequence, father daughter relationship, fire, flat tire, food, forest, fortress, gas siphoning, gas station, gasoline, ghost town, gore, graffiti, grocery store, gun, horse, hospital, impalement, infection, insanity, interracial relationship, interracial romance, isolation, laboratory, lake, landmine, london, london england, london eye, loss of father, loss of parents, machete, machine gun, major, male frontal nudity, manchester england, mansion, military, military officer, mirror, murder, nudity, number in title, paranoia, person on fire, picnic, plague, plundering, post apocalyptic, product placement, profanity, radio broadcast, rage, rat, riot, roadblock, rooftop, ruin, safe house, scientist, sergeant, severed arm, sewing, sexual assault, shot in the back, shot in the head, shot in the stomach, shot to death, single father, soft drink, soldier, stairwell, starvation, suicide, supermarket, survival, survivor, tanker, taxi, taxi driver, taxicab, teenage boy, teenage girl, thunderstorm, tire iron, tunnel, valium, virus, vomiting, widower, windmill, zombie
21 Comments
Sci fi zombie flick…pretty good
Not too scary - but f*#&ed up!
I was rather surprised. Liked it a lot.
well done.
doesn’t concentrate on the mucky stuff, but rather on the human story of the survivors.
however the mucky stuff in there is well unsettling.
Too many shots of one man’s package. But the alternate ending was….
Aside from having to endure bearing witness to one man’s frankfurter for an extended period (apparently patients in Great Britain aren’t allowed to even wear gowns) I was pleasantly surprised by this picture.
As noted, it is just a thinly veiled "zombie" movie but given more credibility so as to appeal to a wider audience. A movie about zombies will attract the sci-fi fanboys. A movie about a disease outbreak has a larger appeal.
Despite some really far fetched sequences that involve logic being completely thrown out of the window, the movie overall does a fine job of portraying a group of survivors and the emotional rollercoaster they experience.
—-
Ok, so this is actually an edit on my review. I thought I’d add a bit more regarding the "alternate ending" that is being touted in commercials.
I’m going to spoil it for you so if you don’t want it spoiled and REALLY need to see it for yourself then dont’ read any farther down. Really though, there’s no point. I’m serious. Really.
ready?
They drive off. They go to a hospital. Cue drama. He dies without a word. They leave. The End. Much of the brief clips you see in the regular ending are part of the hospital scene. I told you. It’s not worth seeing again unless you want to see it again.
would be better with alternate ending
The director’s decision to NOT go with the alternate (or original) ending is a HUGE mistake and compromises the integrity of the film. The first hour does a pretty good job in building suspense and character interest, but once the soldiers enter the picture the film LOSES FOCUS BIG TIME. Yes, the microcosmic "disease" that the soldiers have is interesting (although somewhat predictable), but why let it become the focus of the film?! And let me say again, HOW I HATE THE ENDING! I won’t specifically give it away, but it ruins the entire premise of the movie! DEUS EX MACHINA anyone? what a disappointment.
Not too bad…
Enjoyed this one. Nice to see a film with a unique style of it’s own.
I agree, prob should have gone with the alternate ending, but this does not lessen my opinion of the film.
lots of blood with a disturbing twist
the apocalyptic zombie premise isnt new, but the acting is good and the cinematography is used effectively enough to scare the CK off your pants. it has its moments of cheese, but the blood fest makes up for it. the plot twist near the end wont exactly knock you out of your seat, but its disturbing nonetheless. and dont even tell me that the lead guy doesnt look like a British Dolph Lundgren.
Night of the Living…Something-Or-Others
28 Days Later… is not a very accessible movie. In fact, I would say it’s pretty inaccessible. Perhaps it’s director Danny Boyle’s repeated stuffy remarks that, no, this is not a zombie movie. Then what are they, Danny? Please explain this to me. Because I’ve seen quite a few zombie movies, and boy, do your something-or-others look like souped-up versions of Romero’s undead. It’s not like The Evil Dead where we’re given an un-zombie explanation…the plot is so waferthin you could break it in half with your pinky. And sometimes those involved do it for you.
I mean, sure, infected monkeys…but, uh, they infect their victims with rage? So, let me get this straight, this is a movie about London being overcome by Englanders with rabies? If so, this would be a great comedy…if it didn’t take itself so seriously, without an ounce of wit.
When it does pay homage to famous zombie flicks (zombies?! Blasphemy!), we are more than reminded that, yep, we’ve seen this before. Still, there’s something to be said for Boyle’s bleak style and ultraviolent bouts of brutality. It does succeed at being disturbing at times, but eventually it overcomplicates itself and dwindles away into a jaw-droppingly lame ending.
Looks good, doesn’t make a lick of sense. Rent it on a rainy day…if you’re adventurous.
The Walking Dead, Well-BOYLE-D
Fans of Danny Boyle would expect nothing less than an extreme take on the zombie genre, and the news in that respect is VERY good. Having expanded well beyond the boundaries of the darkness where human nature can take us in both SHALLOW GRAVE and TRAINSPOTTING, the exploration of IN-human nature was the next logical stop. Hence 28 DAYS LATER.
As it has been mentioned before, it ends pretty much on a whimper, compared to the opening BANG. The documentary-style cinematography gives it an unsettlingly realistic air, and the acting is better than you would usually find in a film from this genre, especially Cillian Murphy, with whom we sympathize immediately. (Take a good look, folks–this man goes from zero to evil in sixty seconds now, in BATMAN BEGINS and the upcoming RED EYE, so don’t get used to him playing the average Joe.)
If you’re not too acquainted with the modern-day zombie tale, be warned: this is not your father’s NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD. The level of gore on display here is not for anyone who has avoided movies like NATURAL BORN KILLERS or HALLOWEEN (which is completely tame by comparison).
For horror or post-apocalypse movie lovers, put this on your calendar. It would also make a great double-feature with the like-minded, and definitely less serious SHAUN OF THE DEAD.
Somewhat Amusing But Never Anything More
There’s something to be said for a movie that features Sandra Bullock, Steve Buscemi, Viggo Mortensen, Diane Ladd, and Alan Tudyk all together at once. And that something is:
"Uh…better luck next time!"
For 28 Days has an exceptional cast stuck in the msot mediocre, humdrum sort of story…the sort of overcoming addiction movie that attempts to be both an edgy drama and a crowd-pleasing comedy at the same time. So, it comes as little surprise to say that 28 Days does not succeed for the most part.
I don’t know if I’d say that it’s a bad movie, just not a good one…also, it’s one that’s instantly forgettable.
Not very good
I wouldn’t waste my time. I was a little dissapointed in Sandra Bullock’s choice of role. I thought the movie was a huge step back for her. I would not reccommend this film.
Not a world-beater…but good story of courage none the less
Kinda dull, but four points just for starring Sandra Bullock.
Can you tell I have the hots for Ms. Bullock? Oh yeah, she’s cute.
It’s funny in spots, and I like that Mortensen guy. In other spots it’s just kinda there. So, a five.
Exploring addiction will provide an interesting film, but it ain’t 28 Days
Sandra Bullock is the professed queen of Spring films. So, with the release of 28 Days, there was no doubt that it would take the top spot at the Box Office during its opening day weekend. But ever since Speed, Bullock hasn’t starred in many GOOD Spring films.
28 Days had the potential to be a REALLY good film. The cast was an interesting mix, but after seeing 28 Days, they are utilized to fill stereotypical roles to satisfy every possible viewer. The only two cast members who shine are Dominic West (plays Jasper, center picture above) and Azura Skye (right picture, plays Andrea). Bullock is cute, but cuteness isn’t really a necessary trait in a film about drug rehabilitation.
West plays Gwen’s (Sandra Bullock) boyfriend. Bullock is really good when she is rollicking on drugs and alcohol, but once she hits rehab, 28 Days turns into a comedy instead of facing the real hardships of adrug addiction. West poses as the adversary to Gwen’s rehab, as he still thinks the lively life is the drug life. Skye plays one of Gwen’s fellow rehabbers, and she still has a drug fix. The irony is that in a drug film, West and Skye play the only characters with depth that actually confront their problems. They succomb to these problems, but some real addicts do as well. 28 Days’s director, Betty Thomas, wants us to think that everyone comes out of rehab hunky-dory.
Bullock goes from a believable addict to a sarcastic rehabber who supposedly makes progress for lifting up a horse’s leg. None of the characters make progress because there is none to be had. They have no depth, and I really didn’t care what happened to any of the characters, besides Lily and Jasper. Unfortunately, Thomas dooms them to misery because they supposedly represent the "drama" and "seriousness" of drug addiction. Then, of course, the neurotic gay character makes another joke about how he misunderstood yet another rumor.
28 Days is so pathetic because it portrays itself as taking drug addiction seriously, then makes a mockery of it by rarely acknowledging the cause at all.
Good job by Sandra Bullock…
Decent movie.. depressing topic.
Provides some decent Spring entertainment, although potential was missed.
<I>28 Days</I>, starring Sandra Bullock, Viggo Mortensen, Dominic West, Diane Ladd, Elizabeth Perkings, Steve Buscemi, Alan Tudyk, Mike O’Malley, Azura Skye, Reni Santoni, Marianne Jean-Baptiste and Margo Martindale. Directed by Betty Thomas. Written by Susannah Grant. 2000.<P>
Reviewed by John Carroll.<P>
Will Smith has always been known as Mr. July 4th. That is, until <I>Wild Wild West</I> failed to continue Smith’s wild success on the Independence Weekend. An equal analogy of Smith’s usual success is Sandra Bullock’s success during the spring. <I>Forces of Nature</I>, although critically lambasted, managed to rake in $13.5 million and the top spot at the box office when it opened in March of 1999. And while <I>28 Days</I>’s $10 million plus opening is not too shabby, it once again shows that mediocre work does not fly far with audiences.<P>
<I>28 Days</I> is one of those delightful movies that provides you with good, hearty laughs, only to disappoint when you finally realize the potential the film has missed out on at the end. The cast is a mixed bunch, with some succeeding and some not. Sandra Bullock, the star of the film, once again proves her drawing power with a great performance that is only limited by the script that confines her. The mix of humor and drama as director Betty Thomas examines a rehab clinic and its residents is both delightful and moving, but continually bogged down by an unnecessary love triangle. For some reason, the Hollywood elite seem to insist on romantic subplots, no matter what is happening in the main plot of the film. <I>Hoosiers</I>, my favorite sports film besides <I>Rocky</I>, was terrific - and would have been much better had the Gene Hackman-Barbara Hershey romance been eliminated. So much valuable time in <I>28 Days</I> is wasted on developing a relationship that is not capable of being understood in the first place, let alone at the end of the film.<P>
Sandra Bullock plays Gwen, a woman on the wild side who when asked of her drug of choice, responds, "Do I have to choose just one?" Gwen lives wildly, and ultimately pays the price when she arrives at her sister’s wedding on some concoction that she cannot even decipher. Gwen winds up in a rehab clinic, and the comedy starts off strong. Susannah Grant, who wrote the script, is wittingly able to poke fun at the operations of a rehab clinic without demeaning the actual progress that these clinics set out to achieve. Jasper, Gwen’s boyfriend, makes his visits throughout the film. At first, his appearances do not represent the eventual and boring romantic subplot, but rather, the problems that Gwen will have to confront after she completes her rehab. Jasper, played very sharply by Dominic West, is a great character to have played this role. That is, until Thomas directs his role to be that of choice rather than that of progress. Jasper slowly slips away from the problems that Gwen will face when she returns to the real world into a choice that Gwen will have to make, between Jasper and Eddie Boone (Viggo Mortenson). Boone turns out to be a major league pitcher, and this touch of celebritydome was tough to swallow, but <I>28 Days</I> was strong enough at that point to have faith in this character choice. From this point on, <I>28 Days</I> slowly rolls down hill.<P>
Interlaced throughout <I>28 Days</I> are raspy flashbacks to the childhood of Gwen and the problems that her mother encountered, which included drugs and alcohol, just like Gwen. The flashbacks are logical, but horribly explained. Thomas and Grant automatically assume that a mother’s influence will be passed down to her offspring. Thomas never establishes why Gwen has such a tight bond with her mother. Logic, which <I>28 Days</I> ignores at its most critical moments, would suggest that Gwen would be turned off to drugs and alcohol because of this horrible experience. Thomas never confronts this, however. But, Gwen could also be doomed for her mother’s fate because of these experiences as well. While this turns out to be the outcome, Thomas never ventures into the reasons why. Therefore, all the audience is left with are raspy and jerky flashbacks to a childhood that never fully connects with Gwen’s adulthood.<P>
While <I>28 Days</I> definitely has its problems, it nonetheless provides its fair share of entertainment. Bullock’s charm gushes off of the screen, and when Thomas focuses on the humor and intricacies of each character, the audience is either laughing or moved, and the feeling is always justified.<P>
Sandra Bullock may not have a huge hit with <I>28 Days</I>, but she once again proves why she her contingency is continually growing. Her performance is top-notch, and if she gets a hold of a superior script, maybe she can progress from spring into Will Smith territory…But only time will tell, but she will definitely need more than <I>28 Days</I>.<P>
<B>Final Verdict: C+</B>
Sandra Bullock keeps her cool in this edgy comedy. Good stuff!
Woman enters rehab–court ordered–for alcoholism/drug addiction
This movie was very real. Having been to 3 treatment centers, it depicts the way a life can be given back to you if you are willing. I identified with Sandra Bullock immensely. I now look back on my rehabs and can laugh, just like the movie. It also gives the world at large a real outline of the lives of alcholics/addicts, that we are not bad people, we are people with a disease, and it can be arrested. Very cool movie, and will see it again!
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