... His performance isn't enough to save '28 days later' though. I think it would take more than a Time Lord to do that.
This is the kind of film that appeals to my fifteen year old son. He's intelligent, fun-loving and a great human being but his idea of entertainment leads him to pick movies ... Read review
A powerful virus is unleashed on the British public following a raid on a primate research ... more
facility by animal rights activists. Transmitted in a drop of blood and devastating within seconds, the virus locks those infected into a permanent murderous rag...
Anti-vivisection activists make a very bad judgment call and release an experimental ... more
monkey infected with "rage".28 Days Later..., as the title has it, bicycle messenger Cillian Murphy wakes up from a post-traffic accident coma in a deserted London hos...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Anti-vivisection activists make a very bad judgment call and release an experimental ... more
monkey infected with "rage".28 Days Later..., as the title has it, bicycle messenger Cillian Murphy wakes up from a post-traffic accident coma in a deserted London hos...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
In this film from director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland a powerful virus is ... more
unleashed on the British public following a raid on a primate research facility by animal rights activists. Transmitted in a drop of blood and devastating within second...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
In director Danny Boyle's ground breaking take on zombie horror, 28 Days Later, a deadly ... more
'rage' virus transforms the world into a seemingly desolate wasteland. A handful of determined survivors attempt to salvage a future- unaware that the worst is yet to come...In the heart-stopping sequel, 28 weeks later, the U.S. army steps in to help repatriate Mainland Britain after the rage virus has finally been eliminated. But one of the returning refugees carries a terrible secret that threatens to reignite the deadly explosion of bloodlust, carnage and chaos.
When a group of chimpanzees freed from a research facility goes on a ravenous rampage, the ... more
virulent disease they carry quickly becomes a horrifying human pandemic. And when a bicycle courier (Cillian Murphy) awakes from a coma in a deserted London Hospital, he finds himself in a post-apocalyptic world where survival of the fittest means staying a few steps ahead of the infested... who create more of their own by ravenously attacking the fit!
Production Year: 1984 - Horror - Director: Joe Dante - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Zach Galligan, Phoebe Cates, Hoyt Axton, Polly Holliday, Frances Lee McCain, Judge Reinhold, Corey Feldman
Advantages: You can learn a lot about being bitten by infected zombies Disadvantages: Being bitten by infected zombies makes you go, 'oooh!'
Christopher Ecclestone made a great Dr Who. His performance isn't enough to save '28 days later' though. I think it would take more than a Time Lord to do that.
This is the kind of film that appeals to my fifteen year old son. He's intelligent, fun-loving and a great human being but his idea of entertainment leads him to pick movies in the horror genre that - like this one - are limited and a bit rubbish. I hope he'll grow out of it. ...I seen a man waking up in a hospital before only to find his world has been changed? Oh yes. 'The Day of the Triffids,' by John Wyndham. In which film might I have seen someone come out of their house to find all the streets completely empty? Oh yes, 'Vanilla Sky,' starring Tom Cruise. Nothing new to see. Move along.
Then we have the whole notion of zombies. I can't take them seriously so they never strike me as scary. The zombies ... more
Christopher Ecclestone made a great Dr Who. His performance isn't enough to save '28 days later' though. I think it would take more than a Time Lord to do that.
This is the kind of film that appeals to my fifteen year old son. He's intelligent, fun-loving and a great human being but his idea of entertainment leads him to pick movies in the horror genre that - like this one - are limited and a bit rubbish. I hope he'll grow out of it.
For a start it's derivative. Where have I seen a man waking up in a hospital before only to find his world has been changed? Oh yes. 'The Day of the Triffids,' by John Wyndham. In which film might I have seen someone come out of their house to find all the streets completely empty? Oh yes, 'Vanilla Sky,' starring Tom Cruise. Nothing new to see. Move along.
Then we have the whole notion of zombies. I can't take them seriously so they never strike me as scary. The zombies are supposed to be infected people in this movie who are filled with mindless rage. It's a nice distinction but really they're just zombies. They do what all zombies do though perhaps faster as they like to run. A lot of your regular zombies go in for more of an arm-waving plod. These are nippier. However, whatever the miles per hour of the zombies/infected, they don't behave logically. Is that just in this movie or in all zombie flicks? I'm not sure. What they do that makes me shake my head woefully is to hunt in packs. Why? Why should they? If you're part of a gang with an identity or an army or, indeed, if you're a wolf, you might act as part of a group. If you've been infected by 'rage' you probably wouldn't be that discerning. If it moved you'd bite it. If it didn't move you'd probably bite it. I don't think you'd perform some on the spot miracle diagnosis or assessment of friend or foe before chomping down.
The acting of Cillian Murphy as Jim, a despatch rider who wakes up in hospital after an accident to find his world in tatters is very convincing up to a point and this holds true for Naomie Harris' Selina who grits her teeth and hacks her way toward survival, as well as for Megan Burn's, whose Hannah is so strong and logical in the face of adversity in a world gone mad. The soldiers who play such a vital part of the movie toward the latter stages start off believable too. They swagger and swear and share laddish jokes and don't appear to have a brain-cell between them.
Actually, the gritty realism - especially with so much swearing - had the curious effect for me of taking away from that believability. There's a lot of bad language in this movie. In fact there's no much that I found it patronizing. Were they trying to portray stereotypes of ordinary folk under duress? What was the point? I've never met people who swore so much. Frank swears in front of his daughter; the soldiers turn the air blue with every phrase they utter; 'open the *****ing door!' screams Selina at Hannah hysterically. In my opinion if you were hoping to convey any kind of realism you wouldn't have gone for zombie/infected people hunting in packs in the first place, and then you'd have made the swearing less intrusive in the dialogue.
This is 'Shaun of the Dead' without so many jokes but I think it would be unfair to say there are no jokes at all. Considering the gory and miserable topic and the high body count in this hack and slash movie humour wouldn't be essential or even expected, I suppose. Actually, there were a few cracking moments. Two that made me laugh out loud came when Jim went into a church. As he climbed some stairs the camera tracked up with him to reveal the huge legend on the wall, 'The end is extremely *****ing nigh!' Why is that so funny? Also, when a rabid priest zombie/infected type rushes at Jim he clonks him in the face with a plastic bag full of cans of pop. 'Oh, I shouldn't have done that!' he says with a sense of having offended against the principles and etiquette of his religion. Priceless.
As the story goes on there are moments of come-uppance that prove quite satisfying. Bad things happen to bad people. There's a sense of justice after so many overwhelming frustrations. When bloody revenge comes about we share vicariously in the emotional satisfaction of it.
The music is quite haunting and eclectic and includes 'Abide with me' through compelling and hypnotic synth music to 'Frosty the Snowman'.
I can't reveal the ending but can I just say that it struck me as being tacked on as an afterthought. To say it wasn't realistic in the context of the action and mood created in the movie would be an understatement. However, if you find zombie/infected herds and soldiers so evil that they could have had long capes and wide-moustaches to tweak realistic then you might find the ending quite reasonable.
I liked 'Children of Men' better for it's post-apocalyptic vision. I liked Mad Max more for its car chases. I preferred 'Shaun of the Dead' for funny zombies. I thought 'Vanilla Sky'' showed depopulated streets better, and I thought John Wyndham did a character finding his world had changed when he came out hospital better, and of course, first. For a despatch rider, Jim turns out to quite an action hero but I also think Snake Pliskin in 'Escape from New York' was much more exciting. It's all been done before and done better, it seems.
On the copy of the DVD I have, the special features are very disappointing in that they just aim you at fox.co.uk for previews and behind the scenes news, etc. That's all very well but these are things anyone can just go and look up. Content on the DVD would have been better by far. What if the DVD player isn't on a PC? Most people don't have a connection to the Internet on their domestic DVD player so these special features won't be available to them.
I couldn't really recommend this film although I can see that if you like the modern horror genre, this might suit you very well. I just asked my friend his opinion and I think his view might make as good a conclusion to this review as any. He said, 'It was an okay movie with a few moments of brilliance.'
Parental Guidance: Age 18. Beware of the Zombies. Grrr. Grrr. Grrr.
Advantages: Great script, direction and performances Disadvantages: If you're expecting a horror film you may be dissapointed
...is their only goal.
28 days later…
Jim (Cillian Murphy) wakes in central London hospital bed to find the building and the whole of London deserted. Almost the entire population is dead or infected. After finding fellow survivors Selena (Naomi Harris), Frank (Brendan Gleeson) and Hannah (Megan Burns) Jim and his new found companions set off in search of sanctuary.
Danny Boyle is one of Britain’s most celebrated directors. After his phenomenal success ... ...British cinema, Empire declaring “Come in Hollywood, your time is up”. Then came the lukewarm reception to his next two major films ‘A Life Less Ordinary’ and ‘The Beach’. They were a step too far from the films that had made Boyle’s name, both ‘Trainspotting’ and his earlier work ‘Shallow Grave’ were unmistakably British films. His follow ups though had Hollywood stars and production values and Boyle’s voice was lost under the noise and glitter. ...
Zoe 30.05.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of 28 Days Later (DVD)
Advantages: Good picture for a small screen Disadvantages: its a small screen, sound quality
...Boyle (Shallow Grave and Train-spotting). 28 days later centres on the popular science fiction (and Zombie film) subject of the Post Apocalyptic Survivor, although the usual catalyst of the apocalypse tends to be nuclear war in this movie it is disease.
The movie starts out with us witnessing three animal rights activists breaking into a lab to "liberate" the imprisoned animals. Once inside they learn that the Chimps are infected with a virus called ... ...rage victims.
Whiz forward 28 days and we see Jim (Cillian Murphy) wake up in a hospital bed to find the building devoid of humans, in fact it seems that London in its entirety is devoid of humans. Dazed, Jim walks the deserted streets and is eventually saved from a gang of the "infected" as they are fondly known, by Selena (Naomie Harris) and Mark (Noah Huntley) who explain exactly what has happened since he was in the hospital, and it's all bleak. ...
sjp1966 03.10.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of 28 Days Later (DVD)
Advantages: So scary I couldnt breathe Disadvantages: Err, see above?
...problem by the end!
28 Days later. What would happen if a bunch of animal rights activists ignored a scientist’s warning not to release the monkeys in his Cambridge laboratory because they have been infected with ‘Rage’, a highly infectious disease that can be spread to humans through blood or saliva and will cause them to kill madly and indiscriminantly? Bad things, that’s what. As you can probably guess, the above is exactly ... ...The film then skips to 28 days later. A man is just waking up in hospital. Half his head is shaved with a sticthed wound. We assume he has at some point suffered head injuries. Looking around the man is confused. Everything is deathly silent, there appears to be no-one around and he is naked (mmm, nice!), wired up to all kinds of drips and machines that are either empty or apparently turned off. He rips them out and stands, unsteadily. More than ...
claires_cult 05.11.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of 28 Days Later (DVD)
Advantages: it is a quality Disadvantages: it is not a brand new film
"28 years later" by Danny Boyle Most definitely, this is a scariest film seen recently. Something meant to become a cult film. A proven Danny Boyle’s geniality…."It will have you on the edge of your seat"…." So real, so possible, so simple...so Boyle this is. Clear and simple, scary and upsetting. Most definitely there are different kind of horrors. The sort of ‘Scream’ horrors and the second kind more warning kind about ... ...not very careful. With horrors such "28 days later" we are always more careful because it suppose the reality that might happen. However, I think that this is sort of female horror. The kind of movies that women like, because it has the background story that allows a little bit more than just horror, in the company of so simple, so scary, so realistic, so typical Boyle sense of humor. For example, when one of the survivals suggests dropping buckets ...
barefoot777 01.04.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of 28 Days Later (DVD)
Advantages: Superb, exciting, bloody, poignant, beautifully made, well acted and Directed. Disadvantages: Digital film may be cheaper Mr Boyle, but that's only because it looks like a home video. Please stop using it.
...food that was Resident Evil, 28 Days Later is a breath of fresh air to a worn out genre and much needed proof that the British film industry is anything but dead. 28 Days Later is rated 18, which in this case is a good sign as it shows that the film makers are more concerned with making the film they envisioned, rather than the soulless product of a committee that want to keep it rated 15 in order to maximise profits. You would be forgiven for thinking ... ...tried to kill it. 28 Days Later blessedly erases all memories of that monstrosity and replaces it with an assured Horror/Thriller that adds something new to the genre. The plot is best described as Outbreak+ Night Of The Living Dead + Day Of The Triffids - Hollywood + Britain = 28 Days Later. It begins with animal activists trying to free a lab full of rage infected monkeys, a technician warns them but they don’t heed his advice and free the animals ...
willgould 14.11.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of 28 Days Later (DVD)
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Advantages: A very good storyline Disadvantages: Cillian Murphy is in it!
28DAYSLATER is a sci-fi horror movie directed by Danny Boyle (who interestingly directed a couple of episodes of TV's INSPECTOR MORSE early in his career!). The story follows Jim who, waking up from a coma, finds that a virus has turned the population of the UK into psychopaths - they come across very much like zombies and remind me of those in George A. Romero's zombie "?Of The Dead" series.
The story is very derivative, not just of zombie movies, but also of classic science fiction, such as John Wyndham's DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS. However this is a version updated for the 21st century (the film was originally released in 2002). The storylines is gripping, and if you can cope with some horror, scares, and some gore, then this is definitely a film worth seeking out.
In fact, the storyline is so gripping, that I completely forgot that ...
Advantages: Danny Boyle - fantastic Mancunian director Disadvantages: Don't expect a zombie movie... they run!
Once again Danny Boyle has made another masterpiece on a fairly low budget, he did it with Shallow Grave, he made my countries most famous cinematic export with Trainspotting... Sunshine is at the cinema at the moment (once again with Cillian Murphy), but I don't think he's ever made a better film than 28DaysLater...
This film was released here on November 1 2002, a day too late for my liking... 29 days after my birthday :-P
Defining the movie into one specific genre is difficult, is it a horror? Well humans killing humans, so not really... more a thriller I'd say, although where IMDB get "Sci-Fi" from I have no idea!
We basically have a film about a group of civilians brought together through fear more than anything else setting out of London to find safety from the "Infected", along the way there'll be a few deaths in their ...
Advantages: one of the best movies to come out of the UK, good cast/plot Disadvantages: none
direction, they have movement, they charge at them and hence a true test of survival and nerves for the terrorfied.
On the DVD, there are some extras -an alternative ending at the end of the film entitled "What If...", a third ending which wasn't shot - only shown on storyboards, deleted scenes, audio commentary, a "Making Of..." and many more.
I loved this film, its tells a story of modern day apocalyptic survival rather than blow a budget on a gore-fest and base a story around mass blood. For those who love the whole "horror survival" genre then this is a film for you. A perfect movie to watch before you go off to see the sequel, "28 Weeks Later". ...
A deadly virus escapes from a research centre and within twenty eight days the entire country is infected with the exception of a few survivors... Together they try to build a future for themselves...
Release details
DVD Region
DVD
Studio(s)
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment; Deluxe Video Service - Fox
Feature Length Audio Commentary By Director Danny Boyle And Alex Garland, Storyboard Alternative Ending, 8 Deleted Scenes With Optional Commentary, Pure Rage The Making Of 28 Days Later, Jacknife Lee Music Video, Stills Gallery With Commentary, Polaroid Gallery With Commentary, Animated Storyboards, Theatrical Trailers
Aspect Ratio
1.85 Wide Screen, 16:9 Anamorphic Wide Screen
Sound
Dolby Digital 5.1
Dubbing Sound
Dolby Digital 5.1 English
DVD Description
TRAINSPOTTING director Danny Boyle returns to edgy form and reinvents the science-fiction/horror genre with this apocalyptic tale of viral infection and Darwinian survival. A fatal virus is unleashed on the British public following the liberation of infected chimps from a research laboratory by animal rights activists. The virus can be transmitted in one drop of blood and manifests itself within seconds, infecting its victims with a zombie-like state of murderous rage. Within 28 days the country's population is devastated, and the streets of London and Manchester are apocalyptically deserted save for a handful of healthy survivors who attempt to salvage what is left of civilization. Led by a bike messenger called Jim (Cillian Murphy), the survivors must contend with not only the hordes of plague-carrying zombies, but also with each other, as they manouevre toward a supposedly better future. Shooting on digital video and making excellent use of the bleak English landscapes, Boyle crafts a tale of societal and spiritual devastation reminiscent of horror classics like NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD and SHIVERS.
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