28 Days Later DVD Review

A group of animal rights activists enter a research centre in an attempt to set free Chimpanzees, which unbeknown to them, are infected with a rage virus. One of the activists is violently attacked and instantly becomes infected herself. 28 days later, Jim (Cillian Murphy), awakes from a coma following a road accident to find the hospital and the streets of London deserted. After stumbling upon a bloodthirsty hoard at a church, Jim is rescued by a pair of survivalists, Selena (Naomie Harris) and Mark (Noah Huntley) who tell him that just about everyone else is dead as far as they know, and that everywhere is crawling with the infected. Jim and Selena come across Frank (Brendan Gleeson) and his young daughter Hannah (Megan Burns), barricaded in their high-rise apartment. Frank hears a message on his radio calling any survivors to head to a blockade north of Manchester and promising a solution to the infection. The four of them head off north in Frank's London taxi cab. They eventually arrive at their destination to be greeted by Major Henry West (Christopher Eccleston) and his small group of soldiers who have set up camp in a well protected stately home, where they battle against more than the infected for their very survival.

How happy was I when I heard rumblings of a British undead film in production? Very happy indeed let me tell you, and when 28 Days Later emerged at the cinemas I was freaking ecstatic. A survival horror story set in England, where the main characters are facing a virus, not your slow moving brain-munchers but fast, deadly infected killing machines, with one aim; to propagate the virus. 28 Days Later pays respectful homage to horror greats of the past, but much more importantly brings a new, vital spark to the genre. The characters are very ordinary folk, a courier, a taxi driver, and they don't have a gun between them (only crooks and farmers have them over here). Cillian Murphy and Brendan Gleeson both perform superbly and naturally, and a personal favourite actor of mine, Christopher Eccleston, is on top form. The scenes where Jim is roaming dazed around the deserted streets of London are fantastic, especially when he crosses Westminster bridge, with the houses of parliament in the background.

28 Days Later is an essential part of any horror fan's collection and the good news is that great horror films are not just a thing of the past. S.J.T.

28 Days Later. 2002

Directed by Danny Boyle