2
(nothing substantial)
4
(graphic violence, sexuality, full frontal nudity, & strong language)
4
(see it only if you have a specific interest)
After hearing a lot of buzz about "28 Days Later" I decided to check it out. I can’t see what all the fuss was about. I was bored through the majority of the movie. I guess part of my problem is that this often seemed like things I’d seen before.
An animal liberation group releases monkeys infected with a virus that turns people into mindless, flesh-craving zombies. In a matter of 28 days it decimates England. Jim wakes up in the hospital to find his beloved city a deserted wreck. It feels like a page out of Resident Evil. From there it becomes a Last Man on Earth/ I Am Legend story as Jim explores the city. The zombies hide out in buildings during the day and attack at night. Jim stumbles across a small resistance force who bands together to reach a military barricade that seems to be their best hope. But they can’t foresee the circumstances that will turn man against man in a struggle for survival that is about as mindless as a zombie attack.
The last portion of the movie feels like the focus to me, and is by far the most interesting part being the most original portion of the story. Pitting the normal humans against each other in such a way when the idiots ought to be sticking together is engaging. The heroics are exciting and satisfying. If it didn’t take so long to get to this point in the story I might have enjoyed the whole thing a lot more. So much of it, though, is little more than the little group traveling across the country to the military installation. Yes, I get it, we’re spending time with them to get involved with the characters and the bond they are forming which will play an important part later on, but I’ve seen many a movie that did a better job of such characterization setup. Maybe I would have enjoyed it more if the earlier scenes in the city hadn’t felt so rehashed from other movies.
There is more to it than that, though. I find many of the scenes weakly set up with shots that have compositions I don’t like. Sometimes my problem with the shots are that they were set up to be as shocking as possible even if it makes no narrative sense to be presented that way. I do like some of the opposing character dynamics. One girl is more worried about watching after herself while Jim is concerned with helping other people. This opens the doors for some good interaction and development. Whatever positive interactions there might be are lost in the other weaknesses.
Overall, this is a movie I probably won’t remember much about in a month’s time. I’ll probably have to come back to read my review just to remember much about it.
Morality
There is quite a lot of violence and blood throughout the movie. It’s going to be far too graphic for many viewers.
There is a little sexuality and some sexual themes but no actual sex scenes. There is some non-sexual male nudity in a couple of shots including full-frontal views.
There is plenty of bad language to go with all that.
Spirituality
There is no spirituality to speak of. Granted, I didn't enjoy the movie and could have missed out on something if it was subtle or brief, but I don't recall any mention of God, demonic forces, or the afterlife. Zombies are not undead creatures but are created in a more natural sense as the result of a viral-type infection. So as far as direct spiritual discussions go this presents nothing positive or negative unless you want to look at the evil things people do to each other when they should be watching out for each other.
Final Thoughts
I’ve been known to enjoy a zombie movie even when my interest in gory movies has been waning, but lately they have begun to all feel the same. Maybe if you see "28 Days Later" before the others out there you will like it more than I did. I can't recommend this unless you are just hard up for a zombie movie.
Buying Guide
"28 Days Later" offers a few different buying options. Mostly you'll be deciding between format and combo options.
The most recent release is the Blu which is also offered with steelbook packaging and as a Blu double-feature with 28 Weeks Later. You can get it in various multi-movie packs if you keep your eyes open.
You can get the movie on DVD in either widescreen or pan-and-scan format. There are at least 2 DVD double-features as well as a few combo packs with various other movies.
I haven't seen the Blu, but here is what I can tell you from my product searches. The video is 1.85 widescreen at 1080p. The audio is 5.1 DTS HD. While the tech specs listed are better than what you will see listed for DVD, the comments I've read suggest that this is not an impressive presentation. It does appear that the Blu offers a few more extras than the DVD, but you're mostly just getting some additional high definition previews for other movies as far as I can tell.
The Blu 2 pack appears to be a repackaged version of the original Blu discs. Even though there is no official listing of extras reviewers say that it includes everything the original releases do. You'll get the widescreen ratio and an HD presentation.
There is a steelbook variation on the Blu, but details are so scarce I wouldn't chance it at the prices I've seen.
The “full screen” DVD appears to offer the exact same content as the widescreen version just with the different ratio.
The DVD box set looks like it's probably the standard DVD release of each film boxed together.
The DVD Double Feature lists 1.33 pan-&-scan ratio. It's a 2 disc set, but no extras are listed.
Final Recommendation:
You'll get a handful of features with the DVD or the Blu so if you do like the movie enough to buy it there's something for your purchase. I wasn't impressed with the features, but I didn't like the movie that much either so take it with a grain of salt. The Blu doesn't offer much of an upgrade especially if the negative comments on the high-def quality are accurate so keep that in mind when considering the price difference. The 2 packs with the sequel look to be the best value, but if you care about extras and widescreen ratio and are getting this on DVD make sure you get the box set and NOT the double feature.
I'll be talking about the Widescreen Special Edition DVD. I never did see any editions that weren't “special” so I'm not sure what that tells you. I didn’t get to spend a lot of time with the DVD (partially due to my dislike of the movie) so the details here will be cursory.
Video
1.85 widescreen:
It's a decent image. I wasn't blown away, but neither was I disappointed.
Audio
5.1 Dolby:
The audio is clean and strong with decent surround sound immersion.
Packaging
It comes with a standard case.
Extras
-Commentary with the director and screenwriter: I have to be honest, I couldn't bring myself to sit through it.
-There are 6 deleted scenes and 2 alternate endings with optional commentary.
-There is a third alternate ending that is presented in storyboard form. I wasn’t particularly thrilled with any of these.
-Jacknife Lee music video: It's a strange mix of musical sounds with an energetic and frightening video.
-Pure Rage: This is a somewhat interesting Behind the Scenes feature.
-Image gallery: Um, yeah, it's a gallery of images.
-Trailers: The typical trailers are included here.