Sunday
Nov012009
Repent! The End is Extremely Fucking Nigh - Watched 28 Days Later
Sunday, November 1, 2009 at 4:18PM
Probably 90% of you, faithful readers, have seen 28 Days Later and have already made up your own minds about it, but the other 10% of you, read on.
28 Days Later is a great movie; I love everything about it, from the way the tone is set by the music and camera work, to the subject matter itself. And let me get something out of the way early. I know some of you are just itching to pounce on that "Comment" link the instant I say 28 Days Later is a zombie movie.
Well, you can relax that clicker finger, because I clearly understand the difference between a true zombie story and the kind of story told in 28 Days Later, and please don't hate me, but I prefer the "infected" to true zombies. In my mind, true zombies are monsters, in the same vein as vampires, werewolves, and other supernatural creatures. The fact that they're dead, but still walking around means they're more properly classified as fantasy than science fiction.
Don't get me wrong, when zombies and post-apocalypses overlap, I'm all for it, but I prefer stories that are grounded in reality or scientifically reasonable, and that leads to the twist on the traditional zombie story that 28 Days Later is such a great example of.
The movie starts with kind of an homage to Day of the Triffids. The main character wakes up in a deserted hospital, oblivious to the disaster that has happened around him in the last 28 days. He runs into two other survivors who clue him into the fact that an epidemic has devastated the country, causing the infected to turn into mindless killing machines, overcome with pure simple rage.
We then follow our survivors as they try to escape the city, and find some remnant of government or military authority who can protect them. Unfortunately for them, there are many different kinds of threats, and being safe from one, doesn't mean safe from the others.
A lot of the movie takes place out in the countryside, so there's not as much post-apocalyptic London as I would have liked, but we do get a taste of it. And the action and the storyline more than make up for it.
So overall, I've probably watched it five or so times now, but it's one of those movies I can watch again and again. If you haven't seen it yet, it's definitely worth it.
28 Days Later is a great movie; I love everything about it, from the way the tone is set by the music and camera work, to the subject matter itself. And let me get something out of the way early. I know some of you are just itching to pounce on that "Comment" link the instant I say 28 Days Later is a zombie movie.
Well, you can relax that clicker finger, because I clearly understand the difference between a true zombie story and the kind of story told in 28 Days Later, and please don't hate me, but I prefer the "infected" to true zombies. In my mind, true zombies are monsters, in the same vein as vampires, werewolves, and other supernatural creatures. The fact that they're dead, but still walking around means they're more properly classified as fantasy than science fiction.
Don't get me wrong, when zombies and post-apocalypses overlap, I'm all for it, but I prefer stories that are grounded in reality or scientifically reasonable, and that leads to the twist on the traditional zombie story that 28 Days Later is such a great example of.
The movie starts with kind of an homage to Day of the Triffids. The main character wakes up in a deserted hospital, oblivious to the disaster that has happened around him in the last 28 days. He runs into two other survivors who clue him into the fact that an epidemic has devastated the country, causing the infected to turn into mindless killing machines, overcome with pure simple rage.
We then follow our survivors as they try to escape the city, and find some remnant of government or military authority who can protect them. Unfortunately for them, there are many different kinds of threats, and being safe from one, doesn't mean safe from the others.
A lot of the movie takes place out in the countryside, so there's not as much post-apocalyptic London as I would have liked, but we do get a taste of it. And the action and the storyline more than make up for it.
So overall, I've probably watched it five or so times now, but it's one of those movies I can watch again and again. If you haven't seen it yet, it's definitely worth it.
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Reader Comments (4)
Good call on 'not zombies'. Zombies can't starve to death.
BTW, seen this yet? http://www.archive.org/details/WhiteZombie
Good call on 'not zombies'. Zombies can't starve to death.
BTW, seen this yet? http://www.archive.org/details/WhiteZombie
Actually, no I haven't. Somebody mentioned that Archive.org link to me a while back (huh, maybe that was you on Twitter?), and it's also available via http://www.netflix.com/Movie/White_Zombie/60000261?strackid=588b2b23475246a2_0_srl&strkid=505290270_0_0&trkid=222336" rel="nofollow">Netflix streaming but I haven't had a chance to check it out yet. I do plan to though.
Actually, no I haven't. Somebody mentioned that Archive.org link to me a while back (huh, maybe that was you on Twitter?), and it's also available via http://www.netflix.com/Movie/White_Zombie/60000261?strackid=588b2b23475246a2_0_srl&strkid=505290270_0_0&trkid=222336" rel="nofollow">Netflix streaming but I haven't had a chance to check it out yet. I do plan to though.