Classic--28 Days Later...

or: The unfunny Zombieland

One word to sum it up: Scary (actually really scary)

You remember how last month (or the month before?) I had that really huge obsession with Cillian Murphy? Well that obsession isn't really over, as I had one more must see Cillian movie to watch: 28 Days Later... Now I get why everyone keeps raving about this film and they call it one of the best modern horrors. Because, it's actually scary. Not filled with gore, or laden with cheap thrills and people jumping out of nowhere. The story is amazingly scary when you think about it.

Animal activists invade a laboratory with the intention of releasing chimpanzees that are undergoing experimentation, infected by a virus -a virus that causes rage. The naive activists ignore the pleas of a scientist to keep the cages locked, with disastrous results. Twenty-eight days later, Jim (Cillian Murphy) wakes up from a coma, alone, in an abandoned hospital. He begins to seek out anyone else to find London is deserted, apparently without a living soul. After finding a church, which had become inhabited by zombie like humans intent on his demise, he runs for his life. Selena (Naomie Harris) and Mark (Noah Huntley) rescue him from the horde and bring him up to date on the mass carnage and horror as all of London tore itself apart.

As with most of his films, Danny Boyle brings a killer soundtrack and great visionary direction which sets this film apart from others. Every scene is so intricately put together, and Boyle knows exactly how to shoot a scene in a way which really captures the atmosphere of the movie. And because the atmosphere is a lonely, dark and sombre, this film becomes really scary. It's not scary for people who just enjoy sadistic killings; it's actually scary because we are drawn into the world of the protagonist, Jim, who has woken up to find his world in disarray, and we are following his journey. Just imagine, if you woke up tomorrow to find that a virus had swept through your country, how would you feel? It would suck, wouldn't it?

None of you need reminding about how great Cillian Murphy is. It was interesting to see him in such an early part of his career, looking like a total profeessional, and setting himself up for a career that has some of the most eclectic performances ever seen. The best thing about this film is that it is British, and it seems strikingly real, unlike the generic Hollywood crap we see being churned out of sick minds and straight into the doom of straight to DVD horror markets. 28 Days Later is a true horror movie, which is really as scary as hell. Just for the right minds who don't get amused by Saw. The ending is a little disappointing, though.

THE VERDICT: Inventive and visionary, a frightening horror from Danny Boyle, with a great central performance from Cillian Murphy. Believe me, no one wants to be in the same situation as poor old Jim.

8/10