28 Days Later

Cast: Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, Christopher Eccleston, Brendan Gleeson, Megan Burns

Runtime: 113 minutes

Rating: 4 out of 5

My Synopsis: About a group of survivors trying to stay alive as long as possible, searching for other survivors and a safehaven, while a "Rage" virus has contaminated all of England and more. The longer they are alive, the more hopeless each begins to feel in the world of zombie-like madness surrounding them, until they get a signal on their radio of a man named West, who says he has an answer to the infection. From there on, they regain hope and are determined to reach the safe point where West is..

Review: My favorite horror movie of all time, for many reasons; one being the fact that it's not just some mindless, plotless, all out gorefest with stupid characters and bad acting. On that note, the acting is suprisingly good from mostly unknowns at the time and you really like/hate the characters and actually care for them or want them to get what's coming to them. This is a different, unique take on horror. One of the best of its kind. It shows the human nature and what they would do to survive in a situation like this... the limits they are pushed to, some being extreme. The infected aren't the only problems they face and you will see what I'm talking about when you watch the film. It's part drama, part horror and a damn good mix at that. Danny Boyle directs with gritty style using a handheld digital camera and a low budget, and I gotta say, it's very well done and Boyle knows how to use his budget wisely. Some will complain about the picture quality, but I think it adds to the realism and grittiness of the film. Kudos to Boyle! Cillian Murphy, in his first starring role, does an exquisit job of putting the fear and determination into his character Jim. Naomie Harris shines as the fearless Selena, and Christopher Eccleston is strong as Major Henry West. Brendan Gleeson's role stands out a bit, as he plays Frank, a father who will do anything in his power to keep his daughter, Hannah, safe. Megan Burns plays Hannah, who is the only slight complaint I have as I found her acting a little wooden, but that didn't stop me from enjoying this intense, brutal horror masterpiece. I'll always look forward to Danny Boyle's work, as some of my favorites are Trainspotting, Sunshine, this and Slumdog Millionaire. I should also give kudos to Alex Garland as he is writer of this film and Sunshine. I don't know if he wrote the others, to be honest and I should know! I'm not gonna spoil a thing but the last half hour of the film gets pretty intense and thought-provoking, thus adding to the intensity is a chilling score by Brian Eno. I can definately see something like this happening in real life... if a situation like this were to happen, of course. This is a film driven by story and well-developed characters rather than just a slice-and-dice zombie flick, but also manages to be very gory at the same time, so gorehounds will not be disappointed either. Danny Boyle and Alex Garland know how to do a horror film. Bravo, guys, bravo!