*** Official 28 DAYS LATER Discussion Thread (1 Viewer)

[Nick Sievers]

I've only seen the film on DVD projected onto 105" screen, but I didn't think it looked all that bad. Certainly not great, but for me it wasn't distracting. It looked a lot better than Full Frontal.

 

[Scott Weinberg]

I'll add spoiler tags because the movie JUST came out, but there's one scene that absolutely scared the hell out of me:



Again, sorry for the tags. Were it a week later I wouldn't have bothered.

 

[Cary T]

This will be your first negative response of the film. I wasn't scared at all. The only suspenseful moment of the movie was the rat and zombie scene in the tunnel. Didn't care for the characters. These people made stupid decisions throughout the entire movie. Maybe I'm sick in the head or something, but I burst out laughing when guy was killed in the beginning.

I did like the soundtrack and shots were beautifully composed though.

 

[Andy Sheets]

I didn't have a negative reaction to the movie since I thought it was basically well done, but I didn't go crazy for it either. Maybe it's because I've been rewatching some of George Romero's movies lately but I just couldn't shake the feeling that I'd already seen this movie. I liked the imagery and the performances though (Brendan Gleeson being my favorite), and while I wasn't necessarily scared at any point, I thought the Infected were well handled in that the movie had a consistent feeling of tension because you never quite knew when they would pop up, and they were so swift that if they did appear it felt like there was a good chance of someone getting it.

 

[Craig S]

I have to say I don't know why they're promoting this one as a horror film. I thought it was a very good entry in the SF/apocalyptic genre, but I was never even remotely scared. That said, there's a lot to admire here - great performances, a tight script, and the score is outstanding. I do kind of agree with Ebert in that the film could have benefitted from a more ambiguous ending.

My reaction to the DV photography was exactly the same as Damin's. When I saw all the haloing in the early scenes I imagined this being screened for HTF members and people screaming out "Edge Enhancement" and running from the room. Now THAT'S a horror movie!

My screening was fairly full, and so I had to sit down front (something I really don't like to do for any film). I expect that exacerbated matters. I would recommend that people sit further back in the theater when they go see this.

 

[Quentin]

I completely agreee, Craig. This is more akin to "Omega Man" or other SF/apocalypse films despite the culling of material from "Dawn of the Dead".

I think it's a smart film, I think it's a good film, but except for a couple beats, I do NOT think it is a scary film. In fact, I think the first hour could have benefitted from a lot more scares/suspense. It would have moved a lot faster. As it is, it has a slow deliberate pace that leads us to the morality play it becomes at the compound.

And, I too think that a darker ending would have been more appropriate!

 

[Matt Stone]

I agree that this isn't a straight horror film, although I was scared a couple times. Scott has already mentioned them.

do kind of agree with Ebert in that the film could have benefitted from a more ambiguous ending.

I still haven't gotten around to reading Ebert's review, but to me the ending was just about as ambiguous as you can get. You don't know if it was just England infected, you don't know if the jet is going to call others to rescue the main characters. You don't know if the jet is going to bomb them...all you know is the characters think they are about to be rescued.

 

[Jack Briggs]

Even the critical reviews I've read have piqued my interest in this thing.

Scott, I doubt it will rake in $30 million, given that Charlie's Angels video-game thing called a "film."

 

[Scott Weinberg]

You're right, Jack.

The Friday income for 28 Days Later was $3,332,000 at an average of $2,649 per theater. It'll probably end with a 10mill opening weekend.

I'm always bad at box office predictions, but a 10m opening weekend (in about 1,250 theaters) is pretty solid...especially when you consider that the movie's already in the black.

I'm hoping the flick earns some word-of-mouth buzz which leads to some healthy legs. If the Grannies of the world can make Geek Wedding such a hit, hopefully the horror fans can launch their own Chatter Campaign.

 

[Dome Vongvises]

Well, it didn't make it to my theater. What am I missing?

 

[Seth Paxton]

What are you missing? A solid Danny Boyle film. Also Dome, I would start to avoid this thread now that the review/discussion split has taken place because spoilers should now be fair game in this thread as people come back from seeing it. I'm sure you will get it within a week or two.



WARNING:
Now for those spoilers...


Scott, I totally agree with you and Ebert on that blood dripping point/limit on infection time. Another good story aspect is that we are only 28 Days in and people haven't had time to figure out what to do. In fact I thought the people who did have some plans had to be some damn quick thinkers since you can imagine they've only been at it for about 10-14 days since the virus would still need at least a week or so to really start to get the entire place wiped out.


As for the darker ending that Ebert wants, yes as a horror/jaded Gen Xer I can see that, BUT as a fan of Danny Boyle as well I can't help but wonder if Ebert thought the Trainspotting ending was wrong too? That's why I mentioned it in my review because to me this represents Boyle's narrative ideals perfectly. He is often very negative, seeing the very worst in people, but in the end he still has this burning optimism for his protagonist. I know as an amateur writer I find myself following a similar philosophical structure, critical of so much of humanity but ultimately hopeful (otherwise why go on).

So that ending has Boyle written all over it to me and wouldn't have him do it any other way.


Finally, I agree with Craig and others and said so in my review. This is much more SF/Apoc than straight horror, and as such its a great treatment.

How cool was that far shot of the gas station explosion. It was an outstanding contrasting image to the close-up shots and helped emphasize both the power of the explosion but also the solitude of the empty city.


Boyle and Crowe have now given us 2 major cities totally empty. Both times the image was really powerful.

 

[doug zdanivsky]

Hmm.. Sounds like "I Am Legend/ Omega Man". Is this the remake I've been anticipating and is widely-rumoured, or did these guys beat them to the punch?

 

[Jim Peavy]

Me too. I have a feeling it'll end up doing well.

 

[Jim Peavy]

Yes



Yeah, that's exactly what I thought as I was walking out of the theater: "well, I guess Ridley Scott can shelve that 'I Am Legend' film for good." They pretty much stole his thunder. That's what happens when you putz around for years on a project. It's bones get picked clean.

 

[Craig S]

Boyle and Crowe have now given us 2 major cities totally empty. Both times the image was really powerful.

Glad you brought that up, Seth. I flashed back to Vanilla Sky during the first few moments as well.

 

[Seth Paxton]

Since we are talking scares, sure I jumped at a few moments and appreciated the tone, but rarely was I creeped out. Probably the eeriest moment for me was when he first walked into that church, said hello, and those 2 infected sat up and looked at him. That was good and creepy.

The friend I was with was all to ready to exclaim that the film wasn't scary at all, but I'm still catching shit from him for recommending a viewing of The Fog at my HT which didn't impress him in the least. That was/is a film I always find pretty scary at points.


And reflecting on that makes me wonder if the "fear" aspect of this film is missing a bit more because there are fewer moments of unknown.


Oh, I did think it was pretty intense/scary when the 2 infected came sprinting like mad dogs toward the shopping carts/stairs and went flying up them.


Oh, and unlike NYC I have been to London and, like most tourists, been right there by Big Ben, so seeing Boyle's empty city was even more impressive to me. That will remain impressive even in a making-of outside of the film's narrative.

I also had to wonder if Manchester was burning because of the virus or the Beckham trade riots.

 

[Justin_S]

Here's what I posted on one of the horror boards I frequent:


28 DAYS LATER is what I'd call an epic horror film. Its on a grand enough scale to be called that in my eyes, and its certainly good enough. Hell, this is one of the best films I've seen in years, so its more than good enough!

The shots of a deserted London are so very eerie, yet so very beautiful at the same time. I loved those shots. The quick shot of the infectee that was burning running behind Jim was also a great shot. Boyle obviously has a damn good eye.

The film is intense, and at times, truly frightening. The scene where Jim wanders into the church, finds all of the infected sleeping, and then yells out causing the infected to shoot their heads up and look at him absolutely horrified me. The looks of absolute insane bewilderment on their faces just terrified the hell out of me, and I swear to you that I had a dream about that scene when I went home that night. That scene was so effective, its probably my favorite scene in the film along with the very suspensful tunnel scene. In that scene, I was literally on the edge of my seat, and I also loved how the rats were running from the infected.

The only complaints I have about the film are that there were not enough scenes with the infected, and I didn't like how Jim and Selena fell in love so soon. At 112 minutes, there were surprisingly only a few scenes with the infected, and in all honesty, I wanted a lot more. Those bastards were effective and frightening suckers, and I figured there would be more of them than we got. As for the love thing, it just felt shoddy and cliched.

Overall though, this film is a spectacular epic. Believe me, I'll be seeing it many more times in theaters!

 

[Andy Sheets]

I didn't like how Jim and Selena fell in love so soon.

It worked for me. I figured it was one of those deals where there were these two people who were both basically sympathetic and the bleak situation they were in charged their emotions up. I know that's the logic that most movies use for jamming the male and female leads together in two hours but I thought this one of the few movies where it's actually earned

 

[Matt Stone]

I figured it was one of those deals where there were these two people who were both basically sympathetic and the bleak situation they were in charged their emotions up.

Coupled with the fact that their love was almost a self-fulfilling prophecy. Jim didn't seem too interested until Selena mentioned it. And then there's the love that they both saw between Hannah and Frank...which could have caused them both to see that any love was better than being alone.

Also, as far as being scared at movies...it's been a long time since I've seen something that scared me like when I was a kid. I'm not talking jump-moments, because many films have those...but I can't remember the last time I was scared. This film may have not scared me, per se, but it definitely disturbed me.

 

[Walter Kittel]

Viewed the film last night and felt like adding a few thoughts...

Being a fan of apocalyptic SF films I was right at home with 28 Days Later... Mentally, comparisons to films such as The Omega Man and The Quiet Earth were occupying my thoughts as I left the theater. Deserted cityscapes are iconic in apocalyptic films and are used to good effect ( as others have discussed ) in this film.

I saw the film with a regular movie-going buddy of mine, and it sparked memories of earlier discussions regarding survival and 'what would you do in that situation?' discussions. In that regard the film felt like a throwback, at least in terms of my responses, to the survival / apocalyptic sole survivor films of the last 20 - 30 years . ( The Road Warrior, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, A Boy and His Dog, The Quiet Earth, The Omega Man, etc., etc. )

The cinematography, in terms of perspective and shot selection was very effective, particularly the rain sequences; but I didn't really care for the 'look' of the film in the longer shots where all of the detail was lost. Not the end of the world (ahem); and while I believe that a harsh, dirty look to the film helps the mood, a little more resolution and less video artifacting would not have robbed the film of its tone. ( Perhaps? )

Overall, I enjoyed and would recommend the film. I enjoyed the ambiguous ending ( and was also wondering if the jet would bomb them. ) On the other hand, the use of the 28 Days Later... indication following the escape and subsequently showing the infected dying made me believe that the infected ones were starving and hence the island would be safe to re-occupy, removing the necessity to bomb them.

- Walter.

Edited for spelling