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

[BrianB]

If they were English, how come Jim had a baseball bat instead of a rugby bat??

Baseball bats are /much/ more common than rugby bats in the UK...

 

[Brook K]

I was wondering about the baseball bat too.

I thought it was pretty clear the jet was British. It had British airforce insignia on the wing.

http://www.ww2wings.com/wings/britai...insignia.shtml

The Finnish AF colors aren't remotely similar:

http://www.aeroflight.co.uk/waf/finland/finaf3.htm

 

[Daniel I]

Bill J,

The "good" Sargent that gets shot by the "bad" soldiers hints that the island is being used as a containment area. He makes an argument about it while him and Jim are locked up.

As for the baseball bat, I believe a lot of british football fans carry baseball bats. :wink:

j/k!

 

[Travis_W]

I loved this film. My favorite flick is 'Dawn of the Dead' and to finally see something that can stand alongside it is great. Saw it twice last weekend and planning a third trip soon.

Here's some of the things I noticed as homages to the 'Dead' series.

The grocery store visit is directly from 'Dawn of the Dead', Peter getting coffee is replaced by Jack gettine wine.

The group of soldiers is definitely from 'Day of the Dead' as they're all a litle off the rocker.


The attack on the house orchestrated by Jim freeing the captured soldier (direct homage to Bub from 'Day of the Dead') is a throwback to both 'Dawn' and 'Day'.

One thing I could have definitely done without was:

I could have done with without seeing Jim wake up in a hospital bed in the buff.

 

[Bill J]

So are you saying that the radio broadcasts of the virus spreading were false? As I said before the film really doesn't give enough information (which isn't necessarily a bad thing.) With an incubation period of 10-20 seconds the virus would spread extremely fast and would most likely find its way through the Chunnel. It seems like a virus of that nature would be extremely difficult to contain and the solution would most likely be a bombing raid. I'm not saying that they would specifically aim for three people, but the infected areas would be leveled.

Even if the virus were contained to England, it would make perfect sense to me to bomb the entire area as part of the quarantine process. Extra precaution never hurts, especially for a virus with that incubation period.

 

[Matt Stone]

So are you saying that the radio broadcasts of the virus spreading were false?

I think that's the implication, although the "good" Sargent seems to be a bit of a conspiracy theorist...but then again, he's also the one person being rational. In any event, I still say it was left brilliantly ambiguous. I have no idea how bombing Jim, Serena, and Hannah would have made the film more ambiguous.

 

[Dominik Droscher]

I listened to the audiocommentary on the UK DVD a while ago and I recall that the jet they filmed was real and is supposed to be finish but they only had a RAF jet at hand.

 

[Michael Allred]

Anyone ever think that maybe they set off explosives in the chunnel, causing it to collapse?

Anyway, saw "28 Days Later" Sunday afternoon and enjoyed it quite a bit.

I just appreciated the fact you actually cared about the main characters, which of course is essential in a film such as this.

However, I do find it funny that a lot of people kept saying how cool/scary/etc it was that the "zombies" (I know they're not zombies, but can you blame people for thinking otherwise?) *RUN* after you. Yeah I thought it was cool too, when I saw it some 23 years ago in "The Return of the Living Dead".

 

[Daniel I]

So are you saying that the radio broadcasts of the virus spreading were false? As I said before the film really doesn't give enough information (which isn't necessarily a bad thing.) With an incubation period of 10-20 seconds the virus would spread extremely fast and would most likely find its way through the Chunnel. It seems like a virus of that nature would be extremely difficult to contain and the solution would most likely be a bombing raid. I'm not saying that they would specifically aim for three people, but the infected areas would be leveled.

I believe Mark and Selena only mentioned the radio information. We never really hear it (may be a cover up so that Brits don't run to the border?).

The virus is not airborne(at least thats what it seems to be) but passed through saliva and blood. A military blockade could easily be set up at single point like a Chunnel to quarantine that area. I am sure with the rioting occurring at the point of origin, the information would reach nearby countries in enough time to mobilize a quarantine. At least thats what I hypothesize. Wow, I just realized how much I enjoyed that movie.

 

[Quentin]

I'm not saying the ending AS IS has anything wrong with it or doesn't fit. It works in the way you mention, Seth, as a moment of hope juxtaposed against the opening and as a "Danny Boyle ending".

I would have simply preferred the napalm drop to make it more of a genre film. Sorry, but "28 Days Later" is NOT a genre film. It goes against the conventions (to its detriment, IMO) of genre every chance it gets. Boyle has admitted that this is exactly what he wanted to do.

So be it. The resulting film is an interesting and eerie morality play, and despite some problems/flaws it is pretty solid.

BUT, while I usually avoid going to a film with expectations of quality, I DO enter a film with an expectation of what I'm getting. And, this time the media and rumors told me I was seeing a zombie/horror/genre film.

And, it's not. So, I was disappointed.

Fire bombing the trio at the end would have been the genre thing to do. The zombie movie thing to do.

As for your logic of why, Seth...it's simple. Re-population. Sure, the virus is contained and the infected are dying off (I also make the assumption this is true since I cannot imagine HOW a virus that takes over in 20 seconds could possibly get off the island). But, no one outside of England can be sure how the virus is contracted or what the truth of the situation is. So, they napalm the countryside and re-populate the island later. The lives of three people amounting to nothing in the face of the larger fear. It's dark, particularly after they've worked so hard to survive...and that's exactly how the convention works.

 

[Stephen_Dar]

I was bored and frustrated by a movie full of the silliest, most unbelievable things imaginable, which unfortunately is typical of what British cinema seems to have become these last few decades as it tries to decide whether to stay British or go for broader appeal by becoming partly American, or something else.

Here are just a few of my problems (spoilers all):

First, they showed in the chimp scene how much blood was involved in the attacks, and that was a cool idea. That's one important way some viruses propagate themselves, by inducing in the infected an overproduction and spreading of biofluids like mucous (in colds). Problem: in the streets of London, no blood at all, not even bodies or crashed cars. Lame.

Second, the infected become murderous and kill their victims, therefor the virus would never spread, only murder would spread, and murder is much easier to control. Classic disease modeling - disease organisms that last do not kill their hosts, or at least not very quickly.

Third, they chose to drive the taxi into the dark tunnel for ... what reason? Ridiculous. Can't believe British audiences sat still for this tripe.

Fourth, they drove a London taxi over a mountain of crushed cars, something a land rover couldn't do. Scuse me?

At this point, I'm totally angry and tuned out.

Fifth, whenever possible, they go into dark buildings alone (like when our hero kills the kid at the gas station). I don't know who EVER thought this was a good horror story device.

Sixth, the entire ending premise makes me sputter and foam at the mouth. Everyone has been killed, life has been turned upside down, yet when the army guys find a small group of survivors, their first thought is to start executing them.

Breath deeply, relax. Aaaaaah. I've had my rant.

 

[Daniel I]

Sixth, the entire ending premise makes me sputter and foam at the mouth. Everyone has been killed, life has been turned upside down, yet when the army guys find a small group of survivors, their first thought is to start executing them.

Honestly this "jouney into madness" has been done before in a lot of movies.

Now keep in mind I just see a few similar themes nothing more! The horror, the horror...

Lord of the Flies

Apocalypse Now

How would an average person respond to something as chaotic as this? How would an average person with a High Powered Automatic Rifle respond to breakdown of society like this?

Just some food for thought?

 

[Alex Spindler]

The more I think about it, the more I can support that the rest of the world had been infected. Much like many other virus infections, animals and insects make very good vectors. Based on the fact that none of the animals we've seen have turned into blood vomiting crazies, the bird seen pecking an eye could be a carrier. For this reason, I don't think it is unreasonable that they could have made a transatlantic trip (if rats are carriers) and could have infected the Americas. Supported by the words in the film that Paris and New York had infected, I would think that the rest of the world could be in jeopardy.

Remember, the theory that only England has been infected
was coming from the "New Age" soldier who had been raving it while chained up in the basement.

Now, one realistic possibility about the jet is that they are thinking along the same lines as the soldiers that Jim and crew had already found, and were trying to band together survivors to restart civilization (or some facsimile thereof).

 

[Dominik Droscher]

Second, the infected become murderous and kill their victims, therefor the virus would never spread, only murder would spread, and murder is much easier to control. Classic disease modeling - disease organisms that last do not kill their hosts, or at least not very quickly.

When did they kill someone? The only people that killed were the non-infected.

 

[Alex Spindler]

Stephen, as a potential counterpoint to your issues, how about:
- One thing I noticed on their way out of the city was the burning body dumps. I think there was a concerted effort early on to clean up the blood and burn the bodies to halt the spread of infection (perhaps into the sewers).

- I got the impression that the infected may either try to kill you or they might be overcome with excess blood and would vomit it out. For that reason, I think the vomiting of blood becomes the primary method of communication.

- They decided to take the taxi int he tunnel because it seemed to be a shorter route than the above ground. Jim takes particular exception to this.

- Can't really help there. Frank must have spied what looked like a ramp, but I wouldn't have held my breath that it wouldn't have been stuck after it got on top of the cars.

- I think only Jim enters any buildings alone (specifically the cheeseburger stop and the church before he knew better). Other than those, Selena or others are with him.

In a way, I almost like that scene because it works as a rite of passage for Jim, in which he first has a fight and not flight response. His casualness walking out cleaning his bat is great considering how he chooses to deal with the soldiers at the end. Plus, it works well to have Major West relate to him on those terms ("doing what is necessary").

- The Army guy's seemed to want Jim to join their plan, and were only going to kill them after the Sergeant violently resisted. When they were refusing their plans to "repopulate", then they decided to kill them.

Just an alternate take.

 

[ChuckSolo]

I saw this movie on Saturday last and I really enjoyed it. I too thought that there were not enough encounters with the "infected." I was hoping for much more in the light of the way the normals took on the zombies in "Dawn of the Dead." However, this is the best horror movie I have seen since I discovered "Dog Soldiers" a few months ago.

 

[Kristoffer]

Saw this tonight and...there was a lot things I liked, but it is still not a brilliant film! And I do like Danny Boyle normally;
Okay The sergent and the soldiers decision to rape the women seemed illogical! Why don't wait and win the over with common sense? And can Hannah even have kids yet? And whats with the stupid ending? They should have ended with car crash and leave the audience in doubt of what happened! But instead in goes for the easy happy ending!!

 

[Bruce Hedtke]

Was it ever explained why the zombies were afraid of light? Or why they only attacked in darkness/night? Seems like a very contrived point because when they show the zombie that is chained up, it is during daylight and he is just as active and deranged.

When did they kill someone? The only people that killed were the non-infected.

Ok..assuming this is true and that 95% of the population didn't die but became zombies...where the hell were they? The soldiers pointed out that the fires had driven all the zombies into the countryside...but the one scene used to show a zombie "attack" involved all of 4 or 5 zombies. According to Google, 49 million people live in England and 392,000 in Manchester. Cutting the survival rate of zombies to 50%, that would still leave roughly 195,000 zombies roaming around outside of Manchester alone...and yet they're nowhere to be found. It just doesn't add up.

Bruce

 

[Michael Reuben]

Problem: in the streets of London, no blood at all, not even bodies or crashed cars. Lame.

This is addressed by the production designer in the installment of Anatomy of a Scene currently running on Sundance Channel. Because the filmmakers had control of the London streets for only very short periods of time, they couldn't dress the locations as they would have preferred. So they were forced to use the streets as they actually appeared when cleared of people, and to let the emptiness itself establish the right atmosphere. When Jim goes into the church, the pile of bodies is meant to suggest that the church was used as a makeshift morgue, which is why the bodies were piled there instead of lying in the streets. Danny Boyle took the idea from some reported instances of churches being used in this manner in Rwanda.

M.

 

[JamesHl]

Also, we can assume at least some people evacuated... though probably not a lot, I suppose.

The jet looks like an RAF Tornado to me, definitely has RAF markings on it (the big old bullseye).

What I want to know is what's the deal with the virus? How did they come upon those chimps and figure out what the deal was before the infection could spread?