Review of 28 Days Later (2002) by Legitsalt — 25 May 2018

This is a movie that I have been meaning to get around to for a while now. After having finally seen it, I can say that I was not disappointed. From the time that Cillian wakes up, until the time that he reaches the gas station, I was completely engaged.

The long wide shots and tracking shots that showed how lonely and empty the world was really helped build up tension and atmosphere. The movie ended on a nice cliff-hanger, keeping you guessing and wondering, but with a hopeful tone.

I also thought it was potentially confusing that the scene wherein Cillian actually wakes up was shot the exact same way as his dream sequence. Because of this, I wasn't sure whether it was all a dream, or if that was an unintentional side effect of using digital film.

I really enjoyed the movie's thematic elements, posing the rhetorical question of "What makes a human?". Christopher Eccleston's character did a good job portraying a character that justified his, otherwise unacceptable actions, with the epidemic that took so many lives.

There were several other characters and remarks that added to this theme. One such occurrence is when the soldiers were making a game out of taking 'human' lives. The first part of the opening worked really well as a "narration" of sorts, truly hitting home the "show don't tell" concept.

Unfortunately, the entire opening was not this way, for when the scientist guy showed up and tried to explain the monkeys, he explains that "They are infected with rage", which I felt was a stupid explanation, this took me out of the experience.

The youngest girl has some absolutely terrible line delivery and acting, but the bad line delivery was not limited to her. Overall the child actor was pretty garbage, but there were a few scenes in which she performed above average.

Overall, I would recommend this to fans of zombie films and/or 'The Walking Dead', due to its bleak and somewhat slow pace, depicting an apocalyptic world.