Movies Dec. 10, 2007 -- "In-fec-ted with WHAT?!"

The promoters of Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later spun it as some sort of zombie horror film with rave reviews shouting that this film is "Scary as Hell!" My opinion apparently differs slightly from the norm.

28 Days Later is one of the most suspenseful movies I have ever seen. I was on edge and waiting to breathe for most, if not all, of the film. The cinematography is incredibly dark and immensely cold at times.

The feel of the film is more like a documentary than anything else - chalk that up to the digital and jerky handheld style it was shot in. Danny Boyle (director of Trainspotting, The Beach, and A Life Less Ordinary) took the insanity of the script written by Alex Garland and quite literally ran with it. The jerkiness and washed-out color scheme completely succeed in adding suspense, confusion and exhaustion to the audience experience.

It should be noted that this is not the first "last people on earth" kind of movie that Danny Boyle has directed. In the year 2000, Boyle directed The Beach starring Leonardo DiCaprio. In the film DiCaprio's character, Richard, finds a map leading to a special island. Once there, he meets others who inhabit the wonderland and a similar "Lord of the Flies" theme ensues. You might also find it interesting to know that the writer of 28 Days Later was also the author of The Beach (the novel).

The acting is excellent, and utterly realistic. The performances kept me completely wrapped up in suspense. And although the film doesn't spend a ton of time on character development, you are given enough information to care about the characters when they encounter their many pitfalls and narrow escapes.

The soundtrack is also noteworthy. The music plays a large part in the film, heightening the terror in a number of ways. However it's almost more interesting to listen to the lighter pieces in the film. In particular, both the Brian Eno track titled "An Ending (Ascent)" and Grandaddy's "A.M. 180" seem to be very carefully chosen and well-used pieces.

The only downside I could attach to this film is that everything I saw about it made it out to be a zombie movie. It's not. No matter what anyone says, it's not a zombie movie. Do they act like zombies? Sure... kind of. Are they? No. According to Webster's and myself a zombie is something that was dead and came back to life to kill other living human beings (preferrably by eating their brains). In 28 Days Later the so-called "zombies" are merely victims of an infection. It makes them perform zombie-like actions, but they are not zombies.

Zombie zombie zombie.

That's a fun word.

113 min. Directed by: Danny Boyle. 20th Century Fox

Rated: R

If You Liked This, You'd Probably Like: Playing Urban Dead!

- Zombie Masters