28 Days Later... ****

Director: Danny Boyle

Year: 2002

Writer: Alex Garland

Cinematographer: Anthony Dod Mantle

Admittedly, this is my first real zombie film. The only other film with zombies in it that I've actually sat down to watch all the way through is the very good comedy "Shaun of the Dead".

So I'm not an expert on zombie films, which seem to be able to count as their own genre considering how many titles have come out especially in the last decade which deal with zombies, presumably as an excuse for really gory violence which the audience need not feel uncomfortable about. (Because the first preoccupation of any director wanting to do a violent film is to come up with a way to de-humanize the victims so that we justify our ability to revel in the blood and guts.)

But here, in Danny Boyle's zombie film, we actually get more humanizing than de-humanizing... and not a lot of gory violence, well, until the last 15 minutes at least.

But then, the violence of the hero is aimed not towards zombies so much as the normal humans who are intent on raping two women. And while this is still a justification for violence (the choice to make the characters so evil as to threaten rape, as opposed to making the soldiers helpful) Boyle's choice is justified because it points out something interesting and valid. In a world where society has collapsed after a massive disaster, and where there is a shortage of women, and the only survivors are young, ruthless soldier types... it is more than believable that some of those men would be sexually violent towards two young, pretty women.

And the hero being one who wants to protect his friends more than someone who wants to save the damsel in distress (Selena having proven herself very witty and bad-ass previously in the film) proves that Boyle has more taste than most. There are some comic moments, and the gore really isn't too bad. Sure, the zombies who vomit blood are pretty gross, but the film never lingers on one of these bloody spectacles unless it is humanizing them, showing their suffering, or the hero's internal conflict over killing a zombie which he recognizes once was a human being.

So it wins points in that arena, in the humanizing of zombies, non-exploitation of female characters, and the choice to make normal, selfish humans the enemy rather than inconsequential zombies. But it does remember that its a zombie/action flick, and many zombies are shot, beaten, burned... you know.

Apart from that, the suspense is well built, and I really enjoyed seeing an evacuated England. It was cool to see so many diverse shots showing a vacant London.

Very well made, good flick. See it if you are in the mood for an action movie.