28 DAYS LATER--[spoilers]

[wickednick]

I don't know why people keep comparing 28dl to other zombie flicks.28dl actually has far less in common with other zombie moves.
skaboi wrote
Having been dying to see this since it's inital release over in Europe, I was even more estatic about it being released in America. I now have mixed feelings after having watched it. I feel that it takes too much from NOTLD, DawnOTD, DayOTD, and the other Romero classic The Crazies.

Trapped In The Mansion-NOTLD

Ravishing A Supermarket-Dawn

Tied Up Zombie For Experiments-Day

Army Controlling The Situation-Crazies
To say that 28dl had ideas stolen from any of the above movies is incorect.A few things that are simular to other zombie movies does not mean that the ideas were borowed, but instead were just needed parts of the plot.The points you mention are small and insignificant, and this movie actually has little to do with the movies you mentioned.Also in night of the living dead they were not trapped in a mansion, they were in a farm house.You could say that all movies have borrowed from other movies if you are critical enough of them.Come on it wasn't like they got trapped in a shopping mall while a biker gang chases them around.

[Matthew Wilson]

I love 28 Days Later. But for those of you defending it as being the second-coming of horror movies...  don't kid yourselves!!

. These guys obviously have watched Romero, Omega Man, Days of the Triffids, Quiet Earth, etc. They are well-versed in the genre. When I watched it the first time the similarities just kept jumping off the screen, and it seemed obvious that they were reassembling the coolest bits and pieces of several end-of-the-world/zombie-type movies into their own movie.

Hey, I'm not knocking it. I think it's great, but lets give credit where credit is due. And don't take my word for it. Here's an excerpt from an interview with the director, Danny Boyle:

"Alex Garland [the film's writer] is a big zombie fan. But also he's a big fan of the sci-fi writing of J.G. Ballard. He also likes the The Day of the Triffids, the John Wyndham novel, and Boris Sagal's film, The Omega Man . We were not stealing, but nothing can stand on its own anymore -- there is always some reference point. So in a sense maybe, we do steal stuff and then try and put it together in a different way. We wanted a horror/zombie film, but we also wanted it to be more emotional than horror films normally are. We wanted you to genuinely care about these people."

Mmmkay?

For the full interview go here:
http://www.res.com/magazine/articles/28dayslateraninterviewwithdannyboyle_2003-05-21.html

[jmc]

I think that's some of its weakness, that the director isn't really a horror film person.
I wouldn't be surprised to find out that the original screenplay had more horror elements.

[Brownsugar]

I watched the movie recently on tape and was scared out of my mind.......considering i watched it in the dead of night, around 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning.

I had to watch regular cable tv so that i don't go to sleep with it on my mind and get nighmares...

Those monsters weren't like regular slow zombies, they were like zombies on steroids!

They were jittery and fast......

Anyway the point of my response was to query the ending....

I didn't quit get.......

When the jet passed over their HELLO sign did he respond to base by saying "Yes I saw something"? or "Naw, didn't see anything?"


> Went to see 28 DAYS LATER this afternoon and was basically
> disappointed.  I enjoyed the premise, but it seemed to break
> down and attempt to do things too quickly.  I thought it was a
> little too "artsy" in its execution and really didn't like the
> way the action scenes were done.    
>
> In a way, the premise is the problem--we only see the aftermath
> of the plague, not the chaos or the breakdown in society.
> There were a few things that I found hard to believe--how could
> the hero have been able to survive in a coma in the hospital?
> Wouldn't it stand to reason that the hospitals be one of the
> more dangerous places to be?  Perhaps not, since the infection
> occurs in a matter of seconds, but he seemed rather vulnerable
> at the beginning of the film.
>
> I thought the actress who played Hannah the young girl was
> terrible, especially in the scene where her father dies.  
>
> There are a few good scenes here and there [I like the one
> where they see Manchester in flames], but I think I would have
> rather waited for video.

[Conrad]

From what I remember, the director had a Finnish friend speak the last few words - something along the lines of "There are survivors - send a helicopter"

[Chuck]

Funny, in the scene where he first sees a plane I figured they'd end up getting bombed by one and killed in the end thus keeping in line with the theme of the movie. I think I actually would have respected the movie had that been the case. The happy ending was somewhat satisfying, but seemed a bit insincere. A bit contrived. And I guess that's what in fact happened.

[Latex Zebra]

I thought it was good solid addition to the genre.
The bit at the end where he sticks his thumbs in the soldiers eyes is toe curlingly gruesome.
It was a pretty low budget film as well, I think they did a great job.

The end, yes, maybe a little too happy. I think given how traumatising the later part of the film was, what with the Army just wanting the women to rape basically. Harrowing stuff on top of already heavy subject matter.

A happy ending isn;t that bad a thing.