#156 -- 28 Days Later (2002)

Director: Danny Boyle
Rating: 4/5

I saw this movie when it first came out, but I was twelve at the time, so I didn't really remember that much about it. I didn't really know that much about zombies at the time either, so even if I did remember it, I don't think I would have been able to appreciate it the way I do now. In this one, the zombie is re-invented, to the point that I don't really feel comfortable calling them zombies. They're so much more than just zombies, and yet so much less at the same time. Before I get any further into this, I have a question for you. What is a zombie? What are the undead? The living dead? They're people who have died and then come back from the dead, yes? So, at one point, they'd have to be dead. The "zombies" in 28 Days Later were never dead. They were infected by a virus that turned them into monsters. So, are they zombies, really? Anyways, we start off in some kind of facility where tests are being conducted on monkeys. Yes, it all started with monkeys. First they gave us aids, then they turned us into flesh-eating monsters. Damn monkeys! It's called the Rage Virus, and it makes the infected go completely insane. 28 days later, a man wakes up in a hospital to find that there's no one else around. He's terribly confused, especially when a crazed priest tries to kill him. He meets with Selena and Mark, and they explain to him about the virus. They all help each other for a while, until Mark becomes infected and is killed by Selena. Jim and Selena eventually meet with Frank and his daughter Hannah. Frank knows of a radio broadcast, and he knows where it is located. He never wanted to go when it was only the two of them, but now he wants to find the soldiers who have been broadcasting to them. They make it to the broadcast station, only for Frank to become infected. He's killed by the soldiers, who take them back to their safe house. All seems very well at first. They're just about 100% safe with the soldiers looking after them. They have shelter, beds, showers, food, and company. The only thing is...the soldiers have ulterior motives. Since they've been living in a house full of men, they're pretty concerned about the future of the human race. Since they've now got two females with them, they're pretty hopeful. But Selena and Hannah aren't too into that idea, and the whole thing turns into a rape fest. Jim tries to stop them, but he's cast away into the woods to die. He makes his way back, determined to save the girls. But to do that, he'll have to kill all the soldiers. And what better way to do that than unleashing the zombies on them? There's a pretty epic battle, a lot of blood and zombie action, and it's pretty wonderful.

What's great about these guys is that they're not like the zombies we're used to. They're motivated by the same hunger, sure, but their methods are different. First of all, these motherfuckers are fast. They're not dumb and mindless either; they know what they're doing and they usually have no problem locating their prey. It seemed to be that they still had a little bit of humanity in them. They weren't compassionate or caring or anything like that, but they didn't seem like walking corpses. To me, what makes them so terrifying is their speed. With other zombies, you can be sure that you can outrun them. If they're in a group, you'd be screwed, but for the most part they're easy to get away from. Here, just one zombie is enough to seriously mess shit up. One is scary, but a whole group of them is downright terrifying. What's also scary is the fact that it's so easy to become infected. Infection can happen through a bite, as usual, but it can also occur through contact with blood. If zombie blood is swallowed, or it gets into a cut or orifice, then that person will become infected. So, our survivors had to be extra careful around the infected. Even the dead infected could pass the virus onto them.

My boyfriend and I actually got into a little argument while we were watching this movie, and I think he was pretty disgusted with me. My issue was when the guys were trying to repopulate with the girls. I had a problem with them going after Hannah, because she was so young, but I saw no issue with Selena. I didn't understand why she wouldn't be all for repopulating. I didn't think that the rape should have been necessary. By boyfriend was angry, because he thought I was condoning rape, which I wasn't. But I believe that, as the last remaining members of the human race, it is their duty to repopulate the earth and rebuild civilization. Am I wrong? Sure, she didn't love those men, and maybe she didn't want to sleep with them. But during the zombie apocalypse, there's not a whole lot of room for love. And, again, it is her duty as a human being. What do you think? Is it necessary to repopulate?

This one was different from most zombie movies, which is awesome. It really showed us a different kind of zombie, and it showed that they can be so much more than what we're used to seeing. It was a nice change, and I enjoyed it quite a lot.