Movie Waffle | 28 Days Later (2002) - A Godless Guide to Avoiding the Rapture

28 Days Later (2002) directed by Danny Boyle - Let this movie be a warning to all good Evangelicals out there: if your head gets bashed in on the day of the Rapture you can kiss your dreams of paradise goodbye because apparently God discriminates against the comatose. My goodness British horror plays with themes of isolation and loneliness a lot.

28 Days Later centers around Mr. Irish generic man who wakes up from a coma buck naked some [insert movie title here] to find the populace of London has vanished. Luckily for our protagonist, as he bumbles about the haunting landscapes of landmarks he realizes that he didn’t miss the Rapture. Instead a UK rabies virus has turned everyone into raging zombies. You know: as it do. 

It’s a perfectly well-made film, even if it doesn’t bring anything noteworthy to the table. It’s your typical “Monsters are bad, but humans are the real monsters” affair. Still the plot is coherent, and there exists a dash of chaotic and surreal energy that is common in non-American films that I enjoy; there will be a bout of unforgiving brutality accompanied by metal before swapping to a serene scene with classical music.

There is a tendency to treat its audience like idiots though. All the evidence for the final “revelation” is plainly laid out within the first ten minutes, yet it is still treated like this big epiphany. This bleeds into more physical props as well: I think Laocoon is a cool statue showing struggle and misery too, but shoving it into my face every other scene ain't subtle.

So much of the tension only happens in the plot because the movie demands that it happens. Grade F critical thinking and stupid set pieces abound.

Yet, despite all the faff, it was a fun ride. And, honestly, that’s all a decent horror movie really need be.