28 Days Later

The eerily and utterly empty streets of a looted London in the early scenes of 28 Days Later are a perfectly chilling mood setter for the gritty neo-B-movie horror to follow in this incisive, underground-styled revival of the zombie flick genre. Bike messenger Jim (Cillian Murphy) awakes from a car accident coma in a deserted hospital and stumbles down street after echoing street until discovered and attacked by what's left of London's infection-decimated population--now feral, mindless, furiously blood-lusting mutants. With the help of other survivors, he escapes to the last bastion of humanity in England, a remote military base broadcasting an SOS on the radio. But what if the commander there (Christopher Eccleston) is leading his men down a path of ominously instinctual survivalist tendencies more alarming than the relentless zombie onslaught? Written by cult author Alex Garland, directed by Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, Garland's The Beach), shot on inexpensive digital video, and enhanced by an edgy punk-electronic score and staccato editing, this scary reinvention of corny flesh-eating horror is a smart, darkly comical, obliquely political reflection of modern disease scares (and ironically well-timed, considering this year's SARS panic). Recommended. [Note: Available in both widescreen and full screen editions, DVD extras include audio commentary by director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland, a “Pure Rage” making-of featurette, six deleted scenes with optional commentary, three alternate endings with optional commentary, a production gallery with commentary, a Polaroid gallery with commentary, storyboards, a music video by Jacknife Lee, and trailers. Bottom line: a meaty extras package for one of the year's better thrillers.] (R. Blackwelder)