28 Days Later Blu-ray delivers stunning video and great audio in this excellent Blu-ray release
A powerful virus is unleashed on the British public following a raid on a primate research facility by animal rights activists. Transmitted in a drop of blood and devastating within seconds, the virus locks those infected into a permanent state of murderous rage. Within 28 days the country is overwhelmed and a handful of survivors begin their attempts to salvage the future, little realizing that the deadly virus is not the only thing that threatens them.
28 Days Later, directed by Danny Boyle (1996's Trainspotting) and written by
Alex
Garland (2007's Sunshine) takes viewers into post-apocalyptic England where life has
ceased to exist as we know it in a mere 28 days. Jim (Cillian Murphy) awakens in a London
hospital and soon enough realizes he is alone, confused, hungry, and frightened. The film is
extremely effective in putting the viewer into Jim's shoes as he wanders deserted city streets
searching for signs of life and of what has happened.
Jim (Cillian Murphy) searches for signs of life in Rage-infested and mostly deserted London.
The film can be summarized as The Omega Man meets George Romero. Often
mislabeled as a zombie picture, 28 Days Later is anything but. It surely has its roots in
zombie lore, but the true antagonist of the film is "Rage," a disease transferred by blood that,
within 20 seconds of being introduced to the body, reduces the victim to a crazed, sub-human
"monster" with one goal: to kill anything it lays eyes on. And unlike the lethargic zombies found
in Romero's "Dead" films, these "infected" move quickly. This adds greatly to the sense of
urgency and horror felt both by the audience and by the characters in the movie. Several scenes
sparked memories from both 1978's Dawn of the Dead and its sequel, Day of the
Dead (specifically the "Bub" subplot) and in turn 28 Days Later has infused new life
into the genre, influencing the 2004 remake of Dawn of the Dead which features fast-
moving zombies.
By the end of the film, 28 Days Later leaves its audience
asking, "are we really any better (or different, for that matter) than the infected?" It is not only
a horror film, but also a study in human nature. When society breaks down, so to do people.
This is certainly not a new concept and is one that has been seen in film before, but is effectively
presented in the film's third act. 28 Days Later is a frightening and gory take on the
survival-horror genre and will be remembered as a classic for years to come.
I am sure my rating here will draw the ire of many. No, this movie does not look good. But let's
not knock Fox or the disc for this. The bulk of the film was shot on a Canon DV camcorder. The
picture is what it is and this disc represents it as well as you will ever see it. This 1080p Blu-ray is
presented in its original 1.85:1 anamorphic aspect ratio. Yes, there is a lot of edge enhancement
and grain, the picture appears extremely soft and blurred, and there is very little detail. Again, this
is simply a result of the shortcomings of the original video and not of the disc. The film is presented
as it was intended and shot. "It's beautiful for urban work. It has a grittiness about it that's
magnificent," director Danny Boyle says in the featurette on the disc regarding his decision to shoot
on DV over film. The film's final moments were shot in 35mm and looks as wonderful as one would
expect form a Blu-ray disc. Colors are vibrant and pop off the screen. The image is detailed and
clear, rivaling that of most of the better Blu-ray discs in production. View this movie based on the
merit of the strong, engaging story and not for the look of the film, which does add to the sense of
dread and hopelessness of the story.
Fox, as usual, has included a DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless audio track on this disc. For those without the
ability to decode this track, it can be scaled down to a 1.5 MBPs core track. Also included are
French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital tracks and English, Spanish, Cantonese, and Korean subtitles.
The film's third act is where the DTS track truly shines. Rain envelopes the viewer and gunfire is
heard coming form every direction. Dialogue is crisp and natural. Much of the music has a slightly
distorted, "old" quality to it that perfectly blends in with the look of the film.
All of the supplements from the original standard definition DVD are carried over here. First is the
feature commentary track with Danny Boyle and Alex Garland. The duo discusses creating the
look
of a deserted London and filming during the aftermath of 9/11, among other things. Despite
several pauses, it is a good track and worth a listen to for even casual fans of the film. Next up is
a
very impressive featurette entitled Pure Rage: The Making of 28 Days Later. This piece
discusses not only the technical specs of the making of the film but also the current fear over
real-
life infectious diseases, such as foot-and-mouth disease and the very real possibility of them
spreading quickly, much like the "rage" featured in the film. Also included are deleted scenes and
alternate endings, a Jacknife Lee music video, a production still gallery with commentary from
Danny Boyle, a Polaroid gallery with an introduction by Danny Boyle, animated storyboards, and
trailers for this and other Fox movies (28 Weeks Later, Alien vs. Predator,
From Hell, and Sunshine). All trailers are presented in 1080p with Dolby Digital
5.1 surround sound.
28 Days Later is a terrifying look at the ravages of an infectious disease spreading quickly
throughout society. With nods to classics of the survival-horror pictures, the film creates its own
identity and breathes new life into the genre. The film is fast paced, violent and both highly
frightening and highly entertaining. Rest assured, the image you see on the screen is the image
the director intended you to see. Fox has delivered 28 Days Later exactly as it should be
in terms of both the audio and video quality. A nice set of supplements round out a strong disc.
Recommended.
Fox and MGM have revealed 29 upcoming Blu-ray releases. Included are 19 catalog titles from Fox and MGM, and 10 new release titles to be sold day-and-date with their DVD releases. These titles include 'Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer' and 'Live Free or ...
