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Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, Brendan Gleeson, Megan Burns, Christopher Eccleston ... see more see more... , Marvin Campbell , Sanjay Rambaruth , Ray Panthaki , Junior Laniyan , Leo Bill , Ricci Harnett , Stuart McQuarrie , Luke Mably , Justin Hackney , Kim McGarrity , Alexander Delamere , Emma Hitching , Christopher Dunne , Toby Sedgwick , David Schneider , Jukka Hiltunen , Bindu De Stoppani , Alex Palmer , Noah Huntley

Animal rights activists free a group of infected chimpanzees to horrifying results in this speculative sci-fi horror effort from Trainspotting director Danny Boyle. Waking from a coma in a deserted Lo... read more read more...ndon hospital 28 days later, bicycle courier Jim (Cillian Murphy) takes to the deserted city streets in a state of mystified confusion. Joining forces with another group of survivors following a terrifying encounter in a seemingly abandoned church, Jim soon learns the truth behind the deserted streets and the menacing creatures that lurk in the shadows. It's soon revealed that the chimpanzees had been harboring a deadly virus that sends its victims into a furious, murderous rage, and in the days following the initial exposure, the entire population was nearly wiped out due to the resulting homicidal rampage. Is there still a glimmer of hope for humanity -- or has the deadly "rage" virus found its way to foreign shores and infected the entire planet? ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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82% liked it

436,034 ratings

Critics

88% liked it

205 critics

R, 1 hr. 39 min.

Directed by: Danny Boyle

Release Date: June 27, 2003

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DVD Release Date: October 21, 2003

Stats: 38,677 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (38,677)

  • garyX
    March 22, 2012
    garyX
    A young bicycle courier wakes up from surgery in central London to find it completely deserted, until he is attacked by a horde of rabid people screaming for his blood. Danny Boyle's spin on the zombie movie, although as inevitably generic as you'd expect has enough quirks to mak... read moree it stand out from an overpopulated crowd. The English locations alone are enough to give it an unusual flavour and the scenes that show him wandering through the empty city are genuinely spooky. When "the infected" appear it settles down into the usual cliches but at least Boyle understands the genre better than most and concentrates on the psychological horror of the death of civilisation and the zombie attacks have the requisite tension and suspense. Unfortunately the second half of the film is far weaker than the first. Christopher Eccleston's squad of troops operating on the ragged edge clearly owe a debt to Romero's Day Of The Dead and are quite believable British versions of their gung ho American counterparts, although this sequence suffers for some weak dialogue and poor performances. Add an unsatisfying conclusion which is nothing more than a half-hearted 50s B-Movie happy ending and 28 Days Later can hardly be described as perfect, but it's different enough to be worth a look.
  • blkbomb
    March 4, 2012
    blkbomb
    Jim: That was longer than a heartbeat. 

    "The Days Are Numbered."

    When watching a zombie film there are things you expect. You expect it to be gruesome, disgusting, violent, dark, and depressing. That's the genre. With 28 Days Later, Danny Boyle made a "zombie" film that is ever... read moreything I just described the genre to be. Somehow though, it seems different from other movies like it. It's more gruesome and much more bleak. A lot of that has to do with Boyle's incredible direction and the gritty way the film is shot. 

    28 Days Later follows Jim, who has just awoken from a coma 28 days after an infection has swept across England. Animals and humans are infected and there aren't many people left uninfected. Jim manages to run into a few survivors who are trying to find somewhere safe to go, in a time where there is nowhere safe to go. 

    Few horror films have affected me, and no zombie movie ever has. That still hasn't changed, but I have to say that 28 Days Later is the creepiest zombie movie I have ever seen. Hardcore Romero fans will argue that this is cheap and goes against everything that has been established in the genre. The infected are running, and guess what I find that scarier. Something about flesh hungry runners make them scarier than the lumbering of a flesh hungry Romero zombie. It might be that these can actually catch you.

    This has a raw feeling and atmosphere that 95% of zombie movies and horror movies period, lack. It has a dirty, grisly feeling to it, that is unmatched in this dirty, grisly genre. This is definitely going to be a genre classic for years to come, along with Night and Dawn of the Dead. This is what the genre is made of.
  • aquateen2
    February 1, 2012
    aquateen2
    28 Days Later isn't just a good horror movie but a decently constructed movie in general. It's smart and it has a political backstory, it's got an interesting plot, likable characters, scares, comedy and it's own unique style of atmosphere that will scare the hell outta you. In m... read morey opinion, it's better than Slumdog Millionare (also directed by Danny Boyle).
  • FrizzDrop
    January 5, 2012
    FrizzDrop
    One of the better modern zombie films that arenā(TM)t a retelling, adaptation, or have a comic book basis. This isn't exactly anything new or extraordinary, but was entertaining, and one could argue it also works as a coming of age or life changing story about a young man's abrup... read moret evolution in demeanor in the face of a crisis. This film does show the beginning of the outbreak, the scientific aspects, and the wide spread of the disease and how the world reacts in the face of these atrocities; the panic, lack of emotion, and bottomless fear. The politics, military inclusion, and death toll are all emphasized in this unlike many of the Dead series of Romero fame. Those films better show a singular person's plight and response to what is going on around them with lack of information. This film does that well while also hinting towards the global response. Besides our characters usual situational standard, they also travel, and run amidst a group of wayward soldiers who have all gone mad with power. This is where I have a problem with the film. Zombie films are usual about the mass populous being zombie-like entities that follow the ways of what is popular, what is in the media, or advertising. While Night of the Living Dead didn't have a clear cut message, Dawn of the Dead was all about mall culture and the addictive power of buying. This one pulls into the moralistic message of the human condition, showing that without any sense of rule, of any law or order, man would break down and kill each other for survival. Looking over the alternate ending choices I would have much preferred one of them, much bleaker and understandably chosen. I did like the actual choices made, the stellar direction from Danny Boyle, and the great cast choices of usual creeper Cillian Murphy, later Pirates of the Caribbean witch Naomi Harris, 7th Doctor Christopher Eccelston, and lovable Brendan Gleeson. The story is kind of humdrum, but the actual action, the thoughtful ways they survive and ways they are saved and save each other really resonated. I especially didn't like the romantic element they thrust in for good measure and Jim's ensuing storyline and character development. Still, this really is one of the best zombie films of all time.
  • samoriley
    November 16, 2011
    samoriley
    Its gruesome, its gritty, its absolutely great. This is quite possibly the greatest zombie film since George A.Romero's 'Dawn of the Dead'.
  • fb733768972
    October 30, 2011
    fb733768972
    "28 Days Later" is the pinnacle of horror/zombie apocalypse movies! It provides the drama that a lot of horror films seem to miss, Cillian Murphy's performance is incredible, the zombies are lifelike, the choice of camera placement is phenomenal, and the dialogue is very true and... read more believable, as far as zombie flicks can go. As the infection begins to spread through the innards of monkeys and chimps, it is soon released unto to the world. 28 days later, we are involved in the life of a hospital patient as he wakes up to realize his world has been taken over. This fictional story of courage, terror, and survial, is definitely one of the best zombie films I have ever seen. It may have it's moments where it may be too long of a film for it's own good, but it makes use of the time that it has and does it with style. "28 Days Later" is fantastic!
  • StarCrossedVoyager
    October 23, 2011
    StarCrossedVoyager
    Not exactly original in terms of story, but the cinematography and brilliant shots of an empty London make this film something else. Towards the end it did get slightly strange but still a good film from Boyle.
  • fb1664868775
    October 23, 2011
    fb1664868775
    My favorite zombie film. In my opinion, Boyle hits the nail on the head. The gritty camera work only heightens the tension.
  • TheGame90
    September 18, 2011
    TheGame90
    This is pretty much the same exact plot as Resident Evil. It's a good movie. But the last half hour wasn't so good. It was a little wierd. The first 15 minutes when he wakes up and walks through the empty streets of London was pretty nice directed. That was the best part of the m... read moreovie.
  • theunknownhobo
    July 17, 2011
    theunknownhobo
    I did not think this movie was as epic as most people did but still it made a reasonably good zombie story. I happened to actually see it for the first time at dawn in central London and looking out on the empty city streets was quite daunting and probably made the movie scarier ... read morethan it actually was.

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Critic Reviews

Peter Rainer
August 7, 2004
Peter Rainer, New York Magazine

It makes for a more intimate brand of horror, one we can't explain away by pretending we're watching the same old well-oiled Hollywood malarkey. Full Review

Rex Reed
July 1, 2003
Rex Reed, New York Observer

In the old days, a feverish programmer like 28 Days Later would end up on the bottom half of a double bill. Full Review

Richard Roeper
June 30, 2003
Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper

... really creepy and really scary ... Full Review

Andrew O'Hehir
June 28, 2003
Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com

I enjoyed watching this film, mostly because Murphy and Harris make such an appealing central couple to build a new world around. But nobody should mistake this for a killer-zombie movie with real soul. Full Review

Ann Hornaday
June 27, 2003
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post

Detestable, not just because its action is so vile or its technique so crude, but because its moral imagination is so impoverished. Full Review

Peter Howell
June 27, 2003
Peter Howell, Toronto Star

Director Boyle and screenwriter Alex Garland have rebounded smartly from the bloated Leonardo DiCaprio debacle that was The Beach, their previous collaboration. Full Review

Mick LaSalle
June 27, 2003
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

It has eerie images, a compelling situation and an unusual capacity to surprise. Full Review

Joe Baltake
June 27, 2003
Joe Baltake, Sacramento Bee

To each his own apocalypse, so to speak, but Danny Boyle has come up with a whopper. Full Review

Roger Moore
June 27, 2003
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel

Derivative but horrifically effective.

Rick Groen
June 27, 2003
Rick Groen, Globe and Mail

[Boyle's] back on British turf here and in fine dark form. Full Review

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    • Selena: It started as rioting. But right from the beginning you knew this was different. Because it was happening in small villages, market towns. And then it wasn't on the TV any more. It was in the street outside. It was coming in through your windows. It was a virus. An infection. You didn't need a doctor to tell you that. It was the blood. It was something in the blood. By the time they tried to evacuate the cities it was already too late. Army blockades were overrun. And that's when the exodus started. Before the TV and radio stopped broadcasting there were reports of infection in Paris and New York. We didn't hear anything more after that.
    • Selena: Hannah, it's OK. He's not infected.
    • Hannah: But I thought he was biting you.
    • Jim: Kissing. I was kissing her. Are you stoned?
    • Selena: It's a long story.
    • Maj. Henry West: This is what I've seen in the four weeks since infection. People killing people. Which is much what I saw in the four weeks before infection, and the four weeks before that, and before that, and as far back as I care to remember. People killing people. Which to my mind, puts us in a state of normality right now.
    • Jim: No, no. No, see, this is a really shit idea. You know why? Because it's really obviously a shit idea.
    • Selena: It started as rioting. But right from the beginning you knew this was different. Because it was happening in small villages, market towns. And then it wasn't on the TV any more. It was in the street outside. It was coming in through your windows. It was a virus. An infection. You didn't need a doctor to tell you that. It was the blood. It was something in the blood. By the time they tried to evacuate the cities it was already too late. Army blockades were overrun. And that's when the exodus started. Before the TV and radio stopped broadcasting there were reports of infection in Paris and New York. We didn't hear anything more after that.
    • Jim: Oh, great. Valium. Not only will we be able to go to sleep, if we get attacked in the middle of the night, we won't even care.
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28 Days Later Trivia

  • Which movie has this tagline : " The Days Are Numbered "  Answer »
  • In the horror film "28 Days Later," to which popular British city are the four survivors trying to reach (they are seeking soldiers, who have an "answer to curing the infected.")?  Answer »
  • 28 Weeks Later is the sequel to which film?  Answer »
  • complete the films title _ days later  Answer »
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