While being remarkably gory and occasionally gross, 28 Days Later is also remarkably rational and knowing...
Video:
The first thing I noticed about the picture quality was that it didn't look like most of Fox's DVD transfers. Fox studios usually produce a well-defined, crystal-clear image, and this was anything but. The picture is blurry and ill-focused, even in broad-daylight shots. Then it dawned on me to check and see if the film was photographed with a digital camera. It was, using a Canon XL-1S. I suppose shooting digitally is cheaper than using regular film stock, but the results are immediately apparent and in this case quite a bit inferior. It's possible the filmmakers were trying to create a surrealistic feeling with their digital picture, but I just found it annoying and hard on the eyes. And things are not helped by most of the story taking place either indoors or at night in dark, shadowy locales. The transfer itself, however, is clean and well managed, presented in an enhanced, anamorphic ratio measuring approximately 1.74:1 across a normal television screen. Too bad about the smeary haziness of the original print, though. Curse you, George Lucas, for encouraging this sort of thing before its time.
Audio:
The audio is of much higher quality than the video, the Dolby Digital 5.1 reproduction exhibiting lightning-fast transient response and robust bass. Of course, the dynamic range is also quite wide, resulting in one's wanting to turn the volume up during moments of dialogue and turn it back down during episodes of intense action, aural effects, and music. The surrounds are used to good advantage, with well-managed and highly directional signals directed to the rear speakers for things like wind, rain, thunder, sirens, gunshots, running footsteps, and the like. The audio becomes as much a part of the horror experience as anything we see on screen, and the audio is a lot clearer to boot.
Extras:
The extras on this "Widescreen Special Edition" include the obligatory audio commentary, this one with director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland, but, equally important, three alternative endings. The film itself contains the ending that was initially released to theaters. Then, there is the ending the filmmakers had originally wanted but only added for the movie's theatrical rerelease a short while after its first run. Then there's yet another ending, much the same as the first but with one very important difference I can't explain. Finally, there's a fourth ending called the "Radical Ending," which changes the whole last third of the film; this one was never filmed, though, and is done entirely in storyboards with the filmmakers narrating the action. The four endings range from happy to bleak, so take your pick.
Following the alternative endings, there are six deleted scenes with optional filmmaker commentary, plus a twenty-four minute featurette, "Pure Rage: The Making of 28 Days Later," that involves interviews with most of the cast and crew. The extras conclude with two still photo galleries, production and Polaroid pictures; some marketing items like trailers, storyboards, and a Jacknife Lee music video; and thirty-two scene selections. English, French, and Spanish are offered as spoken language options, with English and Spanish for subtitles.
Parting Thoughts:
While being remarkably gory and occasionally gross, "28 Days Later" is also remarkably rational and knowing, especially in its insights into societal ills and the pitfalls of human nature. Let's call it the thinking person's version of "The Omega Man" or "The Last Man on Earth." It's not a movie for everyone, as its R rating for violence and profanity will attest, but it's a movie that should keep audiences involved for its full 113 minutes, without room for pause. Unless, of course, you consider that the whole film may give one room for pause. You know, there aren't too many zombie pictures that leave time for thought.
The first thing I noticed about the picture quality was that it didn't look like most of Fox's DVD transfers. Fox studios usually produce a well-defined, crystal-clear image, and this was anything but. The picture is blurry and ill-focused, even in broad-daylight shots. Then it dawned on me to check and see if the film was photographed with a digital camera. It was, using a Canon XL-1S. I suppose shooting digitally is cheaper than using regular film stock, but the results are immediately apparent and in this case quite a bit inferior. It's possible the filmmakers were trying to create a surrealistic feeling with their digital picture, but I just found it annoying and hard on the eyes. And things are not helped by most of the story taking place either indoors or at night in dark, shadowy locales. The transfer itself, however, is clean and well managed, presented in an enhanced, anamorphic ratio measuring approximately 1.74:1 across a normal television screen. Too bad about the smeary haziness of the original print, though. Curse you, George Lucas, for encouraging this sort of thing before its time.
Audio:
The audio is of much higher quality than the video, the Dolby Digital 5.1 reproduction exhibiting lightning-fast transient response and robust bass. Of course, the dynamic range is also quite wide, resulting in one's wanting to turn the volume up during moments of dialogue and turn it back down during episodes of intense action, aural effects, and music. The surrounds are used to good advantage, with well-managed and highly directional signals directed to the rear speakers for things like wind, rain, thunder, sirens, gunshots, running footsteps, and the like. The audio becomes as much a part of the horror experience as anything we see on screen, and the audio is a lot clearer to boot.
Extras:
The extras on this "Widescreen Special Edition" include the obligatory audio commentary, this one with director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland, but, equally important, three alternative endings. The film itself contains the ending that was initially released to theaters. Then, there is the ending the filmmakers had originally wanted but only added for the movie's theatrical rerelease a short while after its first run. Then there's yet another ending, much the same as the first but with one very important difference I can't explain. Finally, there's a fourth ending called the "Radical Ending," which changes the whole last third of the film; this one was never filmed, though, and is done entirely in storyboards with the filmmakers narrating the action. The four endings range from happy to bleak, so take your pick.
Following the alternative endings, there are six deleted scenes with optional filmmaker commentary, plus a twenty-four minute featurette, "Pure Rage: The Making of 28 Days Later," that involves interviews with most of the cast and crew. The extras conclude with two still photo galleries, production and Polaroid pictures; some marketing items like trailers, storyboards, and a Jacknife Lee music video; and thirty-two scene selections. English, French, and Spanish are offered as spoken language options, with English and Spanish for subtitles.
Parting Thoughts:
While being remarkably gory and occasionally gross, "28 Days Later" is also remarkably rational and knowing, especially in its insights into societal ills and the pitfalls of human nature. Let's call it the thinking person's version of "The Omega Man" or "The Last Man on Earth." It's not a movie for everyone, as its R rating for violence and profanity will attest, but it's a movie that should keep audiences involved for its full 113 minutes, without room for pause. Unless, of course, you consider that the whole film may give one room for pause. You know, there aren't too many zombie pictures that leave time for thought.
Average user rating (1-5):
[release]11172[/release]