28 Days Later (Blu-ray)

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This is a very nicely crafted picture that has a classic feeling of horror and introduces questions on morality. The film provides a number of villains and before the credits roll, the audience finds themselves wondering who the more dangerous foe in the film was. The mindless Infected are dangerous and deadly because of their actions and bloodthirsty aggressiveness. However, the soldiers who kill healthy males to rape their women companions are perhaps more evil and ruthless than the mindless Infected. In a film where the heroes turn out to be villains, the question of human morality and our own place in the world comes into question. "28 Days Later" poses the question as to who is really good and who is really evil. Even Jim is inherently evil when he goes on a murderous rampage. About the only person who isn´t necessarily bad in their fight to survive is Hannah. These characterizations add to the "Out of the norm" feeling of "28 Days Later."

I love this film and this was easily one of my absolute favorite films of 2003. I talked many friends into watching the film after they ignored its theatrical release and have typically found others enjoy the movie as well. Danny Boyle is earning a spot on my favorite directors list as well after this and "Trainspotting" are two films I greatly enjoy. This is easily one of the best horror films in many years. The first "Saw" was clever, but its franchise has become a mindless cash cow. I´m hoping that the "28 Days Later" franchise adds a third film, but it doesn´t lose base with what has made this and the sequel good films. This is an intelligent movie that uses both calm and chaos to deliver fear and uneasiness. It was original in the mannerisms of its zombie-like Infected and created a universe that feels both believable and could present a frightening future. In the near five years since the film was released, nothing else has surpassed this film as far as serious horror movies go. Typically, horror movies are mindless excesses of gore and violence. There is no excessiveness here and this is an efficient and effective film that will one day be remembered as a classic.

Video:

I honestly wish that I did not have to write this paragraph detailing the video presentation of the 1.85:1 AVC MPEG-4 mastered film. This is a film I have greatly enjoyed over the past few years and I don´t want to deliver the news that it simply looks bad. It really does look terrible. Shot using a handheld digital camera, much of the problem with the Blu-ray release of the film is that it wasn´t shot at a high definition and watching the movie at 1080 vertical lines is above the original definition in which the film was shot. It looks blown up and murky. The whole film looked like something suffering from bad compression and this is easily the least detailed film I´ve seen on either Blu-ray or HD-DVD. Colors are intentionally washed out and the film is intended to look like a rough documentary. However, this translates to a horrendous looking movie in the world of high definition. Edges are jaggy at times and pixel patterns can be seen in many backgrounds. There really isn´t anything positive to say about "28 Days Later." I truly wish I had something good to say about this release, but in an A-B comparison to the DVD being played through the upconverting Toshiba HD-A1 player, I preferred the DVD. This movie was intended to look the way it does, but Blu-ray only amplifies its primitive appearance.

Sound:

For as bad it as it looks, "28 Days Later" sounds quite spiffy with its DTS HD 5.1 Master Lossless Audio soundtrack. This is an example of a multi-channel mix that rattles and shakes the room with an aggressive mix of deep and bellowing bass and shrill and sharp high end frequencies. The .1 LFE channel rumbles heavily during almost the entire film. Anything there is action on screen or the John Murphy score is building suspense, there is a deep rumble from the subwoofer. This was easily one of the more powerful soundtracks I´ve yet to hear when it comes to the low frequency effects channel. The higher notes are quite sharp and I can´t recall hearing any clipping. Rear surrounds are used throughout the film and help to build its gloomy and depressing atmosphere. During the hectic moments when the soldiers are being attacked in the rain, the room is filled with sound from every direction and this shows how nicely panning is handled from speaker to speaker and how much sound populates the entire film. During my A-B compare, it was easy to hear how far superior this new DTS HD 5.1 mix is and although the visuals were depressing, it sounded pretty darn good.

Extras:

All of the supplements from the older DVD have been ported to the new Blu-ray release and one additional feature is also added. A Commentary by Director Danny Boyle and Screenwriter Alex GarlandDeleted Scenes (9:21) features optional commentary with Boyle and Garland. These are above average deleted scenes and I feel a couple of them could have been reinserted into the film. I particularly liked the moments on the deserted train.

Four Alternate Endings are included on the disc. The original Alternative Theatrical Ending (4:27) and another similar Alternative Ending (2:30) contains optional commentary and are complete endings. Both look at different situations where Jim did not survive and aren´t too far from the basic ending, but a little more depressing. The Radical Alternative Ending (11:24) only can be heard with commentary and looks at a storyboarded discussion of how the film would have played out if the soldiers were not part of the story. This looked at if Jim, Hannah and Selena were the only main characters contained in the film. Boyle and Garland read the lines for the characters and Jim again dies in this ending, but it would have made for a very different picture. The fourth Hospital Dream (4:30) ending is new for the Blu-ray release and looks at another way to let Jim die, but begin and end the film in a hospital. Commentary is again optional. This was a nice inclusion for the new Blu-ray release.

A fairly lengthy documentary is also contained on the disc. The Pure Rage: The Making of 28 Days Later (24:23) feature spends time looking at the making of "28 Days Later" and takes a deep discussion on current pandemics in the world and the likelihood that a catastrophic disease could strike England and the rest of the world. This is one of the more depressing making of documentaries you will see as it discusses Foot and Mouth disease and shows many pictures of dead cows. It is unique and interesting and unlike most other making-of features you will see. This is the only making of documentary on the disc and only about fifteen minutes of it actually focus on the film, while the first ten minutes or so discuss the possibility of a pandemic killing a plethora of people.

A few smaller supplements complete the disc. The Jacknife Lee Music Video (6:22) was maybe worth watching once and showed some rather ugly scenes. The Production Still Gallery with Commentary by Danny Boyle (18:12) is pretty interesting and finds Boyle recounting these moments from the film. It doesn´t dive too deep into much, but I like the tone of this supplemental bit. The Running Polaroid Gallery with Intro by Danny Boyle (4:14) is very short and similar to the larger supplement, but this time around it is a bunch of Polaroid photos. The pictures move by fairly swiftly. Some seem to stick around a little longer than others. Boyle´s intro lasts for three minutes and ten seconds; nearly the full length of the feature. The Animated Storyboards (1:32) is very quick and an interesting look at the animated storyboards used for the film. Sadly, they inhabit only a little square on the television screen in high definition. Some Trailers and the promotional Fox on Blu-ray are also included. I´ll have to get "Sunshine" on Blu-ray.

Closing Comments:

This is a great movie and one of the better horror films released in the last decade. Danny Boyle made a name for himself as an independent filmmaker with the highly entertaining and unusual "Trainspotting." This new picture redefines the zombie genre and features great performances, a solid story and a lot of suspense mixed with some effective action sequences. This is a different kind of horror film that is just a joy to watch and easily revisited. The Blu-ray release is marred by a horribly ineffective visual presentation that shows the original source materials just were not meant for the world of high definition. Fox needs to go back to the drawing board on this one. The soundtrack, however, is quite good and I found that to be a huge improvement over the DVD release. The bonus materials are essentially everything from the original DVD release with one additional alternate ending. With an improved sound and supplements, but subpar picture, it isn´t an easy call to upgrade from DVD to this Blu-ray. Perhaps the best reasoning would simply to give the Blu-ray release of "28 Weeks Later" a family member on the shelf.

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