28 Days Later (2002)
In the 1990s and 2000s, a reconception of zombies took place within pop culture. And while that reconception was underway, it was Danny Boyle who, in 28 Days Later, formulated this reconception for mainstream cinema.
Once lumbering and acting as if in a trance, the new infected by Boyle are vicious. They sprint at their prey with abandon. A single drop of their blood can infect you and, making matters worse, they frequently and violently projectile vomit blood in proximity to uninfected humans. Even the name of the virus recharacterizes the zombie concept: RAGE.
Boyle creates a successful visual connection at the beginning of the film, as the test subjects are fed images of destruction and violence. While Romero spoke of conformity and consumerism, 28 Days Later addresses some thematic issues more directly. It may be that the grand violence on display in the film is simply meant as a reflection of humanity's darker self.
Our story is simple and the same as any zombie story: a group of survivors, thrown together, must set out in search of some sort of refuge. And as is always the case, the efficacy of this depends upon the richness of our characters and the performances behind them.
Cillian Murphy and Naomie Harris, as Jim and Selena, nail their dynamic as a duo who have real chemistry which is heavily complicated by their circumstances. In this film, Brendan Gleeson's Frank is everyone's father, by bond if not by blood. At one point, when half-awoken from a nightmare, Jim even calls Frank "dad."
Christopher Eccleston, as the Major, is at his most fascinating when examining an infected soldier: "He's telling me he'll never bake bread [...] He's telling me he's futureless. And eventually he'll tell me how long the infected take to starve to death." Our villain is a pragmatist to a fault, seen in him dangerously keeping an infected alive as a part of a long-term strategy. Furthermore, he agrees to give a woman and child over to his soldiers for their pleasure because he believes it will keep order and result in procreation. Many of his other conclusions have potential value, such as understanding the infected and the need for the living to reassert order. But in other ways, he is operating off his own post-apocalyptic vision wherein he ushers society back to the fore.
Having seen our family form and experience loss, things only get worse. Taken advantage of by the group of soldiers, our characters are forced to fight at great disadvantage; the violence seen in doing so is extreme and effective. The music here, while simple and repetitious, perfectly suits the brutality of what we are seeing and does a fantastic job of building tension. It has also become something of a staple within the subgenre, with many zombie works seeking similar sonic identities.
Danny Boyle's depiction of human conduct in the wake of catastrophe is made most apparent in a quote from the Major: "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."
Danny Boyle's version of zombies is not only a welcome iteration; it is a much-needed modernization. Intense, frightful, and technically well executed, 28 Days Later is at home among the best zombie films yet produced.