28 Days Later... (2002)

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General		Extras
Category	Horror	Main Menu Introduction Main Menu Audio & Animation Audio Commentary-Danny Boyle (Director) & Alex Garland (Writer) Deleted Scenes-7, With Optional Commentary Alternate Ending-With Optional Commentary Featurette-Making Of-Pure Rage Gallery-Production Stills, With Commentary Gallery-Polaroid, With Commentary Teaser Trailer Theatrical Trailer Storyboards-Animated Music Video-Jacknife Lee
Rating
Year Of Production	2002
Running Time	108:29 (Case: 112)
RSDL / Flipper	RSDL (89:39)	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	2,4	Directed By	Danny Boyle
Studio Distributor	Twentieth Century Fox	Starring	Brendan Gleeson Cillian Murphy Naomie Harris Megan Burns
Case	?
RPI	?	Music	John Murphy

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s) Italian Dolby Digital 5.1 (384Kb/s) English Audio Commentary Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	1.85:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	1.85:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	English for the Hearing Impaired Italian English Audio Commentary Italian Audio Commentary Italian Titling	Smoking	No
		Annoying Product Placement	Yes
		Action In or After Credits	No

    In this most recent and slightly derivative collaboration between director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland, a highly contagious viral disease has gripped the human population, converting those infected into mindless, angry killing machines. Only a small number of uninfected survivors remain in what is now a deserted London, hiding during periods of darkness and only surfacing in the daylight. In a quiet, empty hospital one formerly comatose patient springs to life twenty-eight days after the virus was introduced. Poor Jim (Cillian Murphy) was a bicycle courier who experienced an accident and has undergone surgery to his head - unconscious for over a month and oblivious to what has been happening around him. After wandering the desolate city alone and bewildered, he meets fellow survivor Selena (Naomie Harris), a cold and emotionally detached woman who matter-of-factly fills him in on what has tragically transpired in the last month or so.

    Jim is understandably interested in ascertaining the fate of his family and sets out to return home, a move that is both dangerous and sadly disappointing. With little left to live for, it seems he and Selena are stuck with one another until the pair come across Frank (Brendan Gleeson) and Hannah (Megan Burns), a loving father and daughter who have been surviving alone in their high-rise apartment. Armed with a simple hand-held radio Frank has intercepted a transmission detailing the location of an army barracks, offering safety and promising the answer to infection. Selena questions the validity of the message, but in reality there is little else for them to do except wait to die - so the four set off in search of the source of the transmission, hoping to find some kind of community or cure to help them survive these bleak times.

    Beneath the wonderful gore and nail-biting action of the film is a rewarding sub-text for the thinking viewer. Boyle and Garland are questioning the reliability of human nature, and man's dependence upon society and authority. Is the rage that consumes victims contained within the virus itself, or is it merely releasing man's innermost instincts - releasing him from the inhibitions or restrictions of reason imposed upon us by religion and society? Jim and Selena soon find out for themselves that uninfected, coherent men can be just as dangerous as the mindless killing machines they are running from - so who can ultimately be trusted? Are we really that far removed from those that have lost control of their inner demons?

    Boyle's apocalyptic and haunting vision of a deserted Britain is both epic and inspiring. From the images of empty highways and deserted streets to the scenes of intense action and violence this is an experience to behold. A few laughs and moments of respite are thrown in here and there, but the tension stays true, and the film succeeds in maintaining a thrilling and mysterious thread throughout.

    28 Days Later... is filled with scene after scene of recognisable references to classic horror and zombie films, most notably Charlton Heston's Omega Man and the classics by B-movie legend George Romero. Advertising and product placement is also unashamedly rampant throughout, so be warned. Whether you call it classic or label it a rip-off this remains a fun, well-made film that does the genre justice and is certainly well worth checking out if you like a good thriller.

Video

    The video transfer of this release is presented in the film's original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1, with 16x9 enhancement. Apart from the final scene, this film was shot and edited digitally, but its transfer to DVD appears to have been sourced via a film print rather than from the original digital source. Within the extra material the director acknowledges the comparative loss of detail with a digital medium but insists that this is the effect he intended.

    This is a particularly soft transfer all round with just enough detail to make foreground objects seem natural, unfortunately at the expense of background clarity. Of course this effect is most noticeable during scenes shot on location with vast scenery, but I don't feel that the film itself suffers too much as a result. Blacks appeared solid and consistent throughout the transfer, as did the level of shadow detail. There was no noticeable low level noise during the transfer.

    The film has undergone some degree of digital grading so it is not surprising that colours appear consistent and particularly rich in places, with not a hint of bleeding. Skin tones were similarly true and didn't present any real issues. I did notice a few minor examples of edge enhancement , but these were not overly distracting.

    There were no compression artefacts to speak of. Apart from some very minor grain this transfer looks great. A couple of very small specs of dust creep up here and there, such as at 42:09, but this is the extent of the film artefacts that have been introduced. Due to the softness inherent in this transfer there are absolutely no aliasing issues to worry about, which is certainly an up-side.

    An English subtitle stream is available for the hearing impaired, as well as an Italian subtitle stream. I viewed the majority of the film with English subtitles activated and found them to be relatively easy to read, and generally true to the spoken word.

    This disc is dual layered (RSDL formatted), with the layer transition placed towards the end of the feature at 83:39. The pause is located between scenes and noticeably interrupts atmospheric sound and movement on screen. I'm a little surprised that none of the many still, silent moments in the film were used for this purpose.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

    There are three audio options available with the feature, two of which are Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtracks in English and Italian respectively. A feature commentary by director Danny Boyle with writer Alex Garland is also included. I listened to the English audio and director's commentary in their entirety.

    Vocal delivery and enunciation is spot-on at all times and is always easy to understand. The film's ADR work is always believable and I didn't experience any issues concerning audio sync during the English soundtrack.

    The Dolby Digital 5.1 mix buzzes with activity fairly consistently, only rarely falling into silence to build tension. Atmospheric sounds such as wind, rain and thunder envelop the listener from the rears creating a convincing and realistic soundscape. Rear channel activity also extends to foley effects and action, such as the perfectly cut explosion at 16:40 and a loud swooshing weapon from behind at 14:58. The frontal soundstage is similarly intense and presents many examples of left-to-right panning and dedicated channel usage, particularly for vocal placement. Altogether I found this soundtrack to be highly immersive and suited to the style of this film.

    The soundtrack score is a blend of many different elements, including specifically composed orchestrations by John Murphy and contributions from familiar pop and rock artists. The most memorable pieces of music for me personally come from Brian Eno and instrumental artists Godspeed You Black Emperor. The film's music is used very effectively to build tension and add a certain eerie quality at times and although there are many styles at play they all work together harmoniously.

    The LFE channel is used to good effect, adding some dedicated bottom end to explosions and gunfire without overly dominating the experience.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

    This is a good selection of extras for a single disc edition, offering many insights into the production and development of this great film.

Menu

Feature Commentary - Danny Boyle (Director) & Alex Garland (Writer)

    It is also interesting to hear of the allowances that were made for ADR work while shooting the film, using shadows and alternate angles to give more freedom in post production. This commentary track is available with both English and Italian subtitles.

Deleted Scenes (7)

• Abandoned Train (1:47) - Although the director states that he liked this sequence, this interesting scene further establishes the desolation left by the virus and was cut for continuity reasons.
• The Infected In The House (2:25) - Here we have a slightly different demise for one of the film's characters and some more great zombie-style action.
• Hospital Dream (4:27) - This scene has a very different style to the rest of the film and drastically alters the final outcome. In particular, this features some amazing performances.
• Motorway Carnage (1:17) - An untreated piece of film that shows how the raw footage appeared prior to digital enhancement. This was apparently cut because it lacked that certain epic appearance.
• Floorboards (0:51) - A short piece of action, cut from the film's tense finale.
• Taxi/Sweden (1:43) - The cast members ham it up behind the wheel of a taxi, making stereotypical performances of taxi drivers. This drags out quite a bit.
• London Walk (1:19) - Some more raw footage, taken from the film's opening scenes.

Alternate Endings (2)

• Alternate Ending (2:28) - After watching the deleted scenes it is easy to see why this segment was needed. This is essentially identical to the final cut, only omitting one major character. The aspect here is 1.33:1 and the audio is Dolby Digital 2.0, with optional subtitles or director's commentary.
• Alternate Storyboard Ending (11:21) - During post production an alternate storyboard for the second half of the film was made up, just to ask the question "what if?". Boyle offers a short introduction, explaining their reasons for taking this hypothetical approach, then reads the character voices while Garland acts as narrator. Interestingly, this scene sees the main characters return to the location at which the film started and offers the key to infection that is promised at some points during the film. This well-made piece is 16x9 enhanced, with optional subtitles and Dolby Digital 2.0 audio - including some nice background music.

Featurette - Pure Rage: The Making Of 28 Days Later (24:21)

    This tabloid-style twaddle tries to draw parallels between Boyle's film and the possibility of our very own pandemic in reality. There are contributions here from assorted academics, cast and crewmembers - encouraging paranoia and touting far fetched ideas about the possibility of such an infection obliterating mankind. The actual making of the film isn't touched upon until the second half, offering some glimpses of the production, cast physical training, make-up and special effects - including the lengths that were required to achieve the look of a deserted Britain. This featurette is presented in an aspect of 1.33:1, with Dolby Digital 2.0 audio and optional English subtitles.

Still Galleries (2) with commentary by Danny Boyle (Director)

• Production Gallery (18:37) - A still photographer was present on the set of the film for the duration of the shoot, taking stills with the intention of using them as promotional material. Here Boyle acknowledges that the level of detail recognisable in these stills is considerably higher than the digital medium that was used to shoot the film. Although this is a long collection of scrolling stills, Boyle is an interesting speaker and shares a lot of interesting insights.
• Polaroid Gallery (4:13) - Polaroid photography is used by a number of departments during the film's production to keep a visual record of make-up, continuity and props used from scene to scene. Both of these galleries are presented with 16x9 enhancement.

Teaser Trailer (1:29)

    This teaser offers a great taster of the film's premise and touches on the plot a little, with some grabs of imagery and a few lines of dialogue. The teaser is presented in an aspect of 1.85:1 without 16x9 enhancement and includes Dolby Digital 2.0 audio.

Theatrical Trailer (1:58)

Animated Storyboard (1:30)

Jacknife Lee Music Video (6:20)

    There is censorship information available for this title. Click here to read it (a new window will open). WARNING: Often these entries contain MAJOR plot spoilers.

    The video transfer is lacking a little in the sharpness department, but this is the intention of the director.

    The audio transfer is highly immersive and well thought out.

    For a single disc edition, the extra material represents good value.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall