eerie scenes of a deserted London

Zombie movies are alive and well.
Hey, it’s the end of the world, so get used to it.

Good intentions pave the road to hell, and in the prologue to the new film from Danny (Trainspotting) Boyle, thanks to some hapless animal liberationists, that is the fate of London and possibly the world.

Despite the world decimation, there is a feeling of hope and possibility of survival is film is reminiscent of the 1963 adaptation of Day of the Triffids. The eerie scenes of a deserted London are similar to Omega Man (1971), and just as Omega Man changed the nature of vampires, so too does 28 Days Later give a new explanation of the zombies. It is not Tom Savini gory, but there is some decent limb mangling. This is a zombie movie, and it owes a lot to George Romero. There is no siege like in Night of the Living Dead (1968), but there is a deserted truck stop and a shopping scene (Dawn of the Dead 1978), as well as a captive zombie and a military stronghold (Day of the Dead 1987).

he's behind you !!!

My only problem with the film is it being shot on digital video. This is something that I have to get used to, as it is not a bad thing, just different. There is no basis to the preconceived notion that the world must look like 35mm film stock, it is just what we are used to. It is certain that many of the staggering shots of a deserted London were only possible because of the speed with which a digital shot can be set up.

unlikely heroes

The latest trend of zombie flicks may be due to the current fear of terrorism, that death and unspeakable horrors like the World Trade Center can come out of nowhere, from people that don’t stand out in a crowd, until they try and take a bite out of your arm. The church and the military get a swipe from this film, but unlike Clive Barker’s 1993 comic book sequel to Night of the Living Dead, the Royal family get away unscathed.

See this film, and any other zombie flicks that come your way, and the major studios may just risk giving the Zombie godfather George Romero the funding for his final zombie film.