28 Days Later (Blu-ray Disc, 2009)

Danny Boyle (SHALLOW GRAVE, TRANSPOTTING) directs this post-apocalyptic thriller set in London after a deadly, Ebola-like virus has swept through the city. Jim (Cillian Murphy), a bicycle messenger who was in an accident just days before the outbreak, is one of very few survivors who awakes 28 days later to a city that has been evacuated and is now utterly lifeless. He wanders the vacant streets of London feeling as if he's trapped in a never-ending hallucination. However, upon entering a church that is littered with dead bodies, he discovers that he is not alone--"the infected" are still living. They are violently sick, fast-moving, bloodthirsty zombies who travel at night in ravenous packs. Jim manages to escape "the infected" and locate a band of survivors--Selena (Naomie Harris), Hannah (Megan Burns), and Frank (Brendan Gleeson)--and they join forces searching for solutions, clinging to hope that somewhere healthy humanity thrives.A gripping and suspenseful horror film with indie production values, shot on digital video, 28 DAYS LATER has a pleasing immediacy. Its actors are primarily young unknowns, its special effects consist of beautiful photography overlays and flashes of light with lots of shadow play, and its settings are rich and dramatic. The soundtrack is one of the film's truest strengths, with excellent music from Brian Eno, Blue States, Grandaddy, and Godspeed You Black Emperor guiding the action from the first minutes through to the last.