28 Days Later

Zombie week begins today with 28 Days Later, a lively and (mostly) palatable spin on The Omega Man or any other non-biblical Hestoniana. Our Trainspotting director, Danny Boyle, gambles much of the film's success on the believability of its main characters, a winning risk thanks to the patient storytelling of the first sixty minutes that allows us to form credible bonds with the survivors, so that when they die, as they must--well, some of them live, but that's beside the point--we feel affected by their bad luck, not merely confused by their sudden absence or bothered by the revisionary notion that these characters are, after all, just idea balloons to be popped or deflated or let loose at the appropriate moment.

Then they meet the soldiers and a great movie turns into a reluctantly good movie. Too bad. Also unfortunate is the alternative ending, including as an extra feature on the DVD edition, which is much, much better than the released theatrical ending.

Still, the film's style is kinetic and persuasive. I liked the characters, even the ones I didn't like. I thought the acting was solid enough for a zombie flick. And as for plot mechanics, no cheap shots until the soldiering episode, as far as I can tell, and plenty of interesting score to keep the action buoyant and pliable.

What did I learn? Zombies movies are best when

A. all of the characters are zombies
B. most of the characters are zombies
C. some of the characters are zombies
D. none of the characters is a zombie.

The answer is D. See if you can figure out why.