RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
Found a Bug? Squash It! Report Bugs Here
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | In Theaters
  • | Opening
  • | Upcoming
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / Upcoming / 28 Days Later
28 Days Later

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Buy Poster External Icon
  • Visit Official Site External Icon
Bookmark and Share

28 Days Later (2003)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
88 %
Tomatometer
Template ImageTemplate Image

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

Reviews Counted:196

Fresh:173

Rotten:23

Average Rating:7.3/10

Consensus: 28 Days Later is both a terrifying zombie movie and a sharp political allegory.

Runtime: 1 hr 53 mins

Genre: Horror/Suspense

US Box Office: $44,900,469

Synopsis: After breaking into a primate research facility, a group of animal rights activists discover caged chimps chained up before banks of screens displaying horrifically violent images. Ignoring the... After breaking into a primate research facility, a group of animal rights activists discover caged chimps chained up before banks of screens displaying horrifically violent images. Ignoring the warnings of the terrified researcher who maintains the chimps are 'infected', they begin to free the animals and are immediately subjected to a bloody attack from the enraged creatures. 28 days later… Cycle courier Jim (Cillian Murphy) awakes from a coma in the deserted intensive care unit of a London hospital. Mystified, he wanders the wards and corridors in search of others and eventually heads into the city streets, calling out for help. As the shadows lengthen Jim seeks shelter in a church only to find dead bodies piled in heaps on the chapel floor. A sudden noise alerts him to the presence of a priest but his lightening speed, blood stained eyes and murderous screams send Jim reeling into the street. More "infected" are attracted by the noise and Jim runs in panic and confusion as a growing flock sprint after him through the dark streets. A sudden explosion from a makeshift bomb heralds the arrival of fellow "survivors" Selena (NAOMIE HARRIS) and Mark (NOAH HUNTLEY). Following a daring rescue they take Jim to safety and start to explain to him the nature of the infection, that it is transmitted in the blood, is overwhelming within seconds, that Britain has been overrun and that they have no way of knowing if it has spread worldwide. Selena and Mark reluctantly agree to help the shell-shocked Jim return home to Deptford to find his parents, with terrifying consequences. Later, as they sneak through the darkened streets, Selena and Jim spot a lone light in a tower block and investigate to see if there are other survivors. The unlikely pair they find are father and daughter Frank (BRENDAN GLEESON) and Hannah (MEGAN BURNS) whose water supplies are running dangerously low and are desperate to find alternative shelter. As the group takes shelter in the tower block, an automated radio broadcast is picked up. A Manchester-based group of soldiers, led by Major Henry West (CHRISTOPHER ECCLESTON), claim to have the 'answer' to infection and invite any survivors to join them at their blockade. Faced with no practical alternative, the group sets out northwards in Frank's black cab unaware that the worst is yet to come. Directed by Danny Boyle, 28 DAYS LATER is from an original screenplay by Alex Garland, the author of The Beach, and produced by Andrew Macdonald. The film stars Cillian Murphy (DISCO PIGS), Naomie Harris (WHITE TEETH), Christopher Eccleston (24 HOUR PARTY PEOPLE, THE OTHERS, SHALLOW GRAVE), Megan Burns (LIAM) and Brendan Gleeson (THE GANGS OF NEW YORK, THE GENERAL, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: A.I). [More]

Starring: Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, Christopher Eccleston, Megan Burns

Starring: Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, Christopher Eccleston, Megan Burns, Brendan Gleeson, Luke Mably

Director: Danny Boyle

Director: Danny Boyle
Screenwriter: Alex Garland
Producer: Andrew MacDonald
Composer: John Murphy
Studio: 20th Century Fox

[See More Credits]

  • Trailers
  • Pictures
1 - 5 of 10

See More Movie Trailers & Pictures

Reviews for 28 Days Later

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by comments; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

For a good majority of this film's runtime it is really great stuff and definitely worth seeing whether your a genre fan or not.

Full Review Source: Dark Horizons | comment Comment
06/22/03
Garth Franklin
Garth Franklin
Dark Horizons
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Boyle can't quite come up with anything to match the eerie brilliance of his opening. Never mind. It's all you need to see that his career is finally back on track.

Full Review Source: Sydney Morning Herald | comment Comment
09/05/03
Sandra Hall
Sandra Hall
Sydney Morning Herald
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
10/18/08
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Warning: Spoilers necessary to dope out the stupid story!

Full Review Source: FilmsInReview.com | comment 25 Comments
06/19/03
Victoria Alexander
Victoria Alexander
FilmsInReview.com

A faux-low-budget zombie pic by director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland that shows a rather arrogant disdain for its audience in between occasional flashes of flair.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment 4 Comments
01/30/03
Derek Elley
Derek Elley
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The scariest thing about Danny Boyle's film is the surprisingly large percentage of people seemingly infected by its cheap and shoddy plagiarism.

Full Review Source: Movie Boeuf | comment 3 Comments
07/25/03
David N. Butterworth
David N. Butterworth
Movie Boeuf

It's a gory, depressing affair that bears an ultra-Darwinian message in its blood-stained hands.

Full Review Source: Observer [UK] | comment 3 Comments
09/26/07
Philip French
Philip French
Observer [UK]

A tough, smart, ingenious movie that leads its characters into situations where everything depends on their (and our) understanding of human nature.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment 3 Comments
06/27/03
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

This "Dawn of the Dead" inspired chiller is strong on concept, style and brutally violent action, but suffers from poor musical scoring, and a digital video format that helped keep its budget at 10 million dollars.

Full Review Source: ColeSmithey.com | comment 2 Comments
05/26/09
Cole Smithey
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com

I enjoyed watching this film, mostly because Murphy and Harris make such an appealing central couple to build a new world around. But nobody should mistake this for a killer-zombie movie with real soul.

Full Review Source: Salon.com | comment 1 Comment
06/28/03
Andrew O'Hehir
Andrew O'Hehir
Salon.com

Detestable, not just because its action is so vile or its technique so crude, but because its moral imagination is so impoverished.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment 1 Comment
06/27/03
Ann Hornaday
Ann Hornaday
Washington Post
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Should someone with four films under his belt really be regressing to the point where he is making a cheap horror flick that resembles nothing so much as a British Fifties B-movie?

Full Review Source: Daily Mail [UK] | comment 1 Comment
11/12/02
Christopher Tookey
Christopher Tookey
Daily Mail [UK]

Scary, satisfying, ironic, uncanny and exponentially smarter than 99 percent of over-produced Hollywood horror.

Full Review Source: SPLICEDWire | comment 1 Comment
06/24/03
Rob Blackwelder
Rob Blackwelder
SPLICEDWire

For good summer horror, this is your poison.

Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
06/26/03
E! Online
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
07/02/03
Boston Phoenix
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch | comment Comment
07/03/03
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

As a parable of human nature under extreme duress, 28 Days Later is never less than interesting.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
06/26/03
A.O. Scott
A.O. Scott
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

An overlong horror film with next to no scares and nothing new to add to the zombie genre.

Full Review Source: Juicy Cerebellum | comment Comment
06/22/03
Alex Sandell
Alex Sandell
Juicy Cerebellum

Boyle, Garland, and a crack band of actors . . . effectively plunge us into a world where reason is gone, replaced by fear in all its ugly manifestations

Full Review Source: Killer Movie Reviews | comment Comment
06/13/03
Andrea Chase
Andrea Chase
Killer Movie Reviews

Quite terrifying.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
03/10/03
Annlee Ellingson
Annlee Ellingson
Boxoffice Magazine
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by comments; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 >> >|
all

Latest News for 28 Days Later

October 06, 2008: A Director for 28 Months Later? Opens in new window
Who is Paul Andrew Williams, and why is his name being bandied about in connection with "28 Months Later"? Follow the link to find out! More...

September 12, 2008: Another 28 for Danny Boyle? Opens in new window
Could there possibly be a second sequel to "28 Days Later"? Danny Boyle thinks so, although he seems worried that his idea might be silly. More...

May 06, 2008: Neil Marshall's 10 Post-Apocalyptic Picks
The Doomsday director runs RT through the movies that inspired his cyber-punk vision of a dodgy future. More...

October 10, 2007: RT's Top 50 Horror Movie List Unmasked
Halloween is a great time for three of life's essential pleasures -- pigging out on candy, dressing up in a fun costume, and watching an obscene amount of horror movies.... More...

See All

More Movies

Coming Soon in Australia
Tomatometer Percentage Movie Date

56% 56% 9 09/12
66% 66% Away We Go 10/12
16% 16% Planet 51 03/12
70% 70% Religulous 03/12

What’s Hot On RT

Ban Them All!

Ban Them All!

10 Most Controversial Movies

Zombieland

Zombieland

Director Ruben Fleischer's favourites

New Avatar action

New Avatar action

Watch an exclusive chase clip from the film

Wild Things!

Wild Things!

Win tickets to the wild rumpus of 2009

Other News

  • Top Stories
  • Popular
  • Interviews
 
 

Comments

 
 
Top Stories
Headlines Comments
  
  • Tobey Maguire Talks Brothers, Spider-Man 4 Source: Boston Globe
12
  • Nimród Antal Talks Predators Source: ComingSoon.net
8
  • Weekly Ketchup: Zombieland 2 in 3D?
78
  • First Look (Sort Of) at New Nightmare's Freddy Source: ShockTillYouDrop.com
24
  • First Look at Shrek Forever After Source: USA Today
48
  • Woody Harrelson Will Battle Zombies in 3-D Source: Moviehole
26
  • Natalie Portman Says Kat Denning Is in Thor Source: MTV
34
  • Disney Restructuring Has Broad Implications Source: Los Angeles Times
10
  • Joel Silver Talks Ninja Assassin, Sgt. Rock, Lobo, and More Source: Collider.com
1
  • Weekly Ketchup: Idris Elba cast in Thor, more Spider-Man 4 rumors
128
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • Friday Harvest: The Road, Avatar, and more!
95
  • Total Recall: John Travolta's Best Movies
93
  • Ban Them All! 10 Infamously Controversial Movies
88
  • 5 Facts About The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
79
  • Critics Consensus: Flee From Ninja Assassin
47
  • Weekly Ketchup: Zombieland 2 in 3D?
26
  • Five Favorite Films With Zombieland Director Ruben Fleischer
24
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
17
  • Box Office Guru Wrapup: Vampires and Football Break Thanksgiving Records
17
  • Duncan Jones Reteams With Kevin Spacey
5
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
17
  • Eric Bana talks Love the Beast - RT Interview
11
  • Fight Club Sound Designer Reflects on Film's 10th Anniversary
21
  • James Schamus talks Taking Woodstock - RT Interview
8
  • RT on DVD: Wassup, Bruno
3
  • Scott Hicks Talks The Boys Are Back
0
  • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
15
  • Richard Kelly chats about The Box
2
  • Terry Gilliam Talks Doctor Parnassus
21
  • Wes Anderson Talks Fantastic Mr. Fox - RT Interview
8
 
 

Sponsored Links

Around The Network

  • 28 Days Later at Rotten Tomatoes
  • 28 Days Later at IGN
  • 28 Days Later at AskMen

Fresh Links

Featured
Dressing Wonderland
Dressing Wonderland External Link

Tim Burton's costume designer talks to Movieline about her long collaboration with the filmmaker and Johnny Depp.

Wes Anderson on Fox
Wes Anderson on Fox External Link

The director talks about puppetry perfection and his film, Fantastic Mr. Fox

Win Glee DVDs
Win Glee DVDs External Link

We've got 20 copies of the hit TV series' Pilot Episode to giveaway.

Follow Rotten Tomatoes on Twitter
Follow Rotten Tomatoes on Twitter External Link

Get all the latest movie updates, reviews, interviews and features here.

Competitions
Win Star Wars prizes
Win Star Wars prizes External Link

Enough Prequel, Original Trilogy and Family Guy DVDs to fill a space cruiser

Win the entire 007 collection
Win the entire 007 collection External Link

Everything from Dr. No to Quantum of Solace could be yours.

Win Fight Club Special Editions and more
Win Fight Club Special Editions and more External Link

We're giving away the 10th Anniversary Blu-ray, plus Braveheart and the Rocky collection

 
 
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN Logo

IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive | Green Pixels


By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.