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TimLehnerer
Diocesan Ecclesiarch of the Sacred Order of Jabootu
USA
95 Posts |
 Posted - 02/19/2008 : 08:57:21 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by zombiewhacker
Back on topic (zombies... remember?)
Did anybody see 28 Weeks Later? I haven't because I heard it wasn't as good as the Danny Boyle/Alex Garland original. But many critics latched on the talking point that the movie was basically a veiled criticism of US military policies abroad, Iraq in particular. Did anyone else get that impression, or do you think critics were simply projecting a bias onto the movie that didn't really exist.
(And pleeeeeze let's not turn this into another Iraq debate thread. I'm just curious whether there was a strong political message that came across.)
Saw it; liked it. But the political content was limited to calling the area of London that was recolonized the "Green Zone" and having the soldiers be American (which is political content in and of itself right now--check out THE HOST, in which America is the reason a giant monster is born). The horror in 28 WEEKS LATER, for me, was that I found myself agreeing with the extremely brutal steps that were taken to contain another outbreak of the Rage virus--it's hard to find yourself rooting for civilians getting nerve gassed, for example, but it was about the only way for the situation to be contained once things started going from bad to worse to terrible to apocalyptic.
It's weird in a way--the sequel in the 28 [time periods] movie was more Romero-esque than the first one, which was intentionally copying elements of the first three Living Dead movies. In the second one, it's just that entropy is going to creep in somewhere and there's nothing anyone can do about it, good, bad, or indifferent. |
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Citizen Carrier
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
322 Posts |
Posted - 02/19/2008 : 11:46:10 AM
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Notice how at the end of 28 Weeks Later it was the humanity of the helicopter pilot, who against orders and protocol took the survivors to France, that was ultimately responsible for the virus reaching continental Europe.
There was also a line in the movie where a civilian questioned the logic of exterminating everybody in order to contain the virus, to which the female military doctor replied, "It makes perfect sense!" |
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Prankster
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
Canada
727 Posts |
Posted - 02/20/2008 : 12:26:03 PM
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Yes, 28 Weeks Later was definitely following in the Romero mold of having the likable characters acting out of basic humanity be "wrong". Unfortunately, this is undercut by the fact that Rose Byrne's character is correct--the kid IS important and could, in fact, be crucial to finding a cure, so trying to save him makes perfect sense. It's only sloppiness and stupidity that lets the virus get loose again. And we don't know what happened in Paris, but again, someone wasn't taking proper precautions. Simply trying to save the kid's life wasn't a "bad" idea per se.
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Check out my online comics at [URL]http://www.phantasmictales.com[/URL]! |
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TimLehnerer
Diocesan Ecclesiarch of the Sacred Order of Jabootu
USA
95 Posts |
Posted - 02/20/2008 : 7:19:08 PM
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I think that everyone who knew the kid was an asymptomatic carrier of the Rage virus is dead by the time the copter takes off at the end; nobody ever even told the kid, who at that point is carrying the Rage virus. So all it would take is one unguarded contact with his blood, spit or tears and you have another outbreak. I'm pretty sure that's what happened but the exact story will probably have to wait for the third movie.
Personally, I'm kind of hoping for a 28 Months Later about the challenges of maintaining civilization when the lights have been out for two years (all of Europe falling to the rage virus would have massive worldwide fallout; if it made it to Asia and the Americas things would be incalculably worse). |
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Prankster
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
Canada
727 Posts |
Posted - 02/21/2008 : 12:02:32 PM
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Is that right? I could have sworn she told David Perrineau's character that the kid was Rage-resistant. I saw it in theaters, so I'm forgetting the details.
Of course, you'd think the kid would notice he got infected, or should have been infected...
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Check out my online comics at [URL]http://www.phantasmictales.com[/URL]! |
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TimLehnerer
Diocesan Ecclesiarch of the Sacred Order of Jabootu
USA
95 Posts |
Posted - 02/21/2008 : 12:14:39 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Prankster
Is that right? I could have sworn she told David Perrineau's character that the kid was Rage-resistant. I saw it in theaters, so I'm forgetting the details.
Of course, you'd think the kid would notice he got infected, or should have been infected...
If I remember right, the only people who knew about the kid's genetic quirk were set on fire while pushing a car away or beaten to death with a rifle but. The copter pilot never knew, I don't think... |
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Prankster
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
Canada
727 Posts |
Posted - 02/21/2008 : 12:17:07 PM
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Sorry, that's Harold Perrineau. He probably didn't notice the kid was infected because he was looking for his son. Who they took RIGHT. OUT OF HIS HANDS!!!
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Check out my online comics at [URL]http://www.phantasmictales.com[/URL]! |
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niccolom
Preeminent Apostolic Prelate of the Discipleship of Jabootu
Canada
118 Posts |
Posted - 02/22/2008 : 03:04:09 AM
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Since we're talking about zombies I found this little snippet from my latest copy of the Fortean Times (March 2008):
"Police lieutenant Bruce Ferguson of Lansing, Michigan, has stockpiled chainsaws so his men can decapitate the undead if they invade the town. "If zombies start invading," he said, "we'll know how to close the streets." Sun, 26 Oct; Sunday Mail, 28 Oct 2007."
More info on Lansing's plans can be found here:
http://hub.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071024/NOISE05/710240310
Nice to see that someone is taking the threat seriously.
"When you have to shoot, shoot, don't talk."
Tuco Benedicto Pacifico Juan Maria Ramirez, aka "Tuco," aka "the Rat," aka "Ugly," aka "il Cattivo" |
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