Danny Boyle’s 2002 film 28 Days Later was rereleased in theaters last week as promotion for the upcoming sequel 28 Years Later. It’d been awhile since I’d seen it last, I remembered enjoying it but not feeling overly enthused by it, but I didn’t have anything to do that night so I went.
It’s fantastic.
Maybe it’s because I saw it in a theater on a big screen. Maybe it’s because I saw it with a large crowd of people who all seemed invested in it. I don’t know what.
But it was fantastic.
It’s a great story, it’s got a great soundtrack, the cast is great… but my favorite element is how it was filmed.
To my knowledge it’s one of the earlier examples of digital filming on a studio picture, especially using digital cameras predominantly for their maneuverability.
There is so much texture to the film. So much noise and movement that gives the grittiness of the story a new meaning. Paired with some really great compositions and movements, it’s something else.
It was shot by Anthony Dod Mantle who worked on a lot of the initial Dogme 95 films which definitely translates over to this film.
The rhythm of the compositions was also notable with the image cutting from these great dolly shots to oddly framed stills at just the right time.
I was reading some reviews on Letterboxd, a mistake, and kept coming across people complaining about the visuals.
Personally I think it was masterfully done. I got a lot of ideas watching it and it was a real treat to experience.