302: 28 Days Later (2002)

SPEAKER_01 0:04

This is her fight song. Take back her slash song.

SPEAKER_02 0:13

Greetings and salutations, and welcome to Hacker Slash. If you're joining us again, welcome back. Are you trying to kill me? If this is your first time listening, welcome to the party. We are a horror movie review podcast dedicated to telling you whether a movie is a hack. A total joke? A waste of time? Or a slash.

SPEAKER_00 0:28

Totally killer. Pun intended.

SPEAKER_02 0:30

We believe horror is for everyone, and as such, we're rating these movies with the perspective we've gained from our varying walks of life and the flavors of fear we fancy most. My name is Chris, I'm your friendly neighborhood slash enthusiast. This week I'm joined by the super fly space guy Mac.

SPEAKER_00 0:43

I think you can eat that raw.

SPEAKER_02 0:45

And the paranormal paramour, Binx. The raisins, they are so moist. This week we're traveling back to 2002 as we unpack a film that's credited with bringing the dead back to life with a trend that lasted more than a decade. In 2002, theater audiences were introduced to a film that went on to influence countless subsequent zombie properties, including the 2004 Dawn of the Dead remake and The Walking Dead. Before The Walking Dead premiered in 2010 and featured, as we know it, Rick Grimes awakening in a post-apocalyptic zombie-infested world, director Danny Boyle gave us Killian Murphy. Murphy played a bicycle courier who, like Rick Grimes, awakens alone in a hospital bed and is suddenly thrust into an existence where the lines between man and monster are blurred after a highly contagious virus has accidentally been released. The difference between this film and the others that followed it though is the monsters aren't resurrected dead. They're infected with rage. This week we're talking about 28 Days Later. Who's seen this one before?

SPEAKER_00 1:45

Oh, I've seen it several times over the years, and of course it's sequel several times as well.

SPEAKER_03 1:49

Yeah, me too. I've seen it a few times and actually just watched it earlier this year.

SPEAKER_02 1:54

I have seen this movie exactly one time. And I saw it when I was twelve years old in the movie theater, and I fucking hated it. It was a terrible experience. I remember this and I remember Cabin Fever distinctly. And listen, y'all, we talked about it in episode 300. I only had like 50-something hacks to my name on this podcast. These are the two of the movies where if I started this when I was 12, I would have fucking hacked both of them. Now, what I found interesting is that it's very difficult to find this movie. If you don't already own it, you're not going to be able to purchase it right now, and you're probably not going to be able to find it to stream right now. Luckily, I think most of us had a way of watching it. I had to hit up my brother who famously has 20-year-old DVDs or even older. I even have a collection and a pile of DVDs in my house. And tell me how I have just about every other fucking early 2000s horror movie that came out, except this one. I got 28 weeks later, don't have 28 days later.

SPEAKER_00 2:49

It's because you hated it. That's why.

SPEAKER_02 2:50

Yeah, but also I wasn't the one buying fucking movies back then. You know what I mean? Like my mom would just go to the store and just buy us horror movies. Like legitimately, Rob Zombies Halloween and Rob Zombies Halloween 2, I own on DVD. I don't fucking watch that shit. That's the crazy part. Okay, I do now. But uh back then, yeah, back then I I would have done that.

SPEAKER_03 3:09

What's crazy is that you have 28 weeks later, and of course, that's an American version of what happened.

SPEAKER_02 3:17

Yeah, it is, it is. But what I think is even funnier and almost charming. I was driving back from Spooky Empire. I call my mom, I'm like, hey, I need you to look for this movie, and tell her it's 28 days later. We might have 28 weeks later, just forget that. 28 days later is the one I need. And so she goes on the hunt. She then sends a picture to my family group chat that says, Sometimes it pays not to not throw things away. And then it's 28 weeks later. I'm like, oh, that's so close. Like you get points to try and because that's real cute. Good effort.

SPEAKER_00 3:47

This was one of those movies that for a while you could find in the $5 bin at Walmart, and usually it was combined with the sequel and some other random movie that didn't belong. And you'd be like, I don't need that. That's uh you know, that that looks like a bad collection.

SPEAKER_03 4:00

Should have snatched it up when you could, folks. Well, who knows? Because supposedly the third film is gonna happen, maybe. It's been talks. Calian Murphy wants to. Yeah, he wants to, and so does Danny Boyle. So we'll see. Maybe that will bring a resurgence of availability to 28 days later.

SPEAKER_00 4:20

I would be very interested in like a steel encased set of that trilogy.

SPEAKER_03 4:24

That would be very cool. Actually, you know when that probably would come out? When it's been 28 years since this film came out, since we're already at 21. So who knows? Damn, seven more years to go.

SPEAKER_00 4:34

Yeah, I mean, I think this film has stuck in my memory since I watched it because it does a lot to play with your emotions in really extreme ways. You know, it keeps you on the edge of your seat, it gives you false senses of security, but it also slams you in the face with barbarism and of course rage. I think it just it like it knows how to take things to a leaven when appropriate.

SPEAKER_03 4:55

Absolutely. And I think I really like how the movie portrays something like a virus in one of the most realistic ways, because I think obviously we know as of recent what that's like and how fast a virus can spread. And so this movie, in its title, literally tells you that just 28 days later, what can become of a country or the state of people, right? So I I really enjoy that. The other thing that I really appreciate about this film and how it makes me feel every time is hearing this one specific song that this movie is known for. It's called In the House in a Heartbeat. It's used in so many other films and other media work. And I wanted to share what I wrote on my letterbox because I think it was really funny, especially with me and bringing up the score all the time. But I said, I want this song to be playing in the background anytime I'm preparing to slash a movie that I know the rest of you guys are gonna hack. And so I feel like when you listen to that song, listeners, just envision me gearing up for battle and for war.

SPEAKER_01 5:58

This is her fight song. Take back her slash song. Oh, jeez.

SPEAKER_00 6:04

You know, it's fun because I had no idea that it was like actually a song. I thought it was part of the score of this movie this whole time.

SPEAKER_03 6:10

Well, it is. Let me rephrase it. Yeah, it is. So he wrote that specific song in the score, but it has since then been used. So think like Max Richter and all of his like some of his work and stuff like that. It's it's kind of that vibe with this song specifically.

SPEAKER_00 6:25

It's interesting.

SPEAKER_02 6:26

Mm-hmm. Yeah, you know what? You say the score, and I think the score and the sound overall contributes to this sensation of just being overstimulated. This movie makes you feel, or at least made me feel, heavily overstimulated. I think where I struggle with that is because it it went from like the quiet whispers of conversation and then just like boom, so many things happening, lots of violence, lots of gunfire, lots of machete wax, like it's just a ton of stuff. I think it's interesting in retrospect to look back on this experience and and consider how much that lines up thematically with the idea of rage and an infection with rage. So I think that's a cool idea to play with, but the one thing that I really felt aside from that overstimulation is deep-seated memory of like, this is why I hated this fucking movie, because of that damn fucking cannon camera that they fucking shot on and they shot on digital video. Tell me how the same fucking camera that was used, one of the cameras that was used when filming this movie, I was using to film bullshit in the Navy just a few years later. It brought back some terrible fucking memories for me. I hate the aesthetic of this film. Granted, it it's I I found a lot more things that I do enjoy. Like it's good to be able to watch this now, not 12 years old, but 33 years old, and find new things to uncover. But man, that took me back.

SPEAKER_03 7:50

Yeah, it's definitely one of those things where you're gonna see this film and compare it to maybe some others that are out in that year and be like, wait a minute, is this right? Can this be? It can. And it does feel like you're watching a really old music video at times with that digital camera for sure. But I want to go back to what you said with the sound editing because it is extremely overstimulating. And I feel like that's my biggest disappointment with this movie because I'm constantly frustrated every time I watch this with how many times I have to go back and forth with the volume button because the dialogue is lower, but then the sounds are so high, and then the infected are even higher, and I'm just like going back and forth. I'm waking up everybody in the neighborhood at this point. It's always so frustrating, and I get that that's probably intentional because I definitely was overstimulated and feeling all kinds of things, but it is annoying, I gotta say.

SPEAKER_02 8:46

And it begs the question, right? What is intentional, masterful execution versus what is just low budget filmmaking? And I would not say in this in not in the case of this movie. I want to be very clear in this, but there are some movies you watch and it's giving amateur effort. I'm not saying that that's this director, I'm not saying that it's this film, but that's where you have to walk the line, right? It's like your good faith can walk the line up to so far and think, wow, this is overstimulating because it's meant to be. The sound is bad because it's meant to be. I do think in some parts here it is intentional. So I think it's it's motivated in a way, and I think I'm about like just receiving this different, however many 20 plus years later. But I I think that's just one of those things that you have to take with a grain of salt in this movie and know that like it's gonna be a rough fucking watch. I did not remember the sound being such a harrowing issue for me when I was younger, probably because I could actually hear back then, actually. Now that now that now that I think about it.

SPEAKER_00 9:46

It's interesting that you bring up the sound. I didn't really notice it. I mean, I basically always have subtitles turned on, but I do have some of those settings when I watch at home to level out the sound so that everything is all around the same point because so many movies now have this issue, but like amplified, where they're like made for theaters, where dialogue is for some reason only easy enough to hear if you're in a theater. And then the loud sounds are stupid loud, like shake your shake your seat loud. And so I feel like a lot of that is deliberate now. I don't know if it was deliberate back then, not sure. I didn't really fix the end on that, but one thing that like really caught me off guard here was the ending, and this is crazy because I've seen this multiple times, but it's been several years since the last time I watched it. I forgot the very end of the movie. I've mentioned before I watched Bookie Nights like five times without realizing I stopped halfway through the film and eventually watched the rest of the film thinking that it was like a sequel or something. I had no idea. And that's how I feel here. Like I've seen this several times, but I get to the very, very end of the movie, and I was like, oh my gosh, this is like a pleasant surprise. Like, this is not something I was expecting, and I've seen it. It's so memorable when you make it to the climax of this film. To me, that is the movie that like you get to the climax, and that's what you think about this entire film is everything that happens within what, like 20 minutes, right? But the very end, I think, is so important and has major takeaways. So it's it's kind of wild that one, I forgot it, but two, it was like a fresh surprise all over again. I can't imagine watching this for the first time, not knowing how things were going to wrap up.

SPEAKER_03 11:16

And also that we have like two actors that are pretty prominent, especially one, which is Christopher Eccleson, who's a doctor, Doctor Who. That's how I always know him constantly. Gets me every time I see him. I don't know why. It's I've seen this movie a few times, but every he shows up in the ends, and I'm like, oh, oh my god, you know, and then you've got Brendan Gleason. Need I say I mean Banshees of Anashearan literally was just nominated for an Oscar recently. So props to him. It's just the cast in general. It's it's really surprising. And just to see where they were at in 2002 and where they're at right now and what they're up to, or what they've been able to accomplish, or what they're known for at this point in time, that's really cool.

SPEAKER_02 12:01

Yeah, it's almost giving the same experience of looking at like a Johnny Depp starting in a nightmare on Elm Street or Tom Hanks starting in a random 80 slasher no one has ever fucking seen. It is interesting to look back and think about like the length and the duration of someone's career and looking at the evolution there. I think one of the biggest surprises for me though is that the ending is all I could remember about this movie. And not quite even just the end end itself, but thinking about the third act, thinking about how it's how we get to the ending of the movie. It was the thing that I think in in conjunction with the visuals, I stand out with a memory of like hating this experience of watching. Because there's a scene that I found incredibly difficult to watch when I was 12, unmarred by trauma yet. And even now at 33, I'm like, fuck, this shit is still hard to watch. What was a surprise for me is almost the inverse Mac. It is the layers of the beginning. It is the opening scene. Obviously, you watch this in 2002, you don't know that The Walking Dead is coming out eight years later. It's it was a fun moment to revisit that kind of experience, but also to re-experience the very, very beginning moments and to see what we see on screen and you know the facility where things are kind of taking place. We get a lot of exposition right up at the beginning of the film, which I found I I was actually pleasantly surprised by.

SPEAKER_00 13:24

It is interesting because I think, like I mentioned earlier, the climax is so memorable that if you it's been a couple of years since you watched it, that's that's probably what's gonna stick in your mind. But when you go back and rewatch it and you think about everything that happened up to that point, there's a lot that goes on. That that intro scene I forgot about until we hit play. And it's a pretty gruesome scene. And I was like, oh yeah, they do so much work here to set up the world that they're that we're gonna live in for nearly two hours. And it's it's sad because like we just watched it, we can probably remember a lot about the film. But if it's been 10 years, you have to go back and you have to rewatch it to get all of that because there is so much. It's almost like overshadowed by the most major, like craziest part of the film. But in in reality, two-thirds of the film is, like you said, insanely layered, and there's so much going on and so worthy of paying attention to.

SPEAKER_03 14:15

Which I think is what makes Danny Boyle, like in his choices of his writing and this story, so fascinating because it almost comes off like he chose to make this film with the purpose and intention of telling a story and telling themes of government and human condition and the effects of politics, all of these themes. Instead of making it really scary, and yet somehow it's still a little intimidating. There's parts of this movie that I think kind of freak you out a little bit, kind of get you on the edge of your seat. I don't think it's full on extreme jump scares. I don't think it's full on gory or gruesome. We'll see in the gore score in a bit, but it's it's almost like a choice of making this more about what I'm trying to tell you and less about it being a typical zombie film. And yet somehow this film revived that genre. Isn't that cool? Like, sure, afterwards we've got Walking Dead, and that's definitely very character-driven, but also does a lot of typical jump scare stuff and all the other zombie movies we've gotten out of this. But he's been very particular about emphasizing that he doesn't think this is a zombie film. This is just a film that tells you the story of people and what happens to people. So it that it's kind of interesting we talk about Fright Factor here, right? And like, is this movie scary? When he, I don't think that he really had the intention of making this film scary to begin with.

SPEAKER_02 15:39

People do be the worst. And I think the scariest thing about any kind of moment when we look at like a post-apocalyptic narrative is how bad the people get. Think about even the Dawn of the Dead remake. Yeah, the zombies are there, but also there's just some shitty people there who do some fucked up things, and that's just the reality of it. What I do think is singular about this movie is the way that my stomach still turns over in one particular scene, and it's not even as bad as anything else that we've seen, right? I'm thinking about The Hills Have Eyes, I'm thinking about Last House on the Left, I'm thinking about a number of other films that I've done far, far worse, and yet still it stops me in my tracks. And so I I wouldn't, you know, to your point, Binx, I I would agree that it's not a scary movie, but I do think if you're watching this for the very first time, you've never experienced this movie before. If you are not diligent about writing the volume, then I think some sudden noises and some sudden jarring moments of action and violence will get you inadvertently. Not like a I'm jump scaring you, but this the side effect, the consequence, the collateral damage of a of a jump scare.

SPEAKER_00 16:54

Yeah, I think that there's there's a lot here where we get to see the cause and effect of things kind of play out, right? And so there's there's scenes where you know something is going to happen because you can see, all right, there's the cause. What's the effect going to be? And you don't quite know, but you know something is going to happen. And so it sets you up a little bit, it creates some tension. It doesn't really jump out and scare you, right? Because you're expecting something to happen. You just don't know what quite yet. But I think like when it comes to zombie movies, right, we've gotten the slow mo zombie movies before this. We've got a very different kind of film here with infection and fast moving and all these kind of things. So I think what's different here is in 2023 and beyond, we can never look at it the same as we did in 2002 because of COVID and because we're so focused on on viruses these days, or at least we have been for several years. And so there's a particular scene in the movie that highlights like the speed of contagion here. It it's more of an emotional moment, but I think it could absolutely have an effect on somebody where that where it creates that fear in them, that disbelief that it's even happening, and then they have to accept the fact that what's going to happen is is happening. So I think there's a there's a lot at play here. I don't, like you said, I don't think it's a traditional like jump out at you and kind of scare a situation here, but you can either be scared by the humans, you can be scared by society or the collapse of society, uh, but you could be scared by the frailty of our of our you know condition.

SPEAKER_02 18:12

Or you can also be scared by the Disney moment that happens in this movie. And we'll talk about it more in the spoiler zone, but there is a moment that made me want to call out my oldest nephew. And let's just be real here. This movie was filmed and was in production during 9-11. And so I think about just that time frame in my mind, I had a nephew. He might have been actually turning to around this time. I think about how young he was, right? And there is a moment in this movie that reminds me of a very iconic movie, a Disney movie, a Disney moment that I saw at the drive-in when I was a kid. And I think, damn, the parallels here. Is this his version of that movie? Because he fucking loves horror movies, right? And I'm just thinking about like the emotions and the feelings that you get. And so I think this is influential. I think it has this impact on at large on the zombie subgenre. I do think it still stands apart, but I think there's also some other layers here where if you watch this at just the right time in your life, it might also fuck you up emotionally.

SPEAKER_00 19:11

You know, it's interesting because like obviously there were other zombie movies before this, plenty of them, right? But the post-9-11 world made the experience of watching this very unique. And the rage virus that it presents is different enough to really kind of establish an entire what sub-sub-genre of fast-moving zombie horror movies. So it's like it's a thing all on its own. If you were alive and sentient when it released, though, and you watched it pretty close to that, there was so much going on in the world. And then to see this and then pick apart the allegory if you were able to get it back then, there was there was a lot that was gonna hit your brain. It could make you think, it could change your your viewpoints, or like you said, it kind of could mess you up a little bit if you're a little bit too young to be able to process everything.

SPEAKER_03 19:55

I wanna say, I I already mentioned how don't Danny Boyle obviously did a lot of stuff for the genre in terms of bringing up human condition and the government, right, and how that plays into something like a po post-apocalyptic scenario like this one. Can I say how funny and just curious it is that he actually was inspired to write this because of Night of the Living Dead, but also because he loved the Resident Evil games. And what are the chances that the Resident Evil movie, the franchise, kicked off the same year that this movie came out? And then to take it a step further though, how cool it must feel for Danny Boyle to be like, my movie though, is the one that sparked and launched this whole genre that is critically acclaimed. And Resident Evil is, you know, Resident Evil. I personally love that film. I shared it at the end our end of your episode. It's a guilty pleasure of mine. I enjoy it, but I know it's not necessarily cinematic gold, but I think that's gotta be feel cool. You know, you made you were inspired by this franchise. Of course, these big studios decided to make the movie the same year that you did, but who came out winning? Danny Boyle did, and then Slum Dog Millionaire got him an Oscar six years later. But that's neither here nor there.

SPEAKER_02 21:11

Look at that. One time for the little guy. One time for the little guy.

SPEAKER_00 21:14

You know, it's funny because like we talked previously about The Last of Us, and we love The Last of Us, right? The video game came out a couple months, maybe a year before The Girl with All the Gifts. Very similar methodologies to the zombies in that film. This movie came out, you know, a couple months to a year before The Walking Dead started as a comic book series, and it took years, of course, for it to become a TV show. There's just something like in the zeitgeist that like reoccurs every now and then that we love these zombie movies. And it's obviously it's a cultural thing, so we need this type of genre to speak to us at certain times in in our lives or in, you know, maybe as a whole society. But I think what makes us stand apart, as you mentioned earlier, it's character driven, right? All the way to the ending. I love the ending. I think it's fantastic because it's a roller coaster to make it there. You have to go through this amazing, disturbing edge of your. Seat kind of climax, and then at the very end, you're left with such a drastically different feeling than you experience the entire film leading up to it. It plays on your emotions, and I think that's what makes this different from anything else that came out at the same time. It's not just for entertainment, it's about characters, it's about humanity. And I think that's why when you make it to the end, you just like feel triumphant almost.

SPEAKER_03 22:20

And the ending is so interesting because there's several alternate endings. If you go on Wikipedia and, you know, after you've seen the movie, check it out. You can read what they were. But how they got to the ending is even crazier because the budget ran out, apparently. The budget ran out, and they were like, Well, we're gonna do this. So when I every time I see this ending, I'm thinking to myself, this wasn't even like really their initial intention. This was done after the fact, and yet it still works, and it's a great conclusion for these main characters. It's a great conclusion to what you would hope for in the scenario. You can see yourself in there, at least I can, if I were to make it that far, let's be honest. But I I really enjoyed the ending. I think it's super memorable.

SPEAKER_02 23:01

You know, for as good as the ending is, it somehow is still not the best part of the movie for me. And I'm really like trying to chew on my feelings for that because it's not it's not bad. I and I wish I could explain more without spoiling it, but it almost like things are just a little bit too sudden for me. So I'm kind of like, all right, let's just let's just keep going. Now, I did watch one of the alternate endings that I think you know, in the in the version that I was watching, it said dot dot dot, what if, and then we see an alternate take. And so I I do think that maybe this is like a choose your own adventure where I just need to see a different alternate ending, and maybe that would sit better with my soul and just like how I I received the movie now as an adult. But I think it's it's overall, you know, one of the better endings to a zombie movie. I'm not mad at it. What I am curious about though is to see how this film actually shakes out in ratings because this has been 20 plus years in the making for me. But before we get there, Mac, how would you describe the gore score?

SPEAKER_00 24:01

You know, you'd imagine that the gore score would be very high in a movie with fast-moving rage virus-infected zombies, but Danny Boyle somehow manages to show us carnage without a lot of gory detail. So 28 days later scores a medium.

SPEAKER_02 24:14

Medium for a lot of blood, but not a lot of ooze. And what about the animal report?

SPEAKER_03 24:18

Well, we do have some apes and other animals as well, but specifically apes. So without spoiling anything, what I'm gonna say is, PETA, I don't think that you're gonna be super happy, but you won't be extremely upset, I think. It's not as bad as it could have been. Right. I'm trying to be very optimistic considering the scenario of a post-apocalyptic virus situation.

SPEAKER_02 24:47

All right, well, let's go ahead and get into our ratings then. 28 Days Later from 2002, was it a hack or a slash?

SPEAKER_00 24:52

Alright, 28 Days Later presents a country consumed by a fast-spreading plague of violent rage by highlighting characters who weather that storm quite differently, giving up hope of doing more than merely surviving, relying on family and a sense of community to do more than just survive, accepting things as the new normal, or even seeing the ravaged world as simply another chapter in the same book of human history. It was clear, strong allegory at a time when the Western world didn't know how to adapt to such a sea change politically and culturally, and it offers viewers a look into some of the worst, but also some of the best of such a world. It speaks to the human condition, but it also entertains masterfully with beautiful visuals and character-driven storytelling. 28 days later is a slash plain and simple.

SPEAKER_03 25:35

Look, I'm a sucker for a good infected zombie film or show or story. And sometimes it's just a generic plot with typical insane gore, and other times you get a work of art, and this to me is that art in a lot of ways. I think even with its slow pace, because I definitely think it's a little bit of a slow burn as you go along, this movie grew on me even more this time. And I feel like that's something special when you've seen it a few times and it can still do that, especially when you also see movies of this genre current in present day, right? And you think, okay, they definitely took inspiration from 28 Days Later. It's something that does it to you, you know, where you really, really appreciate a blueprint film. And I think this is that. It's got all the fixings, it's definitely disturbing in some scenarios. Chris mentioned a little bit earlier. I definitely agree. But there's also bits of comedy and relief and heartwarming, character-driven stories that is really nice to see in a film like this. So the way I see it is this film obviously revived the genre for a reason, and for that reason, I'm giving this a slash.

SPEAKER_02 26:43

Alright, so I've been very torn since watching this movie again because I want to say a couple things extremely plainly. When I first watched this movie, I hated it. When I watch this movie now, I don't hate it. However, therein lies this beautiful spectrum. Is it is it giving hack or is it giving slash? And this is a movie that for me goes both ways. It really does. The problem though is that you both say that this is a work of art and that it's beautiful and stunning in visuals in some points. I don't think a damn moment of this is stunning visually. I think nothing about this movie in terms of how I see it gives cinema. How I see it doesn't give a refined work of art. What I believe in is Danny's potential. What I believe in is his ultimate vision. What I have come to enjoy is thinking about the layered storytelling, right? And the subtext. The fucking subtext gets me hook, line, and sinker. And I've been going back and forth because at the end of the day, I still don't like this movie. This is not one that I think I'll ever want to be like, yo, let me just fucking kick back and watch 28 days later. Like, this is not in my zombie movie rotation. It really is not. Killian Murphy. Great. We see a lot of Killian Murphy. We see more of Killian Murphy than I think I would ever care to see. But he delivers a good performance. And the performances here, like we think about even Selena's character, fantastic. However, this movie walks this fine line of I almost treat it the way that I would treat a super fucking old movie where I'm gonna look past the technical flaws and look at the potential of it and maybe the feel of it. The difference here is that I was fucking alive when this movie happened. I wasn't alive in the 30s. All right, I can look back on that and it's a little bit easier to be a little generous. I was alive when this shit happened. Adult Chris can now give this a very, very, very soft slash. But I'll be damned if I ever fucking watch this again. I think y'all got me on the high of giving this fucking movie a shot at its potential. If we ever rewind this shit, it's probably gonna be a hack.

SPEAKER_03 28:54

I just need to take this opportunity to bring back the bit, which is Chris falling in love with potential. Except this time, you didn't fall in love with potential. I don't even know if you have a crush on the potential.

SPEAKER_02 29:05

No.

SPEAKER_03 29:06

You've just like made eye contact with it.

SPEAKER_02 29:08

Yeah. That's honestly kind of where it's at. It's like me a potential, locked eyes from across the room. I think the potential's into me, but I'm not really into the potential, but the potential is attainable, and that is the situation at hand.

SPEAKER_03 29:22

Some would say that if you continue to look at them, perhaps something will, you know, rewire and you'll enjoy it more. But then there's also that chance.

SPEAKER_02 29:30

Like maybe I'll fall in love with the potential's personality. Right. You know what I mean? Like maybe the potential's really funny. Right. Maybe the potential is like a really good listener. Like maybe, maybe we could grow to love each other. I don't know if I'm quite there.

SPEAKER_03 29:43

But physical attractiveness is very important. And so unfortunately, the attractiveness of the potential is just not there.

SPEAKER_02 29:50

No, physically, this movie and I, no fucking chemistry whatsoever. Zero. Zilch. Not happening. I couldn't be less attracted to this movie. Fuck. And I'm like very generous when it comes to that. Almost no standards. I have now figured out that a shallow depth of field is my only standard.

SPEAKER_00 30:07

It's good to know.

SPEAKER_02 30:08

And with that, 28 days later, from 2002 has just barely squeaked by when the Universal Slash. Now you can't find this movie streaming online, so good luck. Maybe if you're listening to this in the future and it's been restored, that'd be phenomenal for you. You can check the link in our show notes to see if there are any options available to you in the moment. Go check it out, then join us in the second half. So I can tell you which Disney movie this reminded me of. See in a bit.

SPEAKER_00 30:38

Are you tired of hiding from the horrors of the world? Longing for a sanctuary where you can conquer deadlines and slay spreadsheets? Look no further than Hannah's Hiding Hole, the ultimate co-working haven for London's modern professional. Picture this. You're nestled in a secret nook, surrounded by concrete walls that have seen a thing or two. The distant echoes of chaos only serve to fuel your productivity. It's not just a workspace, it's a survival strategy for the go-getters and the goal crushers. Hannah's Hiding Hole offers you the peace and quiet you crave with a sight of adrenaline. Your colleagues might be cowering in fear, but not you. You're seizing the day, one caffeinated keystroke at a time. With amenities like Wi-Fi, power outlets, and yes, even a first aid kit just in case, you'll have everything you need to thrive in this post-apocalyptic landscape. Need a break? Take a stroll through our conveniently placed escape routes, just in case things get a bit too exciting outside. Book your spot today and show the world that you're not just surviving, you're thriving. Hustle, hide, and never surrender. Hannah's hiding hole. It's where productivity meets post-apocalyptic pinache.

SPEAKER_02 31:42

Welcome back, folks. You're now entering the spoiler zone for 28 days later, which has just barely squeaked by with the Universal Slash. Now we have a lot to discuss here, but before we get into the specifics of our ratings, Mac, let's go through those kills.

SPEAKER_00 31:55

This is a different type of zombie movie here. The infected are not just undead, they're very much alive. They're just really, really pissed off. So their deaths add to the body count, bringing us to 148. So there's plenty to choose from here. So I want to know your favorites, I'm gonna go with mine first, just to get it out of the way. It's the majors. He got got when he thought he was about to get away, but he forgot one thing. You don't mess with a cab driver or their stunt driving daughters.

SPEAKER_03 32:22

Amen. Absolutely, because she pulled that thing in reverse. She knew exactly where she was going and what she was doing. Oof. It was pretty badass.

SPEAKER_02 32:30

But was it not in some ways giving you peninsula that we just reviewed in September? Oh, yeah, absolutely. Young daughters behind the wheel, killing people as they drive. Fantastic. I love it. I'm here for it.

SPEAKER_03 32:43

Oh my god, you're absolutely right. Yep, it was definitely giving up.

SPEAKER_02 32:46

Hell yeah, I am. Now that wasn't the movie that I was reminded of. Let me tell you the death that did remind me of a Disney movie. And that was Frank's death. Because tell me how this motherfucker could have been just fine had those soldiers actually just spoken up. I know they're probably assessing the situation, trying to see if anyone was affected before they actually pulled the trigger or anything. But as quickly as they moved in and did not kill the others, you think, hmm, they had a pretty good feel of the situation. But for me, it was when he is tragically gunned down after he's already infected, and then his bullet-ridden body laying on the ground, Hannah is still asking for her dad. It was giving Simbo to Mufasa, and you can't convince me otherwise.

SPEAKER_00 33:32

I I see that. I I can definitely see it now. That gosh, that death, you know, that death hits you because it's completely preventable. And so it hurts, it hurts to see. You know, it's it's just like, guys, he was right there. He could have been there the whole time. I'm curious if they almost like wanted it to happen because at least they didn't have to take him out themselves, maybe. I'm not sure.

SPEAKER_02 33:53

Maybe, but here's the other element of this. This is another one of those moments where I'm like, ah, I like this movie and I don't like this movie. Actually, no, there is no I like this movie. I respect the movie, I don't like it. There's this moment that we get earlier in the film where Jim is in his house, he's living through these memories, and then he gets attacked by the infected. Blood fucking everywhere. You cannot, with as covered as he is in blood, tell me not a single fucking drop of that got in his eye, got in his fucking ear, got in his fucking mouth, none of it. Bullshit. I fucking call bullshit Killian Murphy. And this guy gets one random final destination drop from a fucking bird, and then all of a sudden he's infected. I was happy to see that someone can get it infected by circumstance. I just wish it had happened earlier in the movie when it seemed so obvious that it could have happened. And this movie you really had the fucking nerve to say, no, everything's fine.

SPEAKER_03 34:51

Or at the very least, that they didn't make those earlier scenarios extremely bloody where it would lead you to think that though. Because I agree. There is no way on this planet that that man dodged all that blood, which is my struggle with all of these f infected films or zombie films that have that element to it, because you can't include situations here where you would be able to get infected so easily. Where are the shield masks that you're walking around?

SPEAKER_02 35:16

Yeah, no, you can't tell me that one cough 15 feet away can transmit particles that then get into your respiratory system that then infect you, but one fucking drop of blood in this entire fucking chaotic scene did not make its way into a a vessel, an orifice? No.

SPEAKER_00 35:35

It's one of those things that's hard because, you know, earlier in the film, when we're when we're at that scene in his house, my wife even commented, like, how did he not get blood in a place that would endanger him? Right? Also, how did they not tell him, hey, when you're when you're fighting them off, you need to like create a certain distance, a certain angle so that the blood splatter doesn't endanger anyone in the room? Because they're so chaotic when they're killing these these rage-infected zombies. Like, how how does it not take everyone out? You know? They need to get they need to get like longer weapons so that they don't have to get very close to them.

SPEAKER_03 36:06

But can I say, perhaps, humor me. We're thinking of this more critically because we've gone through COVID, though. Because I would have never thought of like 15 feet of particles and all this other stuff, so much so until now. You know, I wouldn't, I I wouldn't be thinking of how liquid, like saliva, blood, or whatever, how easy it is transferable until now. Until we've gone through what we've gone through.

SPEAKER_02 36:32

Maybe I'm a fucking germaphobe, but this has always been on my mind. I've always hated this bullshit. I don't like the idea of people getting so close to you when they're talking that they could spit on you. I don't fucking like the idea of okay, Evil Dead. I know I watched Evil Dead this year, so it's an it's a bad example, but think about Evil Dead and any movie before Evil Dead that we've covered on the podcast where there is immense amounts of blood. Think about Samara Weaving's character in Ready Or Not, when you are caked in blood, and you're gonna try to tell me none of that shit got inside you. That shit's inside you.

SPEAKER_03 37:03

Well, there's another kill or several kills, just lots of bodies, that I want to highlight. And it's when he first goes into I guess it's this church, he just sees a ton of bodies in there, and then he just says hello, and how instantly two of them perk up and their mouths are open. I guess I don't know, because they're not necessarily dead. Well, not all of them are dead, but clearly by that, but it woke him up, and that was a scene that was very unsettling because amongst dead bodies we would assume, or some that are starving or about to die, they just get woken up instantly. That's one hell of a scenario that I would not want to walk into after having woken up in a deserted city.

SPEAKER_00 37:46

That entire church is so weird because you can't tell if it's gonna be one of those where the people offed themselves, right? But you see a little bit of movement and you're like, oh no. Yeah, it's it's somebody offed them. You know, that's this was a deliberate action. They got taken out by the rage.

SPEAKER_02 38:00

Yeah, it's pretty rough. That was a chilling scene to see all those bodies and you think about you know, just the moment that must have led to this, right? An entirely deserted city, London, a bustling city. And look at how many people were seeking sanctuary and turning to their faith in a moment of crisis. And they got got that's real sad, bubble.

SPEAKER_00 38:22

It does bring me to my favorite thing visually in this film. Like you mentioned, you know, cinematography is not bad. It's just that, like, what would you call it? Videography. However, they shot the film, the camera they used, the graininess of it. It's not a great look. However, the look of rage-infested humans is fantastic. The the red eyes, they are just like beat red. I don't know what they had to do to make that happen. The way that there's just like blood all over them, I love it so much more than having zombies who have like flesh rotting off or bites out of them showing how they got infected or whatever. Just the fact that they are like the visual representation of rage is so perfect. That redness, that bright, like that color of blood all over the place is just perfect. Like later on, when we get Mailer freed to take out this entire garrison, you can see his eyes so perfectly. We get so up close, we can see the brightness of it all, and it's just like it's a cue letting you know what is about to go down. And I think that's such a better cue than seeing like decrepit, rotting flesh. Like, that's just like gross. This is letting you know anger is about to explode like a volcano.

SPEAKER_02 39:31

It was giving breaking dawn. I think we can all say that.

SPEAKER_00 39:34

Okay, I actually get that reference because I I know what the red eyes look like.

SPEAKER_02 39:37

Listen, I still stand behind, not liking a damn thing visually in this movie. Aside from I can respect the red eyes of it all, because yes, it is giving breaking dawn. However, I'm gonna stretch here. I'm gonna really push myself to the limit of what I can offer for this movie. And that is again, we talk about this moment where Jim is in his home and he's reliving these memories, and he's like almost caught in this fantasy, this moment of seeing his parents alive, and then bam, pitch went down when the infected come in and crash the party literally and figuratively. I think the blend there between what is fantasy, what is memory, what is reality was effectively done. That's all I can offer. This movie is fucking terrible looking. I know it was a choice, I know it was a distinct choice, and listen, can I shit on it so badly when in fact it opened up this new wave of filmmakers all over the world to climb and break into a market that then became oversaturated by shooting their own movies on digital video? Yeah, maybe I I shouldn't, right? Because this movie walked to that one day my career could run and uh the careers of so many others, but also fuck this movie's aesthetic.

SPEAKER_00 40:57

It's interesting you pick that scene though, because before the the the people show up and barge through, we get that that glimpse of his light outside, and we see how obvious it is that he's in there. And I think that's one of those things I mentioned from earlier where there's like cause and effect. You see him talking, you see him reliving, you see him stuck in that memory and that fantasy, and then they flash outside and you can see the light, bright as day. And it's great because it shows when you when you mess around, you're about to find out. And he hasn't learned that yet. He's only been awake for what, a day or two days, maybe at most. He doesn't know the rules of this world. In every other show or movie or whatever, there's like, you know, some haggard old person saying, Hey, you gotta make sure your lights are off because they can see it, or hey, you gotta be quiet because they can hear it. This just shows you cause and effect, and I think it's great. My favorite scene, however, also pretty related, it's driving the cab through the tunnel, driving over the cars, which was hilarious because one, they're just having a blast in such a horrible world. And then, of course, of course, the tire's gonna be flat. How did they not know that driving over hard metal objects was gonna damage their tires? So, yes, cause and effect. And so this this chain of actions here, this it's amazing to see the fact that they didn't, you know, get got in that moment because really they should have had one more person that went down. That's really what should have happened, you know. If that's what if we did it today, that's how we would would have done it. But we needed everyone to make it through by the skin of their teeth. And also, it's sad that they didn't get the jack set up in time because she totally should not have been spinning that thing. It should have been somebody else who's spinning it way too slowly, not getting those bolts back into place fast enough. But somehow they made it out right on time.

SPEAKER_03 42:40

That was one of those scenarios where I'm like, this is this is a lot. There's no way that they would have actually survived that, maybe, but they did. But more importantly, this is where those moments of comedy come in. Because when Jim says the world's worst place to get a flat, I felt that because absolutely the literal worst place to get a flat. Also, all of those rats coming through, that was nasty. Could you imagine being on the bottom of that car or like on the floor with those rats coming at you? Nope. That's a big hell no, actually. So loved it visually and and how like anxiety-inducing it was, but I also love that they threw in a little bit of comedy in there, some lightheartedness with how fun they were having. Although it was a stupid move. What do you what did you think was gonna happen when you put a frickin' car and ram it over the what? No, no, people.

SPEAKER_02 43:35

I'd also like to shout out one more moment of comedy that happened before that, and that was him telling her he has a headache and her being like, Why didn't you say anything earlier? And he said, I didn't think you'd give a shit. I'm like, Alright, yeah, that's understandable. I too would assume someone doesn't give a shit, Jim. That's relatable. Thank you. I do want to say, in terms of favorite scene, Mac, you picked such a good one. I'm gonna go a whole section of the movie, and I'm gonna go beginning of the movie to TV footage, right? TV footage is on. And any other zombie movie, it's probably actually the zombie outbreak. And then you realize they're just making these fucking monkeys watch some rage. They're just seeing the worst of humanity. What people do before even being infected. That is just war. That is just the terror of being a human, succumbing to all the fucking poor decisions that we make and the level of hate and rage that's in that's you know embedded into our societies. So we go from there to what I think is the extreme, the softest end of the human experience, which is this unconditional love. And it's so fucking sad when Jim goes to his parents' house, finds their note, and it says, With endless love, we left you sleeping. Now we're sleeping with you. Don't wake up. And to just think about the spectrum there of people killing people. You have this entire moment of people fighting wars over things that where you think, Man, can we just find peace? To then these parents in their heartbreak seeing everything that's going down in the world, making the decision to leave their son asleep and then deciding to take their own lives because they just want to be with him. It's just fucking sad, man. It's really sad. And the movie went downhill after that.

SPEAKER_03 45:22

Well, you brought up the beginning of the film. I think I always remember him walking around that city desolate, curious, wondering what the hell is going on for several reasons. One, because they have used that same thing thematically in so many other films after the fact in a lot of post-apocalyptic stuff. The uh music is so great because it is giving like music video a little bit. It's very anxiety-inducing because you as it keeps going along, as he keeps, you know, walking around, it just gets higher, like higher tension. He's starting to put things together. But one moment in particular that's crazy to think about, considering you mentioned it earlier, it the time that this was filmed is when they go up to all the drawings and the people missing and all of that stuff, and he's looking at it and imagining, at least this time around, it really, really dawned on me. Imagining that that's literally what happened in some cases, you know, like what New York City was like when all of this happened in 9-11. So I I'm curious to see if there's any like interviews or things like that. I haven't looked into it about what that was like, having filmed that and then realizing afterwards what happened and what that if you know, what that affected them. Of course, this is this didn't happen in America. They're they're not American, so there's that element to it. You're kind of removed from the situation, but nonetheless, there's always those moments in cinema where you film something so similar to what's happened in real life, whether it the current present time or right before it happens. And I always find that part so fascinating what happens to actors or what happens to the production, what happens to the directors and creators. When they've made some a moment like that, they captured that feeling, and then it actually happens as similar as it can be in real life.

SPEAKER_02 47:10

Yeah. Or imitating life, imitating art, imitating life. And then just works in reverse, right? It's wild. It's like some of the best moments and some of the worst moments are when a movie or a TV show or a song holds up a mirror to your own experience and it's like, wow, that really does punch me in the gut the same way I felt like I was punched in the gut when I saw that in real life. It's sad.

SPEAKER_00 47:35

That's why I love though the different characters we get in this film. Because I think in too many zombie films, everyone's the same. They're all Rick Grimes. And if they're not Rick Grimes, they're turning into Rick Grimes, or they used to be Rick Grimes. And he's a great character, don't get me wrong. I love The Walking Dead, even though I hate it. I love it. I had to watch the entire thing. It's fine. But in this in this movie, we get, you know, you get somebody like Selena, who who is Haggard, who is beaten down, who cannot see anything past this horrible world that they that they're currently in, right? She's she's doing her best just to make it till tomorrow. And you've got Mark. Mark's a little bit of a dreamer, so it's nice that they have a little contrast between them. He's trying to make plans for the future, and he thinks there's going to be a future when Selena can't even like consider the idea that a future even matters right now. It's such a great clash to suddenly throw Jim into this world because he has no context. He doesn't understand what they've been through for nearly a month already. And so he's looking at it from the old point of view of somebody who who, you know, was around when things were normal, suddenly has to accept things. Does he truly ever accept things? You know, he he maneuvers, he works around things, but it doesn't seem like he becomes a new person. He just stays Jim, whereas everyone else is forced to adapt and to change and to become a new person.

SPEAKER_03 48:53

But imagine for Selena specifically, I think her character arc is so awesome because she is insanely beaten down and just a shell of herself and is only trying to survive, and that's it. So much so, love that you brought up Mark, because we didn't mention his kill. So much so that the moment that he is bitten, the moment that he's infected, he hasn't even started to show the side effects yet. And this movie wastes no time in sh in telling you that when this virus hits, it's gonna fucking hate you. She annihilates him without a second thought. This is supposed to be someone that she has spent time with, surviving with, and instantly got rid of him. And I love how she brings up later on how what do you think this is gonna be? Where like we just survive and we like, you know, kiss and this is all romantic, and then that's what really what comes of it, you know? And at the very end, she's the one that says, Do you think that they saw us with a smile on her face? Like she's hopeful. What an incredible 180. And the fact that Jim was able to do that. This is someone who's coming into this with no context, like you said, just present. And it's almost the opposite in a way, because as he continues to survive this world, he gets a little more serious about it. He's like in survival mode, but never loses his hope or his care and love for the people that are around him, which I think is nice. That humanity is still in him.

SPEAKER_02 50:23

Yeah, Selena absolutely carries this movie for me. I think I struggle beyond the context of Jim's family and then the great decision he makes later in the movie to stop, to intervene, to object, and to come back. Aside from those two things, I find that I'm not really jiving with him a ton. I mean, again, Killian Murphy's an amazing actor. I understand and and I see this evolution that you're describing, Binks, but for me, it really is all about Selena. And it's thinking about man, what must life have been like for her before all of this happened? And how was she already conditioned to have to survive? What choices did she make every single day to exist in society? And what was she going through, right? To to put her on this trajectory because we only see her up against a bunch of white men. That's all we see. That's all we see. The dynamic there is distinct. I think there's so much that I would love to see more for her character. I think there are a few things that I think are among the worst parts of the movie, and while I am happy for her joy, I don't know that I'm like a hundred percent on Jim and Selena hooking up. I don't know. Like I like them together, like in their companionship, but I don't know that I love their romance. And listen, I'm not as passionately against them as I am against like Ray and Kylo Wren, for example. It's it's just a moment for me. But to have this moment where she is reflecting on how Hannah must feel, and she's thinking about acknowledging her and her dad were fine before us, and we were fine before them, and now everything's fucked. And you see that she really just wants Hannah to be okay. She wants a better life and a better experience for Hannah to not have to know the pain that she doubt that she now knows. The same pain that Selena must have already known. And again, this is me falling in love with that potential.

SPEAKER_00 52:27

You know, it's funny that you mentioned that whole connection between them because you can say that Jim changed Selena, but I think Jim motivated Selena to move forward. But Frank and Hannah changed Selena. She saw what was possible and that real life could be had again, and that there was some goodness left in humanity. I mean, when when she's hanging out with Jim, you know, he's another survivor at this point. He's been through something very different. He he's really unprepared, but hey, if he can keep going, he'll keep going. She sees Frank and Hannah, and it's just like, oh my gosh, humanity, human, family, community. There, this is possible. When Frank dies, and Hannah is is obviously destroyed, she like can't compute. It was like there was that hope there for a minute, and now she's beaten down more than she ever was before. And that is honestly like all thanks to these soldiers, because they are just all together, you can lump them in to my worst part of this film, which is men. Honestly, though, because you know, Jim, Jim's pretty good, but he does some really stupid stuff here. He does the typical horror movie guy things where he walks into a place he shouldn't walk into. He lights a candle when there's literally rage-infested zombies running around that could barge in at any point, and he doesn't think about it. Like, really? It's it's at nighttime. She told you to be careful at night, you're lighting that candle. He's making dumb decisions, and then ultimately, like, things happen because of those that either take other characters out, like Mark, or lead them down paths that they shouldn't have had to go down. You know, and it's I mean, he's not responsible for Frank's mistake, which was taking them to that military unit. You know, that's they didn't know, right? They were looking for something better for their lives, and I and I get that. You can't really blame it on anyone except for the soldiers, but the soldiers, the worst, the absolute worst, and and I think it maybe it's like required to really show you how depraved humanity can become, and to contrast that with the goodness that there actually is. But that whole segment where he promised them women and she has to like offer her Xanax so that she doesn't feel anything during it, it's sad. I mean, is it necessary? Is it good storytelling? Perhaps. Was there a different way to do it? There might have been, because for a second, when you first watch that, you think something's about to happen. You think they're not going to be able to stop it.

SPEAKER_03 54:42

Yeah, I was definitely towing too close to the line there, which, okay, this is where we get to the reality of the time, which is this is 2002. You know, of course, they love to be right on that line. So, not excusing it, but just saying, unfortunately, typical of the early 2000s when they address these kinds of topics and things, and the reality, the horrific reality, that yeah, humans, men specifically, are capable of doing extremely terrible things, so much so that they will do it in the guise of feeling like they are helping others. Because uh the intention here was that they were doing them a favor to repopulate the world. But how crazy is that? It's disgusting. And then also to have like you've got your one of your own men chained just to see if they're if they're gonna die or not. Like it's it's giving terrible, it's giving very fucked up. You know what? I had another worst part, but actually you've inspired me. That might that might be the worst part for sure.

SPEAKER_00 55:51

And keep this in mind, this has been four weeks since normalcy. That's it.

SPEAKER_02 55:55

It doesn't take much.

SPEAKER_00 55:56

And these dudes are willing to do all of this.

SPEAKER_02 55:58

I mean, four weeks we're just fighting over toilet paper, bro, not chaining people up outside. Listen, I think this is where I struggle, right? This is the moment, that is the scene that I found A, insufferable when I was 12, but then B, border. I wouldn't go, I wouldn't go unnecessary, like neon demon unnecessary, but hard to watch and definitely punching me in the gut. Like again, as a 30-year-old woman with different experiences and experiences that I think 12-year-old me probably would never have thought that I could experience. I struggle with this movie in that respect. But I do enjoy Jim's coming back to help them, right? And I love the fight in Selena and Hannah. I absolutely love that. It's it's one of those things where you see the depravity of humans and they're commodifying them, right? Like they are treating them as assets, they are treating them as if they are things to be rationed just as much as the snacks on their table or what they're making for dinner or sporting goods for entertainment. And that is, I think, the the most chilling thing about this movie. So while I will say that it is the worst part in terms of the experience of watching, I do mean that in a way that I know that the director intended. This should not be okay with you. It should be uncomfortable to watch. And I do think that it toes the line, but it falls, unlike many other movies of its time, on the more respectful side of things. So I can appreciate that. For me, the worst part of this fucking movie is 1,000% the sound. The car alarm is so grating. It's not even just the loudness of things, but it is the mixing and mastering of it. And again, I don't know shit about shit when it comes to audio. I don't know how we've been doing a podcast for six years because I still can't get this shit right with my ears. But I will say that it was uncomfortable to watch. Not in the same way that that scene was uncomfortable where it like has a reaction for you, but in a this is a miserable experience both to listen to and to look at. So thank God for Selena, or I would have been tapped out.

SPEAKER_00 58:12

I definitely need to watch this again, I think with headphones to really kind of pick it apart from a from a sound.

SPEAKER_02 58:17

No, you don't. Don't do that shit.

SPEAKER_00 58:19

Design, you know, because I watched it on the TV and it sounded fine.

SPEAKER_02 58:22

No, don't don't do that to yourself, Mac. You will walk away with 15% less of your hearing. Don't do that. You need to be able to hear things, Mac. Don't do that to yourself.

SPEAKER_00 58:32

Yeah, I I guess so.

SPEAKER_03 58:33

Or put it at a very low level to start, and that's it. You're gonna have the captions on anyways. So if you don't hear the dialogue, which you most likely won't, it's fine. You just read that part.

SPEAKER_00 58:43

I love it. But but I would be up to watch it again. You know, this is a movie I've seen several times. I actually might have had this on DVD somewhere. I don't have my DVDs anymore, but yeah, I think it's probably stowed away somewhere. I think, you know, it's it's not something I want to watch every month or anything. It's not a feel-good movie whatsoever, but it's something to where and you're saying, hey, we're gonna watch 28 days later, I actually look forward to it. You know, it's it's actually depressing for most of the film, right? Incredibly depressing. It's not the road, you know, the road, it depresses you, and you're like, I don't want to feel that way, right? This is like, I want to watch it because you said, like you said earlier, Chris, that respect you have for the film. That's kind of why I look forward to seeing it. I think even though they they chose definitely the wrong cameras and whatever, I think this is almost something that belongs in an archive that we could save for future generations.

SPEAKER_02 59:29

Okay. People said the same thing about Blair Witch, and people still shit on that.

SPEAKER_00 59:32

Nah, trash.

SPEAKER_02 59:33

Okay, hold on a second. Yeah, I'm I'm people. I want to acknowledge this moment here, Mac, because you talk about how much you respect the movie. And I and I also respect the movie. You know what? I get it. Fall in love with the moments in the pockets of potential. But here's the thing: I also respect myself. Like I'm not fucking subjecting myself to the more of this depression. Absolutely fucking not. No. I respect my eyes to look at better things. I respect my ears to preserve what little hearing I have left. And I respect fucking Naomi Harris's career to watch her and anything else I'm sure she's been in that is fantastic and easy to stomach. I'm okay with revisiting the plot synopsis on Wikipedia.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:16

We do that. You know what I mean? That'd be fun. I've already seen this movie twice this year, so I'm gonna give it a beat personally, but I agree with Mac that this is one that I would be very down to re-watch for the nostalgia, for the conversation that can come out of this film as well with friends when you watch it. So absolutely. But I respect your uh decision, Chris. You know, let's let's keep it where it's at with the slash and let's not test it.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:44

Well, thank you for respecting me. Now, folks, I may never watch this again, but clearly I'm in the minority here. I want to hear what you have to think about it. I want to hear when the last time you watched this movie was, because there you have it. It is just squeak by with the universal slash, but bless us if Sean or Vera ever try to force our hand with a rewind, because I'm gonna be fucked. Well, we certainly had a robust discussion here, it doesn't end here by any means.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:08

We definitely do want to hear your thoughts. You can let us know how you would fare if you woke up in a post-apocalyptic world. I'm definitely curious. You can join in the conversation by hanging out with us for free in our Discord. Click the link in our show notes to sign up.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:23

If you've enjoyed listening to this episode, consider becoming one of our patrons. Visit patreon.com slash hacker slash to enjoy more of the show with early access, extended episodes, bonus content, and live shows.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:33

We'll see you next time, folks. And remember, to cure, you must first understand. Yeah, but we don't have any cheeseburgs.