I shrugged it off. "28 Days Later," a 2002 zombie classic. Years later, I watched it again, and it has shed some light on why it's considered such a classic. After all, it's not the first movie about a zombie apocalypse. It may be one of the first of its kind, but it reveals what we have lost in survival stories today. The REALISM dripping from the edges of your screen, VIOLENCE seen in a glimpse of an eye, HUMANITY within and the real questions that we ask during wars and societal collapse alike.
"Just people killing people", the Major said.
Spoilers for 28 days later only.
Walking Corpse.
To highlight these points, I'll briefly mention another classic. The first season of The Walking Dead TV show also captures these themes well. Fans of the two stories can dispute their favorites, but the fact is: the comic book adapted series got more money and fame. Regardless of how that matters.
I will mention the peculiar thing that happened as the story went along. Whatever it was. Changes in direction or lack of them where needed, the story stretched to eleven seasons. Along the way, characters and realism became bloated beyond belief. For instance, the main character, initially a skinny deputy, developed into a muscular superhero. In contrast to makeshift approaches in combat, we got exposed edible necks and edgy trench coats. Human psychology got thrown out for a girl with a katana, the avenger of fathers. Of course, I'm skipping over a whole 11 seasons of development and changing fan taste, but it's clear that the series ultimately lost what made it popular in the first place. The survival aspect, realism, violence, and humanity are what separates a survival story from a superhero one. I even skipped the zombie element, which is secondary to the point of this post.
AMC figuratively beating a dead horse. Trying to make the most money out of a dying fanbase.
What this series lost is not forgotten. The viewers have spoken; while a few watched the last seasons, even fewer are interested in the many promised spinoffs. From what I've seen of them, the bloat is all they are about. Show runners are bringing back beloved "immortal" characters in a new setting and even reverting a chunk of character development from a beloved villain. Just to force the old stuff back on its tired feet.
Violence.
There are many such cases these days. Executives are getting drunk on idealism and marketable power figures. Destroying the sense of realism in a dramatic setting. That's why the "28 Days Later" movie was for me a breath of fresh air. Let me illustrate a moment I find key in explaining this.
As we meet the character of Selena, she seems like a now tired trope. Short-haired, dark skinned, mean and tough. Like an alter ego of some hipster writer from California. But its is not a new Hollywood movie. It's the reality.
Her existence revolves around survival alone. The collapsing civilization tortured her emotionally, yet she stands strong. As if running through fire, she's fast, and never looks back. For both the main character, and the viewer, she becomes a guide through this bleak world. We as the viewers tend to resist that reality. However, she doesn't care. Doesn't matter if you're coming with or without her, she is surviving, focused and crafty. But ultimately she is deprived of all humanity and of all that she dares weak. Existing aimlessly for a point of living the next day.
Selena pities our main hero, who has just woken up, shaken by the harsh reality. When later, her own squad mate gets infected; she doesn't wait. Unburdened, she lifts a machete and swings. Won't let him utter a word or confirm his infection. Amid his screams, she chops him into pieces. Of course, it's not shown entirely, yet it's graphic. They left violence for the viewer's imagination.
Gruesome special effects in the TV show were one of its strong points at its peak, but not for long. As with most aspects, both the material and viewers grew tired. Because however far The Walking Dead pushed the bar on violence, there is always a limited amount of ways you can destroy a body on television.
Viewer's imagination however always stays strong. But then it's more held accountable by the story it is a part of. You can't keep showing a corpse and always get the same message. The emotion behind it is irreplaceable. Well, further into the series, the focus shifted onto politics and drama among superhero characters. To stay relevant, they kept showing the same corpse to then wonder why the material got tired.
wouldn't have seen before a thousand times.
Humanity.
Our main character is shocked along with the audience, but the actual impact it leaves will be revealed during ending scenes. It was just a cold-blooded killing after all. It serves as an introduction to the barbaric part of the setting. This is emphasized by its status as one of the most gruesome deaths in the movie. Even in the Walking Dead, there were many more earned and interesting character killings. In the early parts, of course, which I won't spoil.
A TV show has more time to earn these moments than a movie. As well as time to spoil them. The whole structure of the subject movie is heading towards the bombastic ending. During which, human and animalistic parts of the characters get put to the test. This is when Selena's toughness and the main character's apparent altruism will show its true nature, in a realistic way.
These soldiers were always the same. Once stationed in secluded bases, awaiting inevitable war, which now is in place. They show no restraint in dealing with the apocalypse. Using the resources gathered during peace, they fortified a local castle, making it impregnable for zombies.
It's the government hand that separates, organizes. As a civilized society, will strive to frame such concepts as war and peace, violence and humanity, into morally digestible packages. It's the packaged goods that rarely rot. It's the societal roles that organize us.
And this is the society that collapsed. Now, when every person is for themselves, the everyday people, like our heroes, had to take the burden of their safety off the government's shoulders. But now the handlers are back and want their role back. They have guns and plenty of ammunition. They will rebuild their intended purpose whatever the cost.
The military role is shown to be simple. Their Major says that their purpose is greater, but the laws that bounded their power and purpose that focused it disappeared along with the government. They say that they need humanity, the weaker, to protect. But as it turns out, they already met most of their needs, and now lack the simpler aspects of the fallen society. It's emphasized by the fact that none of the soldiers can actually cook. They have food, but no structure to prepare it. They seem to need society and women to rebuild it with.
Their Major seems to be still civilized, but he holds onto his power whatever the cost. He subconsciously wants his military rank to hold the same significance. While the whole structure lost its engine and now the soldiers it created are pushed by the gravity of their numbers. They only desire women, and their boss will hide this fact, just to keep them from tumbling. It's the purpose, they say, as they imprison, and kill their moral selves. They are not bandits but the saviors, and they will exploit the weaker people. As they swore to themselves that it's to help humanity.
The Realistic Approach.
Like the "rage virus" is for zombies, the soldiers are stripped to their animal form. As one of their own calls out their morality, so they take him down too.
The layers of defence might have saved her from all the horrors outside. But no deminor can save her from the trained soldiers, and their weapons. They take her freedom, and want to do what they want.
As a last effort, she shows that all of her cunning wasn't a front. When she successfully convinces soldiers to leave her alone with a child.
It was a one of her group, which will soon meet the same turmoil as her. She drugs it with pills. For all she wanted at this point, is for the innocent, to not feel this horror. This way she manifested the point of all her lies, which is, to dull the pain of the hostile world she was experiencing.
The complexity of this portrayal of toughness, outshines most of other similar characters in media. Because, every one of us once wanted to become a super hero, one unshaken by dangers. Therefore, at least, subconsciously, we cannot connect without this layer of realism.
It doesn't matter how much turmoil characters of the later seasons of the Walking Dead lived through.
If the showrunners weren't ready to show the characters be weaker when a bigger danger appears. Therfore, being ready to kill every character at any point. They are telling an escapist fantasy in a worst genre possible, one where viewers should always believe it. Because, to show actual survival, you need a struggle of characters who are as fragile, and lying, as us.
Ending Remark.
Recently it was unthinkable for him to attract zombies on purpose. But now, when he has nothing to lose, he turns on an abandoned alarm siren. The blaring sound attracts hordes of zombies toward the castle. Soldiers fight them, and in this confusion, he sneaks inside.
His cold desperation, looks very much like that, which previously drove Selena. But she would avoid danger to survive. However, he isn't full of fear. His human attachment to his friends, mixed with the desire to survive, is motivating him to a seemingly inhuman level. He is reckless and sharp. Ready to do anything, no matter the moral implications, and fight to win.
He is not only enabling zombies to kill the soldiers, but attacking them himself, when they are distracted. The recently safe harbor is now flooded with raging zombies. In this way he is enabling the degradation of civilization. But he has accepted this price. He is probably hopeful it doesn't matter that much, ever since he saw the plane—a sign of a distant civilisation. It's a ambiguous sign but that doesnt hold him. He looks to be betting on what he knows is right.