Heedlessly derivative though it may be, 28 Days Later does what it sets out to do and then some -- scare us out of our wits, then get us to apply those wits to an uncommonly intelligent and provocative zombie flick.
It's an efficient reminder that science-fiction filmmaking doesn't necessarily have to be swamped by special effects, that the best of it comes in tweaking the familiar just enough to turn it fantastical.
Danny Boyle's purposeful direction and Mark Tildesley's imaginative and resourceful production design keep this fresh and edgy; the images of a wasted London and the details of a paramilitary organization in the countryside are both creepy and persuasive.
Boyle is perfect for the job because he's not big on reassurance; by taking the radical step of letting the movie's low-budget grime get under your skin, he gives the zombie picture new life.
The movie's craft makes the dread of a killer virus contagious: viewers may feel they have come down with a case of secondhand SARS or sympathetic monkeypox.
