Customer Reviews

28 Days Later

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have over sixty soundtracks and this one ranks in my top 10 for its courage and variety. I say courage because we hear some beautiful songs in seemingly strange situations.

Faure's 'In Paradisium', a song also featured in The Thin Red Line where Private Witt is swimming with the islanders. We hear this song as the four survivors are driving towards the burning city of Manchester.

Brian Eno's song 'An Ending(Escent)', also featured on the TRAFFIC soundtrack at the end of the film while the kids are playing baseball.

'Avi Maria' by Bach, this beautiful song featured while the survivors are driving through the diseased and dead body ridden streets of London. Absolute brilliance and courage to put this song in that segment!

Grandaddy's best song, in my opinion, is featured during one of the rare "happy scenes" of the film. It is called 'AM180' and is the song that got me hooked on Grandaddy.

'Season Song' by Blue States. A nice mesh of disco meets hip hop. Haven't bought their cd because of it but seriously thought about it.

John Murphy also does well with such songs like 'In the House', a powerful song played while the infected begin to turn on the soldiers and 'Red Dresses', a magical song that reminded me of something RADIOHEAD might play while riding on a carousel(don't ask but when you hear it, you'll know what I'm talking about).

Also, 'Frank's Death', is powerful and moving.

I highly, HIGHLY recommend this soundtrack to fans of classical and rock genres. The only let down is the omission of the Godspeed, You Black Emperor song. Overall a 9 out of 10.

many people that have written reviews for this are asking about the song where he is walking around London...its a song by Montreal Band, Godspeed You Black Emperor! and its called East Hastings. Its on their first album F#A#(infinity). Surprisingly almost every song on that album could have scored this movie. Very moody stuff. Also the reason its not on the soundtrack is probably due to the bands request. They are notorious for turning away from soundtracks, i was shocked when i heard they were in this movie. That being said i do like the soundtrack from this movie. The use of the Grandaddy song in the film had me laughing.

28 Days Later was a terrific movie. Flawed? Perhaps but original and haunting in ways I'll always remember. Even after several viewings of the DVD I find it simultaneously refreshing and unnerving, especially the scene where our protagonist discovers a London devoid of all current human existence. What made that scene work in large part was the stark music of Godspeed You Black Emperor's track - East Hastings. Although that particular cut does not appear on the soundtrack CD the whole of it works in spite of that glowing omission. The bulk of the original score was composed by a Richard Murphy. Other additions include such notables as J S Bach (yeah, that's right), Grandaddy, Brain Eno, the Choir of Trinity College, and Blue States. On the American version, you've even get two bonus tracks remixed by Rui Da Silva and Jacknife Lee. In a post - apocalyptic rock kinda' way, this music is chilling, daunting, evangelic, and visceral; at times taking no quarter, at others, showing much mercy. I didn't know what to expect except that I wanted the soundtrack to be as cool as the movie. In large part it succeeds stupendously.

The comic strip as insert (done in black and white) manages to fill in the blanks of day 2 through 27 in our mystery. The visual enhancements cover the film trailer, some minor unseen footage, and snapshots of our actors in their costume dress for wardrobe continuity. I hadn't really noticed until someone brought it to my attention - the musical tracks follow the film in their proper order sequence, scene for scene. Not that it makes any difference for this score was composed in large part explicitly for the movie. In my hectic world, I find escape and solace in this music, one minute thunderous storm, next, a tranquil beach on a balmy day. The overall effect is normalizing and smoothes out the rough edges. I feel a bit more civilized after a spin. Like the movie, the soundtrack isn't perfect, but it's close. Also, it wins the "too cool for school" award hands down. Too me, no matter how you figure, that's more than enough.

Hi. Just so you people know, this album does not contain the Godspeed You! Black Emperor track that plays near the beginning of the film. You're gonna have to buy the Godspeed album (F#A#00, I think) for that one. Good movie and soundtrack otherwise.

28 DAYS LATER, the movie can contribute some of its success to this follow up CD with its scores. Taxi and Ascent and the Remixed song add a great flavour to the overall soundtrack. It is easy to listen to and follow on with.

I for one am glad i got the sountrack, it has some great beats in Tower Block, The Tunnel, and No more Films. It's enjoyable to listen to and puts you in that 'what if?' mindframe.

I bought this a few weeks ago in the record store, and haven't been able to turn it off since. The change between slow and calming and creepy ambiance is perfect, and there's enough of a variation to feel every mood and theme in the movie. EXCELLENT soundtrack, and I highly recommend it.

If you haven't seen 28 Days Later, go see it now! But, if you have, then buy this cd right away! It is one of those soundtracks that fits the mood and the pictures of the movie so well, that listening to it transports you back to the theater and you imagine parts of the movie along with it, like when Jim sees the plane trails across the sky, or in the end when he's going through the army house, etc. The pieces are rather short, but they all flow into a single mood, plus they play in just about the exact order they appear in the movie, for continuity. This even includes the Grandaddy song AM180 and the Blue States song at the end, BUT the only omission is the incredible Godspeed You! Black Emporer song which is played in the movie as Jim discovers he is alone in London. But, I can see why it's not on here, as the song is almost 18 minutes long (i have the album). SO, get this if you've seen the film, but wait to get it and see the film first, if you haven't yet.

My title says it all. As an amateur short film maker, I found this CD amazing. I thought they took a risk by using music for such prolonged times in the film, but the music they used eliminated any risk. You will get chills just like you did with the movie because every piece was written by amazing composers. This is not like most soundtracks where they get certain people to perform just because their name will sell discs. This soundtrack fits the movie in every aspect. Just amazing.

Various Artists, 28 Days Later... (Beggars XI, 2003)

A good deal of the power of the brilliant film 28 Days Later..., as with many great films, lies in its music. Danny Boyle and John Murphy, the two main composers, did a fantastic job both with the original music here and the material gleaned from other sources (some of which, unfortunately, does not appear here; if you want the awe-inspiring Godspeed You Black Emperor! Track played while Cillian Murphy is wandering around a deserted London, for example, you'll need to pick up Godspeed's F Sharp A Sharp Infinity...which you should do anyway).

Most of this soundtrack is Boyle and Murphy, with some fine help from vocalist Perri Alleyne ("Abide with Me," "Ave Maria"). Brooding, ominous, intelligent, and every once in a while witty, the two of them create a soundtrack with an almost palpable menace about it.

The pop songs contained herein are somewhat weaker in the ambiance department, but make up for it with catchiness. Brian Eno, Grandaddy, In a Heartbeat, and the incredible Blue States contribute tracks, all worthwhile. But as many reviewers have pointed out, among the pop songs, Grandaddy's "am180" takes the day. Plaintive yet poppy, the song fires like Fountains of Wayne on steroids (and with talent) with Liz Phair sitting in to give them some real guitar crunch. Absolutely wonderful, and I have spent much time wondering why it has completely escaped radio play. Blue States sound almost as if Baz Luhrmann were sitting in on the session; their track puts me in mind of the similarly excellent "Everybody's Free" from Luhrmann's Romeo and Juliet.

If you liked the movie, this is a must-have. If you haven't seen the movie, pick this up anyway. Very worthy. ****

John Murphy provides the rarest soundtrack experience: a score that incorporates compositions of both texture and grit without either sounding out of place.

Whether you have seen "28 Days Later" or not, this soundtrack is a must have! John Murphy's intricate yet simple melodies are brilliantly moving, sonically illustrating the curiousity, despair, anxiety and hope of the film's storyline. Many of the haunting synth-based compositions conjure memories of the Bladerunner soundtrack (Vangelis), while the grittier selections are definitely in a soundtrack class by themselves - imagine a cross between early Soundgarden and "Earthling" era David Bowie.

The additional contributions are also outstanding. "AM180" by Granddaddy has been stuck in my head since I saw the film, and Brian Eno even steps away from his over-jazzed/over-produced/over-thought habits of late, resulting in a very simple, very effective piece.

Buy and enjoy!!! (and for the true movie experience, turn track 18. "In the house - In a heartbeat" up to 11!)