Zombie Bracket – Round Two – Shaun of the Dead vs 28 Days Later
Last night was a tough night for all zombie lovers … two zombie classics – siblings even – were turned against one another to prove which was the mightier. And yes, there was a winner. George Romero’s first zombie film appears to have set the bar and the standard for all zombie films that followed it. Alas, the great Dawn of the Dead was knocked out. I gotta say, Dawn of the Dead is my all time favorite zombie movie, but if I had to cast the tiebreaking vote, I’d give it to Night of the Living Dead.
Tonight’s matchup … Shaun of the Dead versus 28 Days Later.
Here’s the synopsis for Shaun of the Dead:
It’s often said that the true character of a man is only revealed in times of dire crisis, and for likable, lovelorn loser Shaun (Simon Pegg), that moment of reckoning came when the dead rose from their slumber to feast on the flesh of the living. A hapless electronics store employee who spends most of his spare time downing pints at the local pub with his roommate, Ed (Nick Frost), Shaun’s life seems to fall apart when he is dumped by his girlfriend, Liz (Kate Ashfield), and his obnoxious stepfather, Philip (Bill Nighy), shows up to berate him for not being more attentive to his caring mother Barbara (Penelope Wilton) — especially since he forgot to send flowers for her birthday. Things take a turn for the worse when the dead return to stake their claim on the Earth, and though the chaos that follows threatens to swallow up all of England, it’s up to Shaun to keep his cool and prove himself once and for all by successfully rescuing Liz and his mother. With his trusty roommate by his side, nothing — not even the living dead — can stand between Shaun and the two most important women in his life. Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
and here’s the synopsis for 28 Days Later:
Animal rights activists free a group of infected chimpanzees to horrifying results in this speculative sci-fi horror effort from Trainspotting director Danny Boyle. Waking from a coma in a deserted London hospital 28 days later, bicycle courier Jim (Cillian Murphy) takes to the deserted city streets in a state of mystified confusion. Joining forces with another group of survivors following a terrifying encounter in a seemingly abandoned church, Jim soon learns the truth behind the deserted streets and the menacing creatures that lurk in the shadows. It’s soon revealed that the chimpanzees had been harboring a deadly virus that sends its victims into a furious, murderous rage, and in the days following the initial exposure, the entire population was nearly wiped out due to the resulting homicidal rampage. Is there still a glimmer of hope for humanity — or has the deadly “rage” virus found its way to foreign shores and infected the entire planet? ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
So which is the better zombie film?
Updated Zombie Bracket (special thanks to Matt for some zombie bracket corrections)
Tough one 28 days was good but not really zombies so i would have to go with shaun