Screenwriter's Series: Alex Garland

The Screenwriters Series will examine the filmography of a screenwriter with the hope of finding out what helped them break into the industry or continue to find success. "Story By" credits will not be used: only films with official WGA Screenplay credit per IMDb will be used. This includes screenplays with multiple writers that may or may not have collaborated.

THIS MONTH'S SCREENWRITER: Alex Garland

Alex Garland was already a successful author before Hollywood came knocking at his door. His debut novel, The Beach, was adapted into a movie in 2002 that was directed by Danny Boyle and starred Leonardo DiCaprio, Virginie Ledoyen, Guillaume Canet, Robert Carlyle and Tilda Swinton. Boyle wanted to continue the partnership which is how Garland came to make his screenwriting debut.

MOVIE: 28 Days Later... (2003)

Starring:

Cillian Murphy as Jim

Naomie Harris as Selena

Brendan Gleeson as Frank

Megan Burns as Hannah

Christopher Eccleston as Major Henry West

Director: Danny Boyle

Budget: $8 Million

Box Office:

Opened: $10M

Domestic Total: $45M

Plot:

Twenty-eight days after activists release monkeys infected with a rage virus, Jim awakens in the hospital. He roams the empty streets of London looking for someone. Anyone. Instead, he finds "Infected" and runs for his life. After he is saved by the tough, survival-minded Serena, they cross paths with Frank and his daughter Hannah. After hearing a broadcast from the military promising shelter and safety, they leave London and travel towards what they hope is help and possible answers. They soon realize the Infected aren't the monsters that they should be afraid of.

The Script:

The script I read was essentially what ended up on screen. Other than some very small dialogue changes, Boyle was very faithful to Garland's script. The only part the script that wasn't able to translate visually is when Jim is walking around the empty London streets. Boyle spends a lot of time visually putting us in Jim's shoes. The explosion at the gas station also visually translates better in the film than on the page. Despite that, Garland is very adept at character driven tension, especially once they end up with the soldiers at the mansion in the last 40 pages. The writing is very economical yet you never lose sense of where characters are during the scene.

My Review:

It had been a long time since I had seen this movie, and given its themes and subject matter why not watch it during a global pandemic? This holds up very well and I'm sure to ruffle some feathers here but I think this is Boyle's best film (yes, better than Trainspotting). Garland's claustrophobic screenplay coupled with Anthony Dod Mantle's handheld cinematography enhances the visceral horror the film presents. The film earns its R rating, with some brutally graphic kills and some legitimate jump scares thanks to its fresh and updated take on zombies (a word that is never uttered in the movie to describe the now fast moving Infected). I also enjoyed the film's pessimistic view of humanity, making humanity more the villain than the Infected.

The movie introduced Cillian Murphy to American audiences and it's quite the debut. He plays equally confused and compassionate and his relationship with Naomie Harris is well done. I do wish the film had resisted the urge to make their relationship romantic in the end but I suppose I shouldn't complain too much when the rest of the movie that surrounds it is so well done.

Critical reception:

87% on Rotten Tomatoes

Fangoria Chainsaw Award Winner- Best Screenplay

Saturn Award Nominee- Best Writing

Chlotrudis Award nominee- Best Original Screenplay

Hugo Awards nominee- Best Dramatic Presentation - Long Form

Trivia:

This was actually something I remembered from when the movie came out! There is a What If... alternate ending that plays after the credits. This was something that they came up with during production, as the film ends with the scripted version. It's definitely the more downbeat ending that they honestly could have gone with since the sequel doesn't feature anyone from this film.

Garland was inspired by George A. Romero's "Dead" Trilogy (Night, Dawn and Day) as well as John Wyndham's Invasion of the Triffids and The Omega Man.

Although Boyle and Garland were only producers on 2007's sequel 28 Weeks Later, in 2019 Boyle was quoted as saying "Alex Garland and I have a wonderful idea for the third part".

Up Next: Sunshine (2007)