I really liked this movie. This is not say that I didn't find problems with it, so I'll start with those. I had so many mixed emotions about the 2 female characters. I was especially torn when it came to the black woman, Selena. First of all, the actress was phenomenal, so my issue is not with that at all and I was pleasantly surprised to see that someone black actually made it. Beyond that is where my issues arise. On the one hand, I was glad to see a black woman kicking asses and taking names, but on the other hand, there weren't any soft edges to her. This brought forth my black woman baggage of being viewed as savage - of black women being portrayed as feminine less hardened warriors. Having said that if she had been a "Penelope" I probably would have complained about her not being strong enough. You see the problem?
I also had a BIG issue with the desexualization of this character. The soldiers just thought they could take it from her. Never mind the fact she killed lord knows how many zombies. They were just going to take what they wanted. Which again speaks to black woman not being viewed as sensual. BUT my issues could very well being without merit if the character wasn't written specifically with a black woman in mind. The same is held true for the Zombie they catch. He is a black man and I was pretty upset that they had this black man tied up in chains and he was a savage monster. I was really struck by how much I was upset by this. Once again a black man is being made to appear as an animal. But it again, maybe this part was written as non-race specific and it just so happens that the actor who got the part is black. I also had difficulty with the equalization of a young teenager.
Even with all of this, I really like this movie. For all it's violence and gore ( and it was very violent and gory) it was a very interesting and thought provoking piece of work. It messed my head up for a few days. I was unable to get all of those vile images out of my head for one thing, but primarily I kept trying to figure out what I would do if I were in the situation. I think I would literally go crazy. I do not think I could deal with the loss of my family. I know my mind would checkout. After which I would be wandering around aimlessly trying to get my hair and nails done. I'm sure it would take me months to snap out of it and in this situation I'd only have a few minutes.
What also struck me was the message that humans can be savages even when they aren't infected.
On a personal level I was amazed at how the audience was drawn in. There was a collective "Awww" when one of the characters we liked got infected. We jumped and we screamed. It really pulled us in.
The Directive
This movie is extremely violent and scary so it is not for everyone and definitely not for children. If you are able to deal with that then by all means check it out.
This movie will still be on my mind 28 days later.
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Copyright Kamal "The Diva" Larsuel-Ulbricht, 2003
EMAIL: thediva@3blackchicks.com
ICQ: 8690410
http://www.3blackchicks.com/
Rated R; running time of 118 minutes