28 Days Later: Kind of Like Leviathan

in this delightful (though poorly written) essay I compare my favorite Zombie movie, 28 Days Later, with the groundbreaking work of Political Philosopher Thomas Hobbes. It may be silly (and nerdy) but this perspective helped me understand Leviathan a bit better and watch the movie in its entirety without covering my eyes or peeing my pants

28 Days Later: Kind of Like Leviathan
Some Hobbes-esque Movie Quotes:
Jim: What do you mean there's no government? There's always a government, they're in a bunker or a plane somewhere!
Major Henry West: This is what I've seen in the four weeks since infection. People killing people. Which is much what I saw in the four weeks before infection, and the four weeks before that, and before that, and as far back as I care to remember. People killing people. Which to my mind, puts us in a state of normality right now.

In a Zombie Apocalypse, man is literally in constant fear of death from his fellow man. The government, which has no power over mindless raging Zombies, is rendered irrelevant and thus non-existent.
In this chaotic state, the best one can hope for is a small group of like minded individuals who agree to work together for self -preservation. When approaching another, larger group (be they Zombie or Humans) the individual must be hesitant or aggressive, as it is more than likely this group will either mindlessly kill or harm, for the sake of their own preservation, the original individual or small group. While these individuals may believe in the powers of love and God, these beliefs cannot stand ground against the inevitable dangers of a lawless society, where it may be contextually ‘morally right’ to hack your Grandma’s head off with a machete for your own preservation. This is shown in the movie 28 Days Later, where Jim, the non-infected protagonist, enters a church and is attacked by an infected priest and slew of infected church goers beneath a crudely sprawled graffiti message proclaiming “REPENT, THE END IS EXTREMELY FUCKING NIGH”.
Most notable is the fact that this virus was set free by radical activists who disregarded laws imposed by the sovereign in an attempt to pursue liberties they perceived to be entitled to. If these individuals had not dissented, the virus, a metaphor for state of war, would not have been unleashed on the society. While compliance necessitates the denial of certain liberties, such as fair rights for animals, this is still better than the state of chaos which would otherwise ensue.
28 Days Later, like Part I of Hobbes’ Leviathan, depicts the state of war, where life is nasty, brutish and short, with the purpose of scaring the viewer. Towards the end of the movie, Major Henry West, a military official , describes how the state of Zombie apocalypse is not so different from what he has seen in war zones. This is visually depicted when a blood-soaked Cillian Murphy, playing protagonist Jim, murders a full platoon of military men with his bare hands, and is indistinguishable from the rage-virus infected-s from whom the crew of survivors are trying desperately to escape.
In short, you should watch this movie. It may keep you sleepless for weeks afterwards, but it leaves you with a wholesome appreciation for the peace and security you have been granted by your otherwise frustrating respective governmental system. We may have to put up with taxes and blatant hypocrisy, but its better than running from bloodthirsty zombies, right?

(the original had pictures, i can't figure out how to get them in here. Sorry.)