The Girl with All the Gifts

Astutely adapted by Mike Carey from his own dystopian novel, Peaky Blinders director Colm McCarthy's film brings visual resonance and shocking gravity to a heartfelt and powerful cautionary tale. A fungal spore has infected the planet, turning most people into "hungries" needing human flesh. But contaminated Melanie (the extraordinary Sennia Nanua) is somehow able to control her cannibalistic urges, so could provide the cure. When her underground safe house is breached, Melanie escapes with the soldier who wants to kill her (Paddy Considine), the doctor who needs to dissect her (Glenn Close) and the teacher who thinks she's the answer for a new world society (wonderful Gemma Arterton). Visceral and action-packed, it offers memorably haunting moments such as London's Post Office Tower eerily covered in Triffid-like plants and a girl gang's brutal entrapment ruse. It startles and chills before McCarthy offers genuine hope for humankind to define the best and most unusual zombie movie since 28 Days Later.