28 Weeks Later (Widescreen)

 

 

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I wouldn't necessarily say it's better than the original but it stacks up really well. Whereas the first movie created an atmosphere of fear and dread, this one, while still scary, amps up the action, gore and body count. It's very disturbing but us fans wouldn't want it any other way.

28 Weeks Later is a sequel to Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later, which was a refreshing zombie film that took itself very seriously and arguably reinvigorated the sub-genre for bloodthirsty audiences around the world...I consider myself among them. Danny Boyle steps back as director but his influence is intact as he produces this film. Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, a Spanish filmmaker recently nominated for an Academy Award for his short film Esposados (released in the US as Linked), directs this sequel but maintains many of the stylistic standards of the first film. Like 28 Days Later the cinematography is digital, and it is in 35mm format with some shaky camera work and some very quick edits. I have to admit that at times the attack scenes seemed a little over-stylized and one scene was derivative enough from the Blair Witch Project that it came off as an intentional tribute. Not to say that bothers me much, I'm just pointing it out.

The first film was about a virus called "Rage" that quickly turns it's victims into fast-moving cannibals that are a bit more real and scary than the mindless traditional zombies of George Romero's films. After a while the first film ended with all the infected people starving to death. The second film starts off with a thorough American occupation of London that works to contain and prevent another outbreak while at the same time re-introducing British civilians. We are then introduced to a family of characters, some of which have a genetic abnormality that allows them to remain healthy with the virus. They are un-effected carriers of "Rage". This of course leads to another outbreak in the setting of a military occupied London. And so we sit back and watch as the zombified shenanigans ensue.

28 Weeks Later is extremely violent but it's even more brutal than many films of this sub-genre because it takes itself so seriously and it actually works effectively for that. We are introduced to several would-be protagonists, two of which are deeply riddled with guilt and that makes the characters three-dimensional which allows us to actually care about them. But by the same token, the movie doesn't pull punches and the zombies get their way more often than not. That means the violent tone in general was a bit more real for me. There is also an incredibly gory sequence that is identical to a scene in Planet Terror, the first feature in the recent collaboration Grindhouse. It's interesting to compare the two scenes, because in Planet Terror the scene is so amusing and slapsticky while essentially the same scene here in 28 Weeks Later comes off as shocking and disgusting. It is an interesting comparison that compliments the refined style of both movies.

The middle acts of 28 Weeks Later serve as a political allegory of sorts, in terms of the war in Iraq, although I couldn't perceive which side the film is actually taking. It seemed to suggest both judgements of ineptitude and sympathy toward the American military. So the commentary seemed kind of inconsequential other than to reflect our modern cultural and political climate, which is firmly in the tradition of George Romero's early zombie movies, Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead. I must say that the commentary itself was so heavy-handed at times that I was really keeping my fingers crossed for that fast-moving Saddam Hussein zombie...oh well, perhaps I'll have to wait for 28 months.

Great movie, while parts of its seemed contrived and very coincidental, the movie was well done, acted, great cinematography.

Commentary was informative.

Blu Ray video was excellent. Great action and acting. and no holds barred brutality even by the normal non infected.

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1.0 out of 5 stars took to long
i ordered 3 movies at the same time.2 came right away the other took 3 weeks.will not be using Disc x again.

Published 10 months ago by brianne

4.0 out of 5 stars Good movie
If you liked 28 days later, you should like this sequel.
Action and suspense, nice video quality and audio...

Published on Sep 11 2009 by Juan Castillo

5.0 out of 5 stars Nice surprise: as good if not better than 28 days
Gripping and intense, your mileage might vary but I think I preferred this one to the original which was already pretty great. Read more

Published on Jun 6 2009 by Sebastien Patenaude

1.0 out of 5 stars What a crock of crap!
This "film?" has absolutely no redeeming qualities. The story line is ludicrous, the acting is abysmal and the producer should be thrown into the same bathtub of blood he puts... Read more

Published on Oct 25 2008 by Frank Martens

5.0 out of 5 stars Looks great on Blu-ray
Most people seem to like 28 Days Later better than the sequel but I prefer 28 Weeks Later.I thought the first movie was a bit slow during the second half. Read more

Published on April 28 2008 by Wayne

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow , this is a masterpiece !
This sequel of "28 days later" is more than the first.
It's faster,more action,more gore scenes,more infected(zombies). Read more

Published on Feb 10 2008 by Stef

1.0 out of 5 stars Appalled.
I enjoyed the movie in the theatre, so this score is in no way related to the movie itself. This blu-ray release is so appallingly horrible it should be considered broken. Read more

Published on Jan 6 2008 by Bee

1.0 out of 5 stars Stick to 28 days later
Awful, awful. I'd read the reviews that the producers were 'cashing in' and creating a franchise, but preferred not to believe them. Wish I'd saved my money. Read more

Published on Jan 3 2008 by drahcir

3.0 out of 5 stars i thought it fell short of the first one,but there are some great action sequences(2.5/5)
i have to say,i was disappointed in this follow up to "28 Days Later".don't get me wrong,there were some great moments in this movie,particularly the action scenes,which were... Read more

Published on Oct 28 2007 by falcon

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