Zombies are All the Rage
28 Weeks Later is a Poor Imitation

The zombie revival of the past few years gave me some hope for the genre. With films like Shaun of the Dead, Land of the Dead, and 28 Days Later... (not to mention numerous straight-to-DVD titles), my craving grew for stories of the undead. The idea of a sequel to 28 Days Later... appealed to me, but I had some reservations about how they would move the story forward without repeating themselves. Apparently, no one at Fox Atomic had the same concerns. 28 Weeks Later is only marginally a sequel and offers little for fans of the original.

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U.S. Army soldiers lead two children out of the infected zone in the zombie sequel 28 Weeks Later. (Fox Atomic, 2007)
Directed by: Juan Carlos Fresnadillo
Written by: Rowan Joffe and Juan Carlos Fresnadillo &
Jesús Olmo, and Enrique López Lavigne
Starring: Robert Carlyle, Catherine McCormack, Emily Beecham, Jeremy Renner, Rose Byrne, Harold Perrineau, Imogen Poots, and Mackintosh Muggleton

Rated R (for strong violence and gore, language and some sexuality/nudity)
Running time: 99 min.

FilmGuru's Rating : 3 out of 10.

As fans of the first film will remember, a virus known as Rage broke out in the UK, turning the entire country into a wasteland overrun by zombies. The first film began 28 days after the initial outbreak. The new film begins 28 weeks later (hence the clever title).

The story follows Don (Robert Carlyle) who survived the initial outbreak and is reunited with his two kids as Londoners are being repatriated to the clear zone. As Don makes excuses for why he survived and their mother didn't, the kids understandably miss her. To reclaim a bit of their lost past, the kids go in search of their old house in one of the quarantined areas.

The kids find more than their old clothes and photographs in the hot zone; they also discover someone alive who wasn't transformed by the Rage virus. The Army brings the survivor back to headquarters in hopes of finding the cause of her survival and possibly a cure. When the Rage virus is set loose again, an army doctor (Rose Byrne) rescues the kids and tries to get them to safety.

Whereas the first film explored ideas human versus animal instinct, this film is driven by no such metaphor. The story is weak, the characters ill-conceived, and horror is almost non-existent. The most interesting commentary in the film is the U.S. Army's "Code Red" policy that quickly escalates to containment at all costs.

None of the original cast or crew have returned for this endeavor. Danny Boyle, whose manic direction enhanced the horror of the Rage virus in 28 Days Later..., has left the story in less capable hands. Director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo has created a film that is neither a sequel nor something original. His film is derivative of Boyle's work but adds nothing to it. He is in Boyle's shadow, and it shows.

The one bright spot of the film is the lovely young actress Imogen Poots. Her larger-than-life eyes are captivating and haunting. Doubtless, she will be a much sought after actress in the future.

The filmmakers should have taken a cue from their own ending and (at the very least) moved the location to a different country. As the virus spreads to other parts of the world, there would be new and interesting possibilities to explore. This film was neither new nor interesting, and would be better off forgotten.