MPAA Rating: R/Genre: Post Apocalyptic Horror/Stars: Robert Carlyle, Rose Byrne, Jeremy Renner, Harold Perrineau, Catherine McCormack, Mackintosh Muggleton, Imogen Poots, Idris Elba, Amanda Walker, Garfield Morgan, Emily Beecham, Philip Bulcock, Amanda Lawrence, Raymond Waring, Eunice Huthart/Runtime: 100 minutes
I think it can safely be said that if there was ever a constant to be found in the land of movie magic that was their equivalent of death and taxes it would be that if you make a horror film then don’t be surprised when the powers that be try to make a franchise out of it. Indeed be it for reasons of money, money, money, or in the slimmest of Slim Jim chances that they actually think that there is the potential to take the story forward in a fun and creative direction (but mostly money), it is not all that uncommon to see a sequel spring forth as quickly as possible so that the studio behind can milk more of your hard-earned finances out of you for a product that more often than not turns out to not be nearly as good as the original. Of course, it could then be argued that whilst franchisation of a particular cinematic outing is not uncommon there is an element to it that can be. That being when the inevitable follow-up actually turns out to be more in the vein of pretty good all things considering and less in the vein of an extremely unnecessary attempt to milk a potential cash cow dry. The reason I bring this phenomenon up to you dear reader is because the slice of cinema I am reviewing for you today, 2007’s 28 Weeks Later, is an example of that particular concept in action. Indeed here is a slice of cinema that operates as a standalone sequel to the gripping 2002 film 28 Days Later and honestly there is no denying that this slice of cinema easily could have been rushed out to theaters, lazily assembled and cast, and overall turned out to be nothing short of a mess to say nothing of a slap in the face to the level of quality on display in its predecessor. Instead though, this slice of cinema manages to be one that actually has a fairly riveting narrative to say nothing of the fact that it is also quite competently made behind the camera as well as acted by a collection of more than capable performances in front of the camera. To be sure, it is by no means a perfect slice of cinema, but by and large there is no denying that 28 Weeks Later still manages to be a fairly nightmarish and taut cinematic excursion that, migraine-inducing camerawork aside, is both respectful of the work that came before whilst also being definitely worthy of at the very least a watch for its own merits.
The plot is as follows: Taking place in the same world as the original (albeit with no returning characters), 28 Weeks Later gets its nightmarish saga underway by first taking us back in time to when the infamous Rage Virus was at its pinnacle. It is here we find ourselves tragically having to bear witness as a man by the name of Don, his wife Alice, and a group of fellow survivors hiding out in a home in the country are beset upon by a group of the infected. An assault that, we soon see in brutal and visceral fashion, results in the majority of the group being seemingly wiped out and Don hightailing it out of there via running to a nearby boat with such speed that he is not able to get out of there relatively unscathed, but is also able to beat the land speed record in the process. From there, the film jumps ahead in time where we see that nearly half a year has come and gone since the outbreak first gone underway and wreaked havoc across mainland Britain. Fortunately, in that period of time those who were infected by this have been wiped out by (of all things) starvation and as such the island is finally able to make the claim that they are “Rage free” (or something to that effect). As a result, we see that a NATO task force headed up by an American military unit are able to get boots on the ground in order to begin the establishment of a colony consisting of those who have been able to survive the outbreak and thus enable them to start, however tenuously, rebuilding their lives. Among those in that group of survivors, and actually working as a caretaker in the new colony, happens to be Don and we soon see that he is able to welcome his pair of kids Tammy and Andy, who weren’t in country when the outbreak first got underway, back home with an equal mix of open arms and an ever-gnawing away at him feeling of hidden guilt at fleeing. Yet just as it looks like things are about to finally get under control and the world will be able to move on from this horrific calamity, we see that it isn’t long before a seemingly innocent excursion leads to a discovery outside the secure zone. One that, among other things, tragically proves to be the proverbial domino that manages to not only reignite the deadly outbreak, but also lead Tammy and Andy plus an Army medical doctor named Scarlet and an elite sniper named Doyle among others to engage in a desperate battle for survival. As for whether or not that battle is one they are able to be victorious in that is something that I think I will leave for you to discover for yourself dear reader…..
Now right off, it is worth noting that the work done behind the camera on this particular cinematic outing isn’t all that bad. This starts with the work done by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo at the helm and whilst he doesn’t bring to this slice of cinema what Danny Boyle did to its predecessor back in 2002 there is no denying that his work is by no means a complete and utter fiasco. I say that because what Fresnadillo manages to bring here is a razor-sharp precision to his work that might start out slow yet by the end is as taut, nightmarish, and edge of your seat riveting in the best way possible. Indeed right from the word go, we see that this is one slice of cinema that looks like it is one which will be perfectly content with keeping its foot on the gas as much as possible. However, we soon see that in a rather unique twist, the film actually chooses to slow things down a bit following the first 10-15 minutes. By doing this however, not only are we able to get a glimpse, however fleeting, of some semblance of normality whilst also getting to know a tad bit more about some of the characters, but this also permits for a proper establishment of atmosphere to say nothing of a feeling of impending unease and doom. Thankfully, we see that to his credit Fresnadillo is able to use this particular slow-down in the first half of the film to his advantage so that when we get to the second half and chaos has once again come forth he is able to put things in full gear and bring us a collection of highly charged action beats including a group of aircraft engaging in a firebombing, a group of infected attacking in Regent’s Park, and even a spine-tingling odyssey through the London metro that will definitely make you think twice about ever taking the subway again that manage to all leave you both engaged and thrilled in equal measure. Besides that, we as an audience are also treated to another distinct skill in Fresnadillo’s directorial toolbox and that would be his appreciated concentration on sound design. I say this because, rather than the usual moments where the music practically tells you when to be scared, this film is the blessed recipient of a mix of atmospheric sounds and unnerving bass lines which manage to bring a genuine sense of dread to virtually every moment in this slice of cinema be it one of solemn drama or of delightfully over the top viscerality. Of course, it should be noted that the ominous and potent musical accompaniment that is present here does manage to hook into you in such a way that don’t be surprised if you find yourself as on edge as the characters in the movie. Finally, for the gore hounds among you who are wondering if this slice of cinema manages to work on that level then you will be happy to know that the gore definitely works here quite well. Not just because it’s quite gnarly, but because this film’s director has no qualms about gleefully displaying as much of it as possible. Of course, if there is one weakness to the execution of that gore, among other things, it is in terms of the camerawork. I say this because by and large the camerawork here is fine, but when it chooses to go into what I like to call shaky-cam mode it can be at best hard to tell what the heck is going on and at worst reaching for the Tylenol to help cure the Insta-Migraine that this film just managed to give you. Suffice it to say that the work done behind the camera on this isn’t bad, but don’t be surprised if you find the camerawork leaving you a wee bit woozy.
Of course, the other big element that works in this slice and dice of cinema’s favor would have to be the work done by the undeniably talented cast of players in front of the camera. This starts with Robert Carlyle in the role of Don and honestly he is terrific here. Indeed Carlyle does a terrific job at playing a man who we’re not entirely sure what to make of. Yes he does love his kids very much, but then there’s this other thing that he did which is definitely something that he should be at the very least ashamed of himself for doing. However, this slice of cinema does make the brilliant choice to allow his character to actually feel a significant degree of guilt for the latter thing. As a result, this goes a long way toward making him a character that yes we do despise to an extent, but who we also can’t persecute too heavily since we know deep down that if we were in his position we might likely do the same thing (even if we don’t want to admit it out loud). We also see that once things take a turn for the horrific however, there is no denying that Carlyle, without going into spoilers, manages to pivot from this guilt-ridden yet well-meaning father into something that is no more or less than a genuine nightmare. Suffice it to say that I have long enjoyed Carlyle’s work as an actor and the degree of skill which he brings here is no different. Along with Carlyle, we are also treated to a wonderful turn here from Rose Byrne in the role of Army medical officer Scarlet. Indeed Byrne does a terrific job at giving us a character who is not only dedicated to her job, but who is perfectly willing to protect the two kids at the heart of this story less because of long-buried maternal instinct and more because events throughout the movie reveal to her that they might truly be the only hope the world has in trying to find a way to ensure that this disaster never happens again. Of course, I would also be very much amiss if I did not take some time in this section to devote to the top-flight work done here by future Avenger in the MCU Jeremy Renner in the role of Delta Force sniper Doyle. Indeed I have always enjoyed Renner as an actor and here does a great job as a career military officer who isn’t entirely onboard with what literally amounts to babysitting duty from a high enough vantage point and really doesn’t understand why in the world he and his fellow snipers are there in the first place. However, when things begin to go downhill we see that he has no qualms about leading this group of survivors not because it’s what he has been ordered to do, but because it’s what’s right. Finally, I also think praise should be given here to both Imogen Poots and Mackintosh Muggleton. Indeed in their roles of sibling duo Tammy and Andy respectively, we see that this pair manage to showcase that, much in the same vein as Ariana Richards and Joseph Mazzello were able to do in the first Jurassic Park, they could portray a pair of credible and not annoying young people who were still worth following and rooting for even in the middle of the most terrifying of circumstances. Suffice it to say that when you also factor into the equation top-tier efforts from such screen talents as Catherine McCormack, Philip Bulcock, Emily Beecham, Harold Perrineau (who was fantastic as Mercutio in Baz Luhrmann’s 90s take on Romeo and Juliet), and Idris Elba (who is perfectly cast here as the no-nonsense and strict as nails General Stone among others it’s clear that this slice and dice of cinema might have issues, but the work done by the cast does try its absolute best and then some to make up for them.
All in all and at the end of the day is 28 Weeks Later a perfect slice and dice of cinema? As amusing as that would be, I sadly must be honest with you and say that is definitely not the case by any stretch of the imagination. With that in mind though, does that make this the worst thing to happen to “undead cinema” since Night of the Living Dead was remade a 2nd time in 2006 and in 3D to boot? Thankfully, for both your eyes and viewing pleasure, I can say that is most assuredly not the case either. Indeed, if anything, I guess there was a significant part of me that was hoping that this slice of cinema would be very much like its predecessor which, given the love that film got from both critics and the general movie going public, would not have been the worst thing in the undead world. Yet if there was one thing I was not expecting, it would be that this stand-alone sequel would manage to hook me in right from the word go and then proceed to leave me riveted all the way up to an ending that actually manages to be fairly well done. More than that, I guess I wasn’t also expecting the helmer on this one to not only give this film its own distinct style, but do so in such a way that it was still able to synch up quite well with its predecessor from 2002. Thankfully, I can safely say that I didn’t lose any money on that particular set of cinematic gambling expectations, but even so (and all jokes aside) the fact still remains that it might be flawed, especially in regards to its camera work, but with the aid of more than capable work on both sides of the camera, 28 Weeks Later is definitely one wild and taut cinematic ride that should definitely be one that those who love horror cinema, zombie fare, or both ought to check out at the very least once. Just don’t rage too much when you do. Make of that what thou will dear reader. On a scale of 1-5 I give 28 Weeks Later “07” a solid 3.5 out of 5.
