28 Weeks Later (2007)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Juan Carlos Fresnadillo

Writers:

Rowan Joffe (screenplay) &
Juan Carlos Fresnadillo (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

11 May 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

It All Begins Again

Plot:

Six months after the rage virus was inflicted on the population of Great Britain, the US Army helps to secure a small area of London for the survivors to repopulate and start again. But not everything goes to plan.

Plot Keywords:

London | Rage | U.S. Army | Infection | Blood

Awards:

2 wins & 4 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Sat. July 18

4:10 AM

HBO

Cast

Robert Carlyle	...	Don
Catherine McCormack	...	Alice
Rose Byrne	...	Scarlet
Jeremy Renner	...	Doyle
Harold Perrineau	...	Flynn
Idris Elba	...	Stone
Imogen Poots	...	Tammy
Mackintosh Muggleton	...	Andy
Amanda Walker	...	Sally
Shahid Ahmed	...	Jacob
Garfield Morgan	...	Geoff
Emily Beecham	...	Karen
Beans El-Balawi	...	Boy in Cottage (as Beans Balawi)
Meghan Popiel	...	DLR Soldier
Stewart Alexander	...	Military Officer

Also Known As:

28 semanas después (Spain)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence and gore, language and some sexuality/nudity.

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

UK | Spain

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Ireland:16 (theatrical rating) | UK:18 | Singapore:R21 | Hong Kong:IIB | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Canada:18A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | Australia:MA | Singapore:M18 (edited version) | Malaysia:18SG | USA:R (certificate #43475) | New Zealand:R18 | Germany:18 | Argentina:16 | Ireland:18 (DVD rating) | Mexico:C | Norway:18 | Brazil:18 | France:-12 (with warning) | South Africa:18 | Finland:K-18 | Chile:14 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Taiwan:R-12 (original rating) | Sweden:15 | South Korea:18 | Philippines:R-13 | Japan:R-15 | Netherlands:16 | Iceland:16 | Italy:VM14 | India:A (cinema release)

Filming Locations:

Aldwych Underground Station, Aldwych, Holborn, London, England, UK

Company:

Fox Atomic

Trivia:

The farm that Don and Alice hide out in the start of the film is the same farm that appears in Children of Men (2006).

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Don is running across the field from the farmhouse to the boat jetty, you can see fresh tire marks in the grass from earlier takes.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Donald Harris: What are you going to cook?
Alice: Your favorite.
Donald Harris: What, again?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Muchachada nui: (#1.5)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

Kiss of Death

The end is once again extremely ****ing nigh

I've never been a huge fan of the zombie horror genre, but I was very impressed by Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later… Somehow it managed to create characters worth caring about as well as throwing mindless zombies at them. So when I heard that a sequel was in the making, I was excited but understandably cautious since the Disappointing Sequel Syndrome is all too common nowadays. I also disapproved of the director switch, fearing that yet another low-budget gem will be Americanised by Hollywood, made far too slick for its own good.

So to say 28 Weeks Later was a pleasant surprise would be an understatement. Fresnadillo managed to maintain everything that was good in the original and add his own flair. The rage virus, the zombies and the gore are all still here. But most importantly, what keeps the series shockingly vivid is the willingness to flaunt the naked truth: we humans are the real monsters. Under such extreme circumstances, mankind's self-preservation instincts kicks in and it is an ugly sight to see. It might be the necessary thing to do, but that still doesn't make it feel right.

The film starts off at an odd pace but soon settles into a familiar terror-stricken rush. The cast was well selected, nothing out of the ordinary but no obvious weak links either. The Americanisation was not as severe as I had previously dreaded, and I actually quite welcomed Rose Byrne and Jeremy Renner leading the plot. The shots of post-apocalyptic London may have been done already but they're still as effective as ever, and John Murphy's score is brilliant as always.

All in all, a worthy sequel to Days and very few fans will be disappointed, I hope.