28 Weeks Later (2007)

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It was a surprise, even to myself, that in my review for '28 Days Later' I confessed to it probably being the first zombie movie I saw in theatres, or maybe at all. I didn't carry through my enjoyment of the film, however, because for some reason, I didn't bother with '28 Weeks' here upon its release. However, when I finally saw it after a rewatch of the first film, it exceeded my expectations. I went in more or less blind, so I honestly expected it to pick up where the last one left off, with the same characters.

To my pleasant surprise, the film does not use the same characters as last time (those who survived, anyway), expands on what the first film sets up, brings in a whole different idea, entirely different environment, brand new characters, and executes it all very well with very little repeating material from '28 Days' (not to be confused with the Sandra Bullock movie). In other words, it's a sequel one can watch on their own without getting lost. There's enough of a descriptor at the beginning of the film anyway.

Some time after the events of '28 Days,' the infected have begun to die off from starvation, NOT being meat-hungry proper zombies, but zombies in just about every other sense of the word. Soon, NATO forces arrive to take control, and Great Britain begins rebuilding what it can while keeping the infected out of its quarantined area on the Isle of Dogs. Here, brother and sister, Andy and Tammy (Mackintosh Muggleton and Imogen Poots, respectively), are taken in to meet with their father, Don (Robert Carlyle) and mother, Alice (Catherine McCormack), now presumed to be dead.

Don, however, has a pretty awful secret he keeps to himself, and his guilt over it is what eventually reintroduces the rage virus into the deceptively safe scene. The central part of the story focuses on them and plays with the idea of an immune carrier; therefore, there are heavy reflections of 'The Last of Us,' but we must keep in mind that this movie came first, although I believe the concept predates it. Confusing, but I don't want to give too much away, as the twists and turns the film takes, even if they are a little predictable, were still very entertaining to me. It's a film that doesn't really hold back.

In the meantime, however, there's the military presence, which plays a significant role here, keeping everyone protected. Overseen by Brigadier General Stone (Idris Elba), a whole lot of snipers on rooftops await any action, and it's surprisingly quiet and even kinda boring for a while, as the troops entertain themselves by watching what's going on with people through their scopes. The central focus on the military side is a soldier named Doyle (Jeremy Renner) and a medical officer named Scarlet (Rose Byrne), who play significant roles in protecting the aforementioned brother and sister later in the film.

As mentioned earlier, and without giving too much away on just how it happens, the rage virus does manage to infiltrate this quarantine, and the film takes off from there as far as the action goes, keeping you on the edge of your seat. It could prove slow-moving for some up to that point. Still, I appreciate how they set up the quiet environment of the quarantined area, especially with the playful banter between the soldiers, which adds a comedic element to provide some entertainment until all hell breaks loose.

If I'm going to give it any criticism, the first thing I'll address is the use of shaky-cam, which I understand is supposed to reflect the idea of "rage," but that doesn't mean I have to like it. However, I can cut it a little slack for its time. Otherwise, and this isn't a criticism so much as an observation, but the first film explored these ideas of humanity and rage, and they all blend into the film's climax. This one is more straightforward, as the standard zombie material we know and love today, again predating, but reflecting 'The Last of Us' in many ways. At the very least, it deserves some praise for tackling a different side of the zombie apocalypse.

4/5

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