Dir. Juan Carlos Fresnadillo
Starring Robert Carlyle, Rose Byrne, Imogen Poots, Mackintosh Muggleton, Catherine McCormack, Jeremy Renner
28 Weeks Later has probably one of the best ideas for a sequel in a long time. Especially since 9/11, there have been numerous films where the threat of the world ending was looming throughout, and when that threat has been thwarted, the movie abruptly ends. It’s always been a curiosity to find out what happened once the apocalyptic nightmare is over. How many people survived? How do they rebuild? In this superior sequel to Danny Boyle's zombie nightmare 28 Days Later, director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo answers those questions with a frightening and timely story.
Fresnadillo wastes no time, opening with a harrowing scene that takes us back to the time of the original film, but focusing on a different group of survivors, including Don (Robert Carlyle) and his wife (Catherine McCormack). The zombies have come for them, and during the escape Don makes a disturbing moral decision that burns through the rest of the film. Then of course we flash forward to 28 weeks later. The US Army is in London, leading the rebuilding effort. They are introducing the first set of survivors, which include Don’s two children, who understandably have several questions about what happened to their mother.
It seems that every other movie this year has had some kind of reference or inspiration by the current political and military state of the world. While 28 Weeks Later works on the simple level of a zombie movie, it’s impossible to ignore the analogy of the US being portrayed as an occupying force, and an irresponsible one at that. The theme is even furthered by the inclusion of a US Army doctor (Rose Byrne) who is critical of the hasty rebuilding process, and a Army sniper (Jeremy Renner) whose conscience forces him to disobey his orders.
Fresnadillo employs a rapid fire editing style for most of his suspense sequences. In most movies, this tactic feels tired and annoying, particularly in the films of Michael Bay and his ilk. The difference is he doesn’t do this for the entire movie. Fresnadillo actually takes some time for quieter moments, such as the snipers who use their rifle scope to spy on survivors, or the quiet emotional scene where Don explains to his children what happened to their mother. Thus when we get to the shaky cam moments, we haven’t already been inundated with it, and the unsettling experience feels entirely appropriate.
There are some standout moments in this film that surpass anything from the original. Late in the film, one character is forced to lead two others through complete darkness using a night-vision rifle scope to guide them. Several critics who have complained that this scene makes it difficult to tell what’s going on have apparently missed the entire point of the sequence. My other favorite moment, one which makes the Iraq war comparisons hit very close to home, is when the US Army’s rooftop snipers have trouble distinguishing between the infected and the uninfected.
Unfortunately, the team of screenwriters (four are credited) come up with some very lazy explanations to get the plot moving. In a very simplistic scene (if you’re going to strain credibility at least make it fun!), Don’s children are able to breach army security a little too easily. Then later on, Don is able to walk into a room with the only known infected person on the planet, which is conveniently unguarded for a long period of time. I don’t know what kind of idiot was in charge of the security plan, but even Rumsfeld couldn’t have screwed up this badly.
Still, the lack of credibility in these two scenes is not enough to destroy the film. There’s just too much to enjoy here. The screenwriters did do a good job with characterization, making several characters interesting enough to care about: the children, the army doctor, the sniper, Don and his wife and even a helicopter pilot who shows up in the third act. It should go without saying that a thriller is even scarier when you actually care about the people under attack, and that is definitely the case here. The ending certainly leaves open the possibility of another sequel, and I suppose they can keep this going forever: 28 Months Later, 28 Years Later, maybe even 28 Decades Later. If they keep up this level of quality, then I’ll definitely be there.
