28 Weeks Later

Like days only bigger and a bit dumb

Lover: Taken from IMDB
“28 Weeks Later is the very promising and very terrific sequel to 28 Days Later. It starts off strong, and the film never lets go. It has great production values. The direction by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo is really amazing. He directs with a fast-paced tone. The cinematography is spectacular, and the film has a sort of futuristic look to it. It has the post-apocalyptic atmosphere. The writing is very strong. The characters are very well developed, so we care about them. The performances by everyone in the cast are top notch. The action is riveting, since this film is more of an action film than 28 Days Later. I also thought this was a very thought-provoking film. The way people have to kill each other because there is no other way is a truly deadly thought. It reminded me of the theme of The Mist, another great 2007 horror film. Overall, everything that made 28 Days Later work is present here as well. 28 Weeks Later might even be better than the original. I very much appreciate horror films like this, and am very glad they can still be made. Terrific film-making!”

Maybe a bit to much praise, it’s not at all as good as the first one but it is a good movie.

Hater: Taken from IMDB
“I'm open to believe the U.S. Army is stupid- but THAT stupid? How do 2 kids get out of the "safe" zone and manage to steal a moped, ride through London, hang out at their house, and meet their mother before the Army can catch up with them? The purpose of putting the safe zone on an island in London was for containment (I assume) and yet, the survivors AND the zombies are able to walk across a bridge to get off the island AFTER it's been fire bombed? I am able to guess the mother's genetic eye-color trait is linked to the genetic anomaly that makes her and her kid immune- how does the idiot doctor not figure it out? Is the medical director really so stupid as to not guess these kids could be current hosts- is she really so stupid as to whisk the two kids away without checking their blood- and wouldn't doing a full work up on both kids be required when they were first caught? Is she so stupid as to risk her life to get these two kids out of Britain who can be carriers, like their mother was a carrier? And really... the father's reaction when he finds out his wife is alive... this is a man who should have severe PTSD (the entire survival population should have PTSD)... and he saw his entire nation succumb to this virus and yet he is ready to believe that his wife comes out of an attack unscathed? And then he sneaks through security to see her???!! Really??! And again back to the stupid U.S. Army-- you'd think security in that place would have been better...I get that he had "all access" pass, I just think the Army would have guards around too. Come on... the movie was so stupid upon stupid. Sorry to all the fans, I really liked the first one.”

A very good review with some very valid points! It’s a bit harsh to write the film off for them though. Suspension of disbelief is one reason why we watch movies, it would be wrong to let that ruin what is a perfectly acceptable horror movie.

What I thought:
You definitely get more bang for your buck with this sequel to Danny Boyes 28 Days, it delivers them thick and fast and ups the ante on kinetic camera work from the first one. In many ways it’s a great example of a sequel; it’s faster, bigger with a much more emphasis on gore. This one finds all sorts of ways to shock you with the violence while the first was more subtle, it does work and it does push the boundaries of the first. Even the ending is a great part of what could become a trilogy; everyone knows that the second part of a trilogy ends on a downer.

Like the second review though this film does not live up to its predecessor, by having a film this scale in London and at this pace it has to sacrifice the story telling with some pretty messy plot holes. For a detailed look at all of them just look at the Hater review above, they’re exactly right. Though some of what they say is a little harsh to say the least, not everyone gets PTSD in these kinds of situations, not every soldier who comes back from a front line has PTSD. I also don’t think it’s that hard to believe the guy wanted to see his wife after thinking that she was dead! The questionable nature of the U.S Army allowing a lot of this to happen is a little dubious but you could argue that they were bored, no longer on the alert as the country has been infection free for 6 months? In fact a lot of the banter between the actors playing the army correctly points this out.

It falls down to you, where would you draw the line. Will you go that far to defend the film or are these plot holes to much. Either way it is an entertaining and sometimes shocking horror film.

Available on DVD and Blu-Ray
Cert: 18
Running Time: 100 mins