by kellie abrahamson kabrahamson1@aol.com
B- Rated R 91 min.
RottenTomatoes.com is a popular movie site that compiles critic reviews and grades films based on those opinions. Surprisingly, the highest rated film of the top five grossing movies last week was 28 Weeks Later, a horror sequel that’s thrived despite being up against some of the biggest movies of the summer. The well-received “zombie” flick is now in theaters everywhere.
The film opens on a farmhouse where several Rage-infection survivors are hiding from the bloodthirsty Infected who still roam the countryside. Two of the refugees are Don (Robert Carlyle) and Alice (Catherine McCormack), a married couple who luckily sent their children overseas before the outbreak began. We get a glimpse of their life in exile before we meet first-hand what they are hiding from. The Infected burst into the cottage and begin violently picking off the inhabitants one by one. Don and Alice are the last ones left and, instead of protecting his wife, Don jumps out a window to freedom. As he runs away from the house toward the safety of a motorboat, Don looks back to see his wife being overtaken by the zombie-like menaces.
Flash-forward to 28 weeks later (I’m sure you saw that coming). The Infected have died of starvation and survivors are now living in a quarantined area of town under US Army rule. Don’s there, working as a maintenance man and living the good life in a swanky high-rise apartment. London is slowly becoming repopulated, with refugees flying in from all around the world. The first children to enter the healing city are Tammy (Imogen Poots) and Andy (Mackintosh Muggleton), Don’s kids. To retrieve some photos and personal belongings, the two sneak out of the safety zone and go to their old house, where they make a shocking discovery that causes the Rage-virus to start all over again. With the help of a US Medical Officer (Rose Byrne) and a trained sniper (Jeremy Renner), the kids fight to stay alive as the Infected take over and the Army takes extreme measures.
The two highest grossing films last week were Shrek the Third and Spider-Man 3, big budget chapters to well-established franchises. Compared to these box office monsters, the 28 Days Later franchise is small potatoes. Still, the sequel has managed to make a decent amount of money, considering the competition, taking in over $24 million worldwide since its release. Critics are even enjoying this film, as evidenced by the 70% fresh rating it’s received on RottenTomatoes.com. Rumors of a third film have begun to swirl and, given the cliffhanger ending we got this time around, fans may be foaming at the mouth to see this story conclude trilogy-style.
With any sequel you’re obviously taking away the element of surprise, theme-wise. We know where the film is going; we just don’t know how the filmmakers will chose to get us there. This time around, the shock of seeing “zombies” running full speed to rip the life out of their victims, as opposed to creeping along groaning, is long gone. To up the ante, the filmmakers have gone bigger, with massive explosions, varying methods of taking out the Infected and destruction on a much larger scale. The result is a film that visually and psychologically pleases (that is, if being creeped out walking to your car alone at night is psychologically “pleasing”), much like the first film, but with a more commercial action film feel and a seemingly rushed storyline that contains plot holes so large you can fly a helicopter through them. I won’t give away too much, but I will say that not even the most dedicated fanboy will believe some of the stuff the writers dreamed up to keep our heroes alive.
Don’t let these low points deter you from checking out 28 Weeks Later, though, particularly if you’re already a fan. The Infected are just a vicious and crazed as ever, killing and infecting their victims in incredibly brutal ways. The emptiness of this new London is an eerie backdrop to a truly frightening concept. As with most films of this genre, suspension of disbelief and a love for gore are required for peak enjoyment, so be sure to leave your film snob credentials at home.
With so many blockbuster films coming out it’s nice to see a relatively small horror flick make a dent in the numbers. While 28 Weeks Later has a very long way to go before knocking off Shrek or Spidey, it’s got a lot of fan-love behind it and that’s giving it the extra push it needs.
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