Review : 28 Weeks Later (2007)

Awesome DVD Cover

Six months later the US army has contained the virus after quarantining Britain and started bringing survivors to a small island near London to start the repopulation process. But one man's folly results in the virus making a comeback with disastrous results, as London burns again......



Amazing movie. Scary as hell. Not as subtle and dread inducing as 28 Days Later. But its good enough. Opening six months after the Rage virus destroys Britian, it shows how America has helped Britian stand up on its feet again. And seeing Americans tackling the zombies made more sense afterall. Mostly cos I am not used to seeing English fighting the zombies and it took a masterpiece from Danny Boyle to make it all believable. But this goes straight to the action. The snipers, the choppers, the guns and the deserted streets and buildings. And it starts off in a great fashion too. A nice and heartbreaking chase sequence which makes it amply clear again that humanity is no more. Virus or not. And also the new concept of a carrier which doesn't show any symptoms. So there can be a way of finding a cure to the virus. Will the survivors survive the re emergence of the virus is whats the movie all about. More near the American zombie movies than the Danny Boyle one, it entertains and scares you. And maybe give you some life lessons if you look carefully. Nice.



Juan Fresnadillo(Intruders) directs this with panache. He knew comparisons with the first movie were ineveitable. But this one's more mainstream. More action oriented. A kind of cross between Die Hard and Day Of The Dead. While Danny Boyle scared and moved you with atmosphere and read between the line stuff. Juan shows more zombies and less of atmosphere. And while you see more of the vacant streets and buildings and malls. That creepy feeling isn't the same. More so cos American soldiers are stationed everywhere and it feels more safe. And also the fact it took one man's folly, which was a little illogical to me, to start off another fire in England. And after that its pure destruction as bombs ravage the whole of the quarantined zone and England goes up in flames again. Written by Rowan Joffe(The American) and Juan, it is a really enjoyable ride from the start to the end. A little less lengthy than the original it keeps the dread up and body counts rising as the zombies and soldiers fight on. And some action scenes just make it more enjoyable. Not as deep as the former, but for a lazy afternoon this movie will be more apt. Less to think, more action. But far less scary. Although it features some hauntingly beautiful night sequences. Good.






 

Creepy As Fuc%!$

As the first part, this too features good acting which goes a long way in making it a scary ride. Acting may not be as natural as in the Danny one, this is pretty decent though. Idris Elba(Stone) excels in the role of the army general who has a knack of taking hard decisions. And this is one area of his expertise and he always does such kind of roles with great conviction. And also the new Jason Bourne, Jeremy Renner(Doyle) who is a sniper with a conscience. And when the hard decision of destroying and killing everybody in the city is taken, he leaves his post to save whoever he can. This includes Rose Byrne(Scarlett) and two children Imogen Poots(Tammy) and Mackintosh Muggleton(Andy). And one of them can hold the secret to a cure. So its doubly important that they both save the children. The child actors are real brilliant. And that makes it a more goosebumpish ride as bodies fall around them and their bodies get covered in blood as they run to save themselves from the zombies and from the people who were sent to help them. All the supporting cast too do a brilliant job creating a horror movie which can scare the hell outta you. 

A Scary Bus Ride Indeed!!

 

Cinematography by Enrique Chediak(The Faculty, 127 Hours, Red 2) is in one word- EXHILIRATING. He manages to capture some shots of the deserted streets as well as some brilliant night shots which are very scary indeed. Some fine overhead shots of London skyline burning and the quaint countryside makes it a real nice ride. As also the nice editing and the thumping soundtrack make it more enjoyable. Effects and action scenes are great too.




HighTension Verdict: Sequels very rarely are better than the original. And this time its no different. But its not a bad sequel. Directed by a newbie this is more interested in action and entertainment than political commentary. The atmosphere may not be the same but once you stop comparing it with brilliant first part, you realize this is as scary and haunting as any great horror movie out there. Go for it and enjoy and get scared!!


HighTension Meter: 8/10


Best QUOTE:

 

Major Scarlett Ross: It all makes sense. They're executing Code Red. Step 1: Kill the infected. Step 2: Containment. If containment fails, then Step 3: Extermination. Now they won't stop until everyone is dead.