28 Weeks Later DVD Review
Posted by Mitch Michaels on 10.16.2007
Maintain the quarantine…
My Story
When 28 Days Later was released back in 2003, it was a revolution to zombie fans like me. For one thing, the film took the “slow lumbering zombie” template and trashed it, in favor of the speed demon, rage infected variety. With horrible, more threatening zombies and a stylish look and feel, the classic “post-apocalyptic/man becomes his own worst enemy” plot drove the film into a real horror classic.
When 28 Weeks Later hit theaters in 2007, it seemed like a natural enough sequel, as little had been solved in the first film other than the heroes being rescued. When it was announced that none of the stars from 28 Days Later would be returning, it cause a bit of concern. Could this movie live up to its lofty, cult classic predecessor? Do they ever?
Behind The Movie
In 2002, the Danny Boyle (Trainspotting)-directed 28 Days Later hit theaters in the UK. The film starred then relatively unknown Cillian Murphy and Naomie Harris, as well as Christopher Eccleston (Gone In 60 Seconds, The Others) as English survivors of a man-made plague known as the rage virus, which left most of the population as flesh-craving zombies. The low-budget film garnered great critical reviews and earned around $12 million dollars during its UK run. It was released in US theaters in the spring of 2003 and became a surprise hit, earning over $40 million during its fairly limited release.
With the success of the film (which paved the way for the hit Dawn Of The Dead remake), talk began of a sequel almost immediately. In 2005, Danny Boyle announced that he would not be directing, but would serve as the movie’s producer. Newcomer Juan Carlos Fresnadillo was brought on by Doyle as the new director. A new cast was also announced, which would feature stars Jeremy Renner (S.W.A.T.) and Harold Perrineau (the Matrix sequels).
The movie, 28 Weeks Later, completed filming in late 2006 and was scheduled for a May 2007 release. Upon its release, it reached #2 at the US box office. It has since grossed around $28 million.
Producer Danny Boyle has announced that he’s interested in making a third sequel.
The DVD
On October 9, 2007, 20th Century Fox released 28 Weeks Later, the sequel to 2003’s 28 Days Later. The DVD is available in widescreen and full screen format, as well as in a 2-disc package with the 28 Days Later DVD. The movie is also available on Blu-Ray. The movie is rated R with a runtime of 101 minutes.
The Credits
Directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo
Screenplay by Rowan Joffe, Juan Carlos Fresnadillo & Jesús Olmo with E.L. Lavigne
Cast:
Robert Carlyle as Donald "Don" Harris
Jeremy Renner as Sergeant Doyle
Rose Byrne as Major Scarlett Ross
Idris Elba as Brigadier General Stone
Catherine McCormack as Alice Harris
Harold Perrineau as Flynn
Imogen Poots as Tammy Harris
Mackintosh Muggleton as Andy Harris
Shahid Ahmed as Jacob
Emily Beecham as Karen
Garfield Morgan as Geoff
Amanda Walker as Sally
The Feature: 6.5
Perhaps I went into 28 Weeks Later expecting too much. Its prequel is one of my favorite horror movies, so I at least expected the movie to be interesting. What we get instead is an amalgamation of the style of 28 Days Later and the lackluster storytelling of today’s most generic horror movies. The plot moves along slowly at first, making you feel like something important is going to happen, but the “poetic justice” of the seemingly immune mom re-introducing the rage virus by biting the husband that deserted her during her time of need seems a little heavy handed. Oh yeah, this review contains some spoilers.
Still, the story builds nicely enough and the kids who become the stars of the movie aren’t even that intolerable. Perhaps it’s the way that 28 Weeks Later forsakes the moody suspense of Days in favor of shaky camera work and a boo around every corner that is most annoying. That and, with a much larger cast, the film doesn’t seem to give time for these characters to grow, instead relying on tired archetypes. The big sister protecting her younger brother. The caring, sacrificial soldier/hero. The tough and uncaring US military. The coward. The caring news reporter. Was there a caring news reporter in this movie? Oh well, seems like there should have been.
Worst of all, the climax of the film (with its doom and gloom ending) is the exact opposite of the first movie, which hinted at a rescue but left you wondering, what would happen? 28 Weeks Later does nothing of the sort, screaming in your face, “They’re dead! The zombies won! It’s over!”
Oh well, at least they didn’t make me care about the characters. Let the feast begin!
The Extras: 7.0
Like most modern horror movies, the extras on 28 Weeks Later nearly save the film. The deleted scenes are nothing to write home about, but the making of featurettes are fun and convey the enthusiasm that the cast and crew had for making this rather boring movie. Does anybody come out of these things with a changed view towards the film? Hell, the Punisher making-of clips had me considering that piece of junk a real triumph. The best extra is a graphic novel that depicts the rage aftermath.
The 411: 28 Weeks Later wasn’t that great in theaters and it remains not that great on DVD. The story is boring and predictable, lacking the storytelling from 28 Days Later and instead content to play off horror movie clichés and tired zombie-related scares. Not that 28 Weeks Later is a bad ZOMBIE movie, it’s just not anything special, which is a real letdown. The DVD has great sound and looks fine, and the extras will bolster your appreciation for what went into the filming, but at the end of the day, the movie just kind of sits there doing nothing, much like this disc will most likely do on your shelf.
