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28 Weeks Later

A lot changes in 168 days, and 28 Weeks Later serves as proof.

After a rage virus spread around England bringing the country to an infectious chaos of human-eating zombies, in 28 Days Later the few survivors struggled to stay alive and safe. Fast forwarding to six months after the outbreak, in 28 Weeks Later, the American army has taken control over the situation, eradicated the virus, evacuated the European island and slowly begins to repopulate the area.

The story focuses on a family whose parents (Robert Carlyle and Catherine McCormack) have remained survivors in England while their son and daughter (Mackintosh Muggleton and Imogen Poots) are sent to a survivors’ camp in Spain. As England starts being reconstructed, the children return to a supposedly safe London, only to find themselves in a hectic situation soon after, when the virus resurges. Unable to contain the situation, the American army is left with the only option of extermination.

This sequel, as all sequels of successful low budget films, is nothing but. A lot more explosions and special effects appear on the screen, yet it retains its raw photography and sense of constant fear and apprehension with realistic acting and a well written, plot driven script. The sequel doesn’t have the element of originality it did at first, since the zombies are nothing new to the audience, yet the fact that not only the zombies are to be feared but also the army, makes an escape harder than ever and director Juan Carlos Frenadillo does a good job of making the attempt of six survivors thrilling and compelling.

Though 28 Weeks Later may revolve around gruesome creatures, blood and guts, the abundance of those aspects should not be mistaken for the basis of its horror. In a city where most has been destroyed already, where people are traumatized and in constant fear and the streets run either empty or with imminent threats, the mis-en-scene is what adds more tension to the film and what keeps the audience on edge throughout.

A lot has changed 28 weeks after the rage virus outbreak, but the gist of the film remains the same. There are a lot of old and new elements worth looking for, however, that keep 28 Weeks Later away from a been-there-done-that feel most sequels tend to have, and place it in a select group of thrilling and exciting ones that measure up to their originals.

Written by: Natalia Galbetti

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