28 WEEKS LATER

"Execute Code Red"

Twenty-eight weeks after the breakout of the rage virus, the infected have starved to death leaving the whole of the United Kingdom a lifeless wilderness. The US military have created a safe zone in the Docklands area of London and is slowly moving people back into the city. As Tammy (Potts) and Andy (Muggleton) return to be with their father Don (Carlyle), the risk of the virus returning hangs over the city but when a survivor is found it becomes a definite threat.

'28 Days Later' reinvigorated the zombie genre and reinvented the way we look at the undead but can a sequel continue the story or will it just be a rehash of the original?

The undead or the infected of the '28…' franchise are like no zombies you have ever seen before. Gone are the rotting flesh, the slow, meandering walking and the flesh eating moans. Instead we are pursed at breakneck speed by vicious, predatory creatures that spread their infection extremely quickly through their blood and saliva, instantly transforming their victims. This makes the Infected completely terrifying and their relentless pursuit of the survivors, bloody and brutal.

'28 Weeks Later' continues the story of the Rage virus and its affect on the UK. The themes of Danny Boyle's original movie are all there but none of the cast return. This doesn't really matter however as it gives new director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo the chance to push forward with the premise and, with the help of a bigger budget, grow the story to a much grander scale. The iconic images of a desolate London return but this time of the we see much more of the city and they still resonate the shock value of seeing the streets of Westminster, central London, Docklands and even the new Wembley Stadium, abandoned and completely devastated. While we may have seen this before, we have never seen it on this scale, especially in a major city.

The decision not to bring back any of the survivors from the original movie may have seemed like a strange decision but the movie is not about the characters it is about the Rage virus. This is the driving force of the second film and the cast are completely at its mercy, meaning that anyone of the characters could be quickly transformed into a bloodthirsty maniac. Instead of having adult protagonists, Juan Carlos Fresnadillo and his creative team have made children Tammy and Andy, played by the impressive Imogen Poots and Mackintosh Muggleton, which could have easily turned the movie into an overly sentimental mess with continuous shots of the kids screaming and crying. Instead we have the adults trying to save them or in some cases pursue them. The talented and beautiful Rose Byrne continues to makes a name for herself as an excellent character actress, playing military doctor Scarlet. Jeremy Renner is good as sniper turned protector Doyle. 'Lost' star Harold Perrineau has a small role as helicopter pilot Flynn and Idris Elba plays US military commander Stone. You also have Robert Carlyle and Catherine McCormack as Tammy and Andy's parents, who both have a major influence in their children's survival.

'28 Weeks Later' is a continuation on the story set out in the original and not a rehash of what we have seen before. The infected are just as terrifying and relentless, London looks even more stunningly devastated and most importantly the story moves on. '28 Days Later' reinvented the zombie genre but '28 Weeks Later' reinvents the apocalyptic movie, pushing realism to a horrifying level and presenting a world that everyone will hope that we will never see but can't be helped but be drawn into.

PICTURE & SOUND

Presented in Widescreen 1.85:1 Anamorphic with a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, the transfer is good.

BONUS FEATURES

Commentary by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo and Enrique Lopez Lavigue
The writer/director and his producer provide an informative and chatty commentary track. The pair talks about continuing the '28… Later' franchise, adding to the story and not just remaking the original movie. They also talk about their approach to the movie, continuing the hand held style of the original and making the most of a modest budget to produce a movie that will again move the horror genre onto a new level. The two also talk about showing the movie from the view of the Infected and making them more of a character than just a piece of terror. This is an extremely good commentary from two up and coming filmmakers.

Deleted Scenes (5.02 mins)
Entitled 'The Canteen' and 'Andy's Dream', these deleted scenes are accompanied by an optional commentary by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo and Enrique Lopez Lavigue to explain why they removed from the final cut.

Code Red: Making 28 Weeks Later (13.07 mins)
Writer/director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, producers Enrique Lopez Lavigue, Andrew MacDonald and Allon Reich, executive producer Danny Boyle, production designer Mark Tildesley and stars Robert Carlyle, Rose Byrne, Jeremy Renner, Idris Elba and Imogen Poots reveal how the sequel to '28 Days Later' cam about and how the emphasis of the second movie changed to be from the view point of a family and how the virus affected them.

The Infected (7.02 mins)
Writer/director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, movement advisor Paul Kasey, costume designer Jane Petrie and stars Robert Carlyle, Rose Byrne, Jeremy Renner, Mackintosh Muggleton, Catherine McCormack, Idris Elba and Imogen Poots talk about making the Infected animalistic in style and look.

Getting into the Action (7.14 mins)
Writer/director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, producer Andrew MacDonald, executive producer Danny Boyle and stars Robert Carlyle, Rose Byrne, Jeremy Renner, Idris Elba and Imogen Poots talk about shooting the action scenes for the movie and making them look better than the budget would have allowed.

28 Days Later: The Aftermath: Stage 1 'Development' (7.37 mins)
An animated comic book that illustrates what happened after the end of '28 Days Later'.

28 Days Later: The Aftermath: Stage 3 'Decimation' (4.45 mins)
The animated comic continues with how the infected detect who hasn't got the virus.

Trailer (2.14 mins)
Watch the theatrical trailer used in the promotion of the movie.

Previews
Watch the trailers for 'The Hills have Eyes 2', 'Sunshine', 'Prison Break: Season 2', 'Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer', 'Die Hard 4.0' and 'Day Watch'

OVERALL

The DVD treatment for '28 Weeks Later' is one that fans will really enjoy. The commentary track is very good and the featurettes cover most aspects of the film's production. The only thing missing is some behind the scenes footage of the London shoot, but the interviews with the cast and crew more than make up for this. This is a very good single DVD package.

DVD

28 Days Later

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2007