To be honest, I've never caught the first movie, "28 Days Later". So I assumed that this film was a zombie movie - something along the lines of classic zombie flicks like "Night of the Living Dead" and "Dawn of the Dead" (the 1978 film and its 2004 remake). However it turned out to be a variant version of "Outbreak" and "Resident Evil" - yet it was tastefully done to keep you on the edge of your seat.
In the first movie, an outbreak of the "Rage" virus leads to a near-wipe out of London. Once infected by the virus, the victims slowly succumb to it and become mindless like rabid zombies tearing, biting and ripping into anything that lives. In the sequel, it no longer takes that long for the virus to affect a person. In a matter of seconds after infection, the victim becomes a crazed murderer.
In the opening credits of "28 Weeks Later", there was a brief explanation about what happened in the span of time between the first movie and the second. Apparently, the first wave of infected victims, termed as the 'Infected', had died out from starvation. A NATO force, led by the United States, had clamped down on London and quarantined the city; cleaning up the mess. Weeks later, the quarantine was lifted on the Isle of Dogs, and a new city was being rebuilt. Refugees and survivors returning to England were placed here.
With the city declared safe, siblings Tammy (Imogen Poots) and Andy (Mackintosh Muggleton) return to London where they are reunited with their father, Don (Robert Carlyle). Don, however, tells the children that their mother, Alice (Catherine McCormack) had fallen victim to an attack from the 'Infected'; now only the three of them remain. Feeling guilty for not even having a picture of his mother to remember her by, Andy convinces Tammy to sneak out of the 'Green Zone' - the heavily guarded section of London - to go back to their home to pick up a few mementos. To their shock, they find Alice still alive, and unaffected by the virus.
However, their mother was indeed bitten and infected; but being immune to the virus, she showed no outwards signs although this made her a carrier. Unknowingly, Alice is brought back to the 'Green Zone' where a doctor, Scarlet (Rose Byrne) finds out that she may carry the antibody to fight the virus but General Stone (Idris Elba), in charge of securing London's safety; wants Alice killed to avoid further infection. In the midst of all this, Don sneaks into the medical facility to see Alice. Soon after, through a series of events, the virus begins to spread for a second time - plunging the city once again into chaos.
"28 Weeks Later" is definitely NOT a zombie movie because it does not use the usual formula to define a zombie. The 'Infected' do not drag themselves sluggishly across the floor but attack and ravage with inhuman speed, almost like those vicious aliens from the "Alien" movies. Also, they didn't die first before turning into the 'Infected' but were instantly transformed after getting infected, hence disputing the term "The Living Dead".
Newcomers Mackintosh Muggleton and Imogen Poots did a reasonably good job as the two children stuck and surrounded by these 'Infected' monsters. They did not overact or look wooden. More numbed by shock and loss than anything else, their characters gave the film a different dimension (after all, we've grown bored with seeing couples as the main characters of such films). Robert Carlyle ("Full Monty", "Trainspotting") who has always been an excellent actor, again shines in this film. Without giving away too many spoilers, let's just say that you can feel and see his pain, rage, and sadness.
Although "28 Days Later' was directed by Danny Boyle ("Sunshine"), he chose to be the executive producer for the sequel, and the director's chair was given to the critically-acclaimed Spanish director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo ("Intacto"). Juan Carlos' style is different here from other horror/gore flicks as he moves away from the clean, 'arranged' Hollywood look and feel, to give this film an almost dreary and hopeless look, as if this is what the future entails for us all. The character build-up was lacking in the film, however, yet this serves to enhance its pace rather than to turn it into a bore.
The film has its fair share of blood and gore. Most of the scenes were obviously shot with a digital hand-held camcorder, giving the impression of chaos and mayhem as the 'Infected' jumped on their victims. This technique almost brings the audience right into the thick of the action. The usual shock tactics are used to create suspense, and make you jump right out of your seat, such as the eerie, silent build-up before the action explodes; the dark, gloomy underground passages with you-don't-know-what lurking around the corner; and the body-covered grounds seen through night-vision goggles; but these scenes keep you engrossed without cheapening the movie.
The more impressive scenes are the aerial shots and wide-view look of a completely deserted London. Known to be one of the busiest cities in the world, it is almost disturbing to see only a handful of people walking down the deserted streets in broad daylight. Even more disturbing is the scene from the helicopter. There is not a single car on the London Bridge or any of the roads leading you to wonder if this is the height of impressive digital technology, or if citizens were barred from using these roads during the filming.
Beneath the layers of gore and blood, however, the message is clear. During the Dark Ages, pestilence and plague were destroyed by quarantining towns full of people and burning them to the ground. In the wake of the recent SARS outbreak and the bird flu virus in Asia, the question still remains: how far can a country go before resorting to the final decision of exterminating all living folk, just to destroy something that can be seen only under a microscope? Would mankind still stand by his arrogance that he alone is superior, as is seen in the film when the General arrogantly assures Scarlet that there is no further infection?
The film is entertaining, with a number of unexpected scenes leading you to ponder on the possibilities of a third movie just before the closing credits, and the subliminal messages hidden beneath the spatters of blood.
