DVD Review: 28 Weeks Later

In 2002, Danny Boyle brought us 28 Days Later, and with it a world with a virus that could turn a man into a bloodthirsty animal in a matter of seconds. The virus spreads quickly, and there's no way of stopping it. Soon, the nation was caught in the throes of the Rage. Now, five years after that first film brought us the revisionist zombie world, we are given a new tale of the infected. Although, there was some cause for concern as Boyle was not at the helm (he does remain on as a producer), rather Spanish director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo was sitting in the director's chair. I am happy to report that it lives up to what we got in the first film, possibly outdoing the original. 28 Weeks Later is a new story set in this universe, and delivers thrills, chills, and kills galore.

From the opening moments, I was drawn into this world where death could be lurking around every corner. I was almost immediately drawn in, emotionally, to characters that I knew very little about. This is a rare occurrence, at least in recent years, where I was caught up so quickly in the plight of our characters. It is credit to the cinematic shorthand of director/writer Juan Carlos Fresnadillo and writers Rowan Joffe, EL Lavigne, and Jesus Olmo. Their story draws you immediately into the lives of these people, it puts you right in their shoes as they are trying to find a way to deal with the deadly threat that faces them.

28 Weeks Later takes place in the same universe as its predecessor, although it more than stands on its own, expanding the world rather than continuing it. As a matter of fact, had 28 Days Later never existed we would not be any worse off, that is how strong this sequel is. How often do you come across a sequel that not only expands what came before but is a complete and solid film of its own? Not all that often, I would guess. None of the characters of the first film appear here, they aren't needed. The first film was a smaller, more intimate production of one man and his journey into the gates of hell. This film throws the gates wide open. It pulls back and gives us a new perspective on the timeline of how everything went down and how they try to bring life back to the empty island nation. However, knowledge of the first story is not necessary.

The story opens 15 days after the initial outbreak of infection, placing it before the events of the first film. We are introduced to Don (Robert Carlysle), his wife, and a few others who are holed up in a farmhouse. Here the small group is intent on keeping themselves safe from the raging infected hordes. Unfortunately, their peace is short-lived. The house is broken into, many of them die, and Don is able to get away — but at what cost? It is a visually exciting sequence, as the zombies (not exactly accurate, but you know what I mean) break into the house and force Don and the others out into the treacherous open field outside. Tell me you aren't moved as Don runs across the field, looking over his shoulder, with a group of zombies racing over the hill crest after him as the score plays on. Incredibly more emotional than you would expect from a horror film.

The story jumps forward to week 28. The US military is leading a NATO force in the reconstruction and re-population of England. We discover Don survived, and is reunited with his children. When questioned about their mother, the kids get a story that is true, but not complete, as you will learn, and it is Don's decision in the opening prologue that will have the strongest of repercussions echo throughout the rest of the film.

This is the kind of movie that is hard to describe without giving away pivotal plot points, so I will have to be a little vague as not to spoil it for any of you. The film is powerful; it does make some political statements regarding the current situation in the Middle East and the effectiveness of the military, but frankly, I could care less about political posturing. Although it is a little hard to ignore the idea of American forces moving into an area that is thought to be safe with a rather cocky attitude, only to find a resurgence of what you feared most. On top of that, the attitude comes crashing down and the realization that you are unable to contain the resurgence leaving you in the midst of a scenario that cannot be win (Star Trek fans think of Kobayashi Maru). Still, I care more about these elements in service of the story in the film.

Like I mentioned earlier, I was completely drawn into the story of Don, his kids, the military doctor, the helpful sniper, and the rest who find themselves involved. It unfolds in a completely unpredictable manner. In many recent horror films you can make rather accurate guesses as to who will live and who will die. This time, however, you will be hard pressed to make the same predictions. There are heroics, there are sacrifices, and there are buckets of blood.

Visually, the film is striking, filled with washed out colors, high speed shutter work, and some of the most frenetic camera work and cutting this side of Paul Greengrass (The Bourne Ultimatum). When the infected strike, be prepared to be disoriented, you will be lost in the action. This is a technique that can be annoying, but not here. The shaky cam and quick cuts put you right in the middle of the action. The characters are scared, and unsure of what will happen, and so are we. Simply fantastic. There are some great set pieces strewn throughout, from the firebombing to the night scope tunnel journey, to the helicopter weapon, to the frenetic shooting of the infected streaming out of the medical complex. That last one is around the mid-point and is just absolutely tragic. When you see this scene imagine what it must be like to be in that kind of situation. It is terrifying.

28 Weeks Later is not perfect. The story has little substance to it, it is essentially a race. However, there is a wonderful emotional depth that plays out across the characters faces, aided by some excellent music. Regardless of how you take it, the film is smartly written, fast paced, bloody, involving, and emotional. It has everything that I had hoped for and more. There are moments of great emotion, moments of pure horror, all punctuated to nice effect. Music and silence are used effectively, continuing my immersion in the tale.

Audio/Video. The disk I have is a promo copy, and not the final production version, so I cannot attest to this being exactly the same as what you will find in stores. The 5.1 audio was good. It accurately represents what I remember from the theater. The mix is good, dialogue never too soft, effects never too loud. There is also a stereo mix as well as Spanish and French stereo tracks. Video is quite good, as well. It has that washed out and grainy look of the theatrical presentation with a nice level of detail. I suspect that this will be close to the production version, but I cannot say that definitively.

Extras. There is a host of extra material collected onto this single disk release.

• Animated Menus. Not much of an extra these days, but the security video look of the menu is very nice, eerie music plays as the angles switch between clips from the movie.
• Commentary. The track features Juan Carlos Fresnadillo and Enrique Lopez Lavigne. The track is pretty good as they discuss what the scenes were intended to convey and background information on the film. Well worth your time.
• Deleted Scenes. There are two cut scenes, with optional commentary with Juan Carlos Fresnadillo and Enrique Lopez Lavigne. The first is called "The Canteen" and shows Don and his kids getting some food and their first meeting with Scarlett. The second is "Andy's Underground Dream," this has young Andy having a vision of his mother arriving on a train and then fearing he is infected. Both of these scenes would have affected the pace, and it is best they are out. The commentary speaks of the ideas behind the ideas, and the pacing issues they presented. (5 minutes)
• Code Red: The Making of 28 Weeks Later. This is an interesting featurette on how the film came to be. I kind of liked the idea that was almost made centering on a British military team attempting to rescue the Prime Minister and Queen, set in the initial 28 days. There are interviews with Danny Boyle, Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, Robert Carlysle and others associated with the production. (13 minutes)
• The Infected. Want a look inside the zombies? These guys know how to have fun on the set. Constantly lurching about, dripping blood, and causing chuckles. However, they know how to throw down when the time comes. It was interesting to find they all have some sort of physical background, dance, gymnastics, mime, and the like. (~7 minutes)
• Getting into the Action. A look inside the action and the differences from the first film. There are interviews with the cast about the physicality that came with their roles and the excessive running. We also get a glimpse of how they attempted to make it feel real. (7 minutes)
• 28 Days Later: The Aftermath: Stage 1 "Development." Part one of an animated comic book. Very cool concept. This shows the start of the of the outbreak, the creation of the rage virus. It offers up some interesting back story to what we got in the film. (7.5 minutes)
• 28 Days Later: The Aftermath: Stage 3 "Decimation." The third volume has the zombies in full effect. It shows vigilante-types out on the streets taking out the zombies and creating issues with each other. Not sure how many of these there are, but I'd like to see more.(4.5 minutes)
• Theatrical Trailer. Our first glimpse at the film was more than enough to get me excited to see it. (2:12)
• Trailers. We get trailers for 28 Days Later, The Hills Have Eyes 2, Lake Placid 2, Pathfinder, Perfect Creature, and Wrong Turn 2.

Bottomline. This was a tension-filled ride that drained me. As I left the darkened theater, I had to stop and regain my sense of equilibrium from all that had gone on. I cannot express how glad I am to see a horror film that delivers on all levels. This is the real deal, and I look forward to seeing it again. I heartily recommend this to anyone looking for thrills, chills, action, and heart.

Highly Recommended.