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 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.
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.
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.
Highly Recommended.
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