28 Weeks Later

28 Weeks Later is the followup to 28 Days Later and is one of the few sequels that measures up to the original in almost every way. The movie is similar in tone to the original movie but has a much more cinematic feel to it overall. The acting is also considerably better in 28 Weeks Later than 28 Days Later, having Jeremy Renner, Rose Byrne, Imogen Poots, Idris Elba, and Robert Carlyle is pretty solid compared to having only Cillian Murphy and Christopher Eccleston. Having Juan Carlos Fresnadillo take over for Danny Boyle was also a great choice because he brought more visual flare than Boyle brought to the table originally.

The story of 28 Weeks Later is considerably deeper than the original because it serves as an allegory for the occupation of Iraq back in 2007 when the movie was filmed. The American occupation of London after the original outbreak serves as a stand in for the occupation of Iraq and the infected are considered to be stand in for the terrorists in the region. Not being able to distinguish between the infected and non-infected plays an essential role in some of the movie's biggest scenes. The movie also spends a good amount of time exploring the fact that some people may have a kind of immunity to the "Rage" virus that is the focal point in the film series. This is another idea that is rarely explored in "zombie" movies and is actually a pretty interesting aspect of the movie because the characters that are immune are actually carriers of the virus and are just as dangerous as the people show outward symptoms of infection. These are two of the ideas in the movie that really makes this a special movie and elevates it above a lot of horror movies that have come out in the last 15 years.

The character development in the movie is very solid for a horror movie and most of the characters are fleshed out over the course of the movie. Renner brings humanity to the stock soldier character and Rose Byrne makes her character into one of the most practical characters in zombie movie history. She is the only person who sees everything happening in the movie before it happens. The kids in this movie, Imogen Poots and Mackintosh Muggleton, are fantastic, and they completely sell the fact that they are the only kids in England and just like kids normally do they go against what people do and create trouble. They play their characters very naturally and their dialogue never feels forced or wooden. These are the performances that hold the movie together and really sell the story and give the movie its dramatic weight.

VERDICT

This is a MUST SEE horror movie

This is one of the hidden gems of the horror movie community. It was overlooked when it debuted because a lot of people thought it could never stack up to the original, 28 Days Later. After repeat viewings I have come to the conclusion that it is a superior film to the original in almost every way possible. This is a must see for every fan of zombie and horror movies.