28 Weeks Later (2007)

How do you top a film that is not only a breath of fresh air in a genre that got quite stale, but also set a whole new rulebook for that very same genre?

Not an easy feat.

And in essence, '28 Weeks Later' does not top the awesomeness that was '28 Days Later'. It does up the ante on quite a number of levels and even better: it manages to be a sequel that comes fairly close to the original in terms of quality. That alone is praiseworthy.

Danny Boyle did not return to direct this one. Instead, Juan Carlos Fresnadillo took over, but the style does not shift all that much. It is a high probability that Fresnadillo tried to emulate the style of the original and he does succeed rather well. That same feeling of dread and occasional claustrophobia, that same sense of foreboding and especially that wave of panic that hits once the bodies start piling up to get down again.

You might assume that last bit did not make all that much sense, but this is sort of a zombierelated film anyway, so yes it does.

This time, the focus is on the aftermath of the original virus outbreak. US soldiers are stationed in London and are overseeing the repopulation. They are of course, bored out of their wits, because there is nothing to do. But once a survivor is found, you know that the proverbial excrement is about to hit the proverbial air displacement unit. And it does in grand fashion. Everything goes to hell in a handbasket faster than you can say 'flibbertygibbit'.

Once again, the acting is solid. Robert Carlyle, Jeremy Renner and Rose Byrne are excellent and Idris Elba has a small role but he is always great, so there is that. The story goes fairly predictable in most places, but the good thing is that Fresnadillo is able to keep up the suspense, because you never know who will go next and there are some great scenes that make this film stand out from the original. There is the opening that works incredibly well, a part where a camera is mounted on the shoulder of an infected person, allowing us to follow in the madness and a claustrophobic scene in an underground shelter where people suddenly realize there is trouble brewing.

All that works very well, but there are a few minor issues. The infected people resemble old school zombies a lot more this time and there is a lot more gore, but that also means the focus tends to shift to the set pieces and less to the characters. Also, and this is probably my biggest gripe with the movie: the shaky cam parts are a little abundant and if you do not have a strong stomach for this kind of cinematography, you will most likely experience a slight case of nausea. I am not saying that shaky cam does not work, but it might have been dosed a little better.

All in all, '28 Weeks Later' remains a worthy follow-up to what was in essence a brilliant low budget film. The ante and budget are upped with this one and it is all used to the best possible way it could have been used. It might not be better than the original, but as far as sequels go, this one is one of the best out there.