28 WEEKS LATER

Starring Robert Carlyle, Rose Byrne, Catherine McCormack

100 mins 18
Rating: 4/5

District One. For a weekend getaway, it sounds about as cheery as Bognor – and as a place to
live, even less so. And nor should it, because District One is the only safe zone left in the
wrecked, ravaged United Kingdom. After the outbreak of the Rage Virus six months earlier –
an epidemic that turned most of the population into blood-hungry rampaging killers – what
was once called the Isle of Dogs has now become the last bastion for the survivors of Britain.
Youngsters Andy and Tammy managed to escape the infection and, ushered in by the ruling
American army, they are finally reunited with their father, Don (Robert Carlyle). But this
family holds a secret, one that will inadvertently resurrect the killer virus and set them on a
terrifying race for survival. Once again, the streets of London will run red…

Stop the press! Heavens to Mergatroid! 28 Weeks Later is a sequel with more bite than the
original! More thrilling, more frightening and more spectacular, it picks up the same threads
from 28 Days Later but weaves a bigger, bolder, bloodier picture. Replacing Trainspotting’s
Danny Boyle as director is Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, creator of the rather nifty Intacto. In his
capable hands, the action never lets up: from the blistering opening sequence which sees Don
escaping an infected onslaught (shaky handheld camerawork and a hypnotic soundtrack raise
the tension to almost unbearable levels), to a spine-tingling sequence set entirely in the dark
of apparently abandoned underground tunnels. Add in napalm explosions, an unmissable
scene featuring a helicopter rotor and some soon-to-be headless nasties (so violently gory it’s
funny), and shot after striking shot of an eerily empty London, and you have an effortlessly
enthralling apocalyptic tale.

The plot for the most part is well-handled and surprising, although it does rely on a few too
many “Fancy bumping into you again!” moments to engineer the major dramatic revelations.
A more penetrating script could also have made more of the implications of having the USA
effectively governing the UK – passed up no doubt to fit in more manic hordes. But with
hordes this jump-out-of-your-skin scary, who’s complaining? So, could it be the best zombie
movie ever? Since it doesn’t actually feature 100% certified zombies, probably not (the
‘infected’ aren’t actually undead, back from the dead, or any kind of dead) – but a film as
chilling, convincing and downright fun as this certainly can’t be far off.