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And that’s because 28 Weeks Later feels like nothing more than a money grab, a version of the original re-invented for American audiences. In the original film, a virus turns much of England’s population into mindlessly aggressive monsters, quickly killing off most of the island’s population. In the sequel, uh, the same thing happens, only it takes longer. After the last remaining infected die of starvation, an American led taskforce tries to repopulate the country. Unfortunately, a straggling disease carrier infects the newcomers with rage, and the filmmakers with greed, as they apply a stock action film formula to the movie’s once-intriguing premise. It’s got a kid in peril, a gruff but noble army sniper, a beautiful yet smart military doctor, and enough plot holes to get a staph infection if left untreated. In short, if your local video store doesn’t stock the Delta Force series, a quick substitute can be found here. However, if your appreciation of the first film is based on more than the same sort of adrenaline rush one gets from lying down in traffic, then 28 Weeks Later will inevitably disappoint.
Nevertheless, the first part of the film is as strong, if not stronger than the original. Robert Carlyle plays Don, a husband and father whose children are safely on a school trip in Spain when the outbreak strikes. Holed up in a country house with his wife and assorted expendable survivors, Don’s life is further torn apart when his sanctuary is attacked, and his wife is killed as he saves himself. The adrenaline pumps in these sequences, and the realism of Don’s selfish but understandable reaction is one of the most intriguing plot points in any horror film of recent memory. However, the tension dissolves once the action slows and the film transforms into a parable of America’s involvement in the Iraq war, and the return of Don’s children is the first of a series of improbably plot twists that sabotage the story’s integrity. And when Don’s character gets his comeuppance, the complexity of his character is reduced to a simplistic judgement on his actions. From there on in, the action moves in fits and starts, the story gets stupider as the film gets as mindless as its infected.
Director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo sticks to the handheld camera and digital video aesthetic of the original, and when it works, it’s horrifying. However, when the pace of the film doesn’t keep up with its visual style, things begin to fall apart. The parable to America in Iraq is ham handed and obvious, and there are inconsistencies not only within the film, but also in relation to its predecessor. The infected occasionally forget they’re not in Dawn of the Dead, and are given a sense of memory that changes the dynamic of the horror. The infected are no longer a bloodthirsty mass, mindlessly attacking anything in sight. Instead, they’re given links to their past lives, and become malicious, stalking entities, which is a totally different scare: a sniper rifle instead of a chain gun, Michael Myers instead of Godzilla, Jaws 4 instead of Jaws. The performances are strong, but not strong enough to overcome the film’s loss of momentum. The world may be at an end, but it’s going out like a lamb, instead of a lion.
Rating: 5 on 10
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