28 Weeks Later-2007
Director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo
Starring Robert Carlyle, Rose Byrne, Jeremy Renner
Scott’s Review #513
Reviewed November 6, 2016
Grade: B-
At the time of its release, I remember 28 Weeks Later (2007) as a successful follow-up to the original 28 Days Later (2002), a clever play on the title, and as picking up events some seven months after the original.
Watching the film now, however, I see flaws, mostly in the lack of a character-driven story and the resulting traditional action-type film.
Still, the film is far from all bad.
The action begins as the audience meets a “family”, barricaded in a homey residence, attempting to resume normalcy in life by preparing and serving a delicious family dinner- almost reminiscent of Thanksgiving.
The scene is tranquil and rich in familiarity.
When a little boy pounds on the door to be let in, the terror begins, and the Rage virus is proven to be alive and well still.
The story written for 28 Weeks Later has nothing to do with the original and contains none of the original characters. Rather, a father, mother, and a young boy and girl are the family that we follow throughout the film.
Rose Byrne stars as a doctor- laughingly named Scarlet- and Jeremy Renner as a U.S. military presence, NATO having been sent in to keep order as best they can.
The opening sequence is fantastic as peacefulness turns deadly rather quickly, and the characters are in immediate peril.
In another scene, when the father and mother are alone in a laboratory and events go awry, the sequence is gory, shocking, and quite heartfelt.
These are merely moments, however, and are not quite enough to carry the film into a successful sequel.
Another positive to note, even more prevalent than in the original, are the wonderful location shots of London. From the London Eye to Big Ben to street shots of downtown London and the surrounding streets are capably done, and I loved seeing the aerial views of said city.
The conclusion at Wembley Stadium was also great. This was a treat for any London fan and gave the film a clear sense of place.
Conversely, I was not a fan of the characters in 28 Weeks Later.
Whereas, in 28 Days Later, the characters were well-drawn and compelling, rich with beauty and emotion, the same cannot be said for the sequel.
I am unclear what the purpose of Renner’s tough, no-nonsense military type was, or Byrne’s sympathetic, but pointless turn as a scientist/doctor.
Both held little appeal and gave snore-worthy performances. Or perhaps the roles were just not written well. Regardless, neither worked.
The dynamic between the father and mother did work, but the kids were not the best actors, and I found their additions pointless as well.
The last scene, a frenetic trip through a tunnel by the infected and arriving in gorgeous Paris- a shot of the Eiffel Tower as proof- is a nice touch.
With a few nice touches, cool location shots, and intense peril in a few sequences, but with limited compelling characters, 28 Weeks Later (2007) is okay, but hardly an upgrade to the original or even close to a character-driven film.
No follow-up film, while initially planned, was ever completed, at least as of this writing.
