28 Weeks Later (2007)
20th Century Fox
R1 / NTSC DVD
Director: Juan Carlos Fresnadillo
Writer: Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, Jesus Olmo, Roland Joffé
Starring: Robert Carlyle, Mackintosh Muggleton, Imogen Poots, Catherine McCormack & Jeremy Renner.
Review by Annie Riordan

It’s been six months since the rage virus decimated London. Most of the infected are now dead and the U.S. government and military officials have come to the rescue, slowly restoring order to England and returning survivors to a temporary state of normalcy in a island housing compound. But when two little brats slip through quarantine and into London, they accidentally unleash the rage virus once more. As it spreads with frightening speed, a small band of survivors find themselves on the run from both the rage infected and military snipers who are determined to keep control of the situation, even if it means killing innocent civilians.

Wow, you know I wasn’t expecting much from this follow up to the original blockbuster as I am often disappointed by sequels, but this one blew me away. The opening scene alone left me breathless as the infected swarm into an isolated farmhouse and the swiftly dwindling survivors race across vast stretches of open fields with hordes of homicidal humanity hot on their heels. I didn’t much like the slasher-villain-esque quality bestowed upon Robert Carlyle’s character, who appears and disappears a la Jason Voorhees throughout the film. But this isn’t Carlyle’s fault and, as always, he turns in an excellent performance as the flawed father. The kids are refreshingly non-saccharine and the nihilistic, downbeat ending pleased me to no end; no happily ever after this time around!

• Screen format: Anamorphic Widescreen (2.35:1) / Color
• Audio: English/Dolby Digital 5.1
• Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
• Running time: 113 mins

• Alternate Scenes - Deleted Scenes (w/Optional Commentary)
• Audio Commentaries - Juan Carlos Fresnadillo - Director; Enrique Lopez Lavigne - Co-Writer
• Behind the Scenes:
  - "Code Red: Making Of 28 WEEKS LATER"
  - "The Infected Make-Up Effects"
  - "Getting Into The Action"
• Trailers - Theatrical Trailers
• Text/Photo Galleries:
• Slideshow - "28 Days Later: The Aftermath" Flash-Animated Graphic Novel (Stages 1, 3)

With the original score intact and Boyle and Garland producing, this sequel retains all of the relentless, terrifying thrills of the original and adds more to boot! A claustrophobic scene in a locked bunker and a helicopter mow-down sequence in an open field are awesome highlights! The atmosphere is one of relentless doom and goes rapidly from bad to worse, as the one and only hope for survival is thrown aside, ignored and finally lost. Grim and tense, this sequel surprised and satisfied me on every level.

“A stunningly successful sequel...don’t miss it!”