Days Turn To Weeks

Not wanting to be called a zombie movie, “28 Weeks Later” falls into the rhythm of many zombie movies to come before it.
With more time since the rage virus infected the United Kingdom, splitting its populace into thoughtless, ravenous creatures chasing those yet to be turned and fighting for their survival, comes more gore and less imagination from the filmmakers.
A prologue starts the film showcasing a husband and wife holed up in a cottage tucked away in the English countryside trying to avoid being attacked by the throngs of creatures roaming Great Britain. In a moment of cowardice the husband, Don (Robert Carlyle), leaves his wife behind, knowing she is doomed to be torn apart by the creatures. A brief history of the virus and how it spread is offered, describing how its victims become cannibalistic.
Things begin to settle after the American military quarantines a portion of downtown London from the virus. It has been several months since the creatures died off from starvation and snipers protect the perimeters of a society that must be rebuilt gradually as citizens return from the safety of outside countries. The latest wave of homecoming refugees includes the daughter and son of Don, a duo who secretly possess a key part in potentially understanding and possibly curing the virus.
Following this all-too-brief opening that exhibits remnants of a sequel just as original and accomplished as its original the story falls into the trap of the zombie genre with a small group of survivors, including a sniper questioning his orders and a doctor questioning her superiors, trying to run, drive, swim or fly from the “zombies” as individuals are picked off one by one in death scenes that get more and more graphic as the movie progresses.
“28 Weeks” lacks the innovation and realism its predecessor “28 Days Later” had, which wasn’t just a horror movie about infected, brainless creatures turning Great Britain into a battlefield, but instead was a surreal look at the breakdown of a society when faced with a life-threatening epidemic.
Danny Boyle and Alex Garland step down as director and writer this time, into the roles of executive producers, and are replaced by director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo and a new collection of scribes. This roster change is probably to blame for the disappointing results found in “28 Weeks Later.”
Instead of making a follow-up that could highlight the aftermath of such a heart-wrenching, but potential, event, Fresnadillo and his crew take their moment of filmmaking to show an assessment of American autocratic government. I should give “28 Weeks Later” a little credit for being able to constantly flop back and forth from replicated zombie movie and explosive action movie.
The one element from its predecessor “28 Weeks” is able to keep and use successfully is the music. The repetitive and haunting score is a welcome return to the franchise.
After the first two reels of the movie are gone, the movie begins to go from bad to worse. If this is the direction future “28 Time Periods Later” movies are going to take then fans of the original shouldn’t be too excited about the potential for another sequel, which Fresnadillo made sure to leave as a possibility with his predictable ending.