Robert Carlyle – Don,
Imogen Poots – Tammy,
Mackintosh Muggleton – Andy,
Rose Byrne – Scarlet,
Jeremy Renner – Doyle,
Catherine McCrormack – Alice,
Harold Perrineau – Flynn

Review originally posted Monday 28th May, 2007. By Ed Evans.

When first I heard that this film was being made and that Danny Boyle wasn’t in full control of it I groaned like the undead. 28 Days Later is one of my favourite films of all time and I didn’t want a surplus sequel. When I’d first heard that the Americans would “reboot” England, I was worried that there wouldn’t be a single English soul in the film and while I have nothing against American actors, I liked the first film because it was very British. My view hadn’t changed at all since I’d read the sequel’s premise a year or two ago, but when I saw the early running sequence with Carlyle and images of NBC warfare-clad troops, I began to realize it might actually work. The first time I really started to look forward to the film was a few weeks before I’d got the chance to see it, in the cinema, with the wonderfully action-packed trailer. It looks like a well-made trailer because it is, and, even better, it’s a well-made trailer representing a well-made film.

Replacing the original cast (who at the time had other commitments), are Robert Carlyle (Don), Imogen Poots (Tammy), Mackintosh Muggleton (Andy), Rose Byrne (Scarlet) and Jeremy Renner (Doyle). While there are less memorable lines in the sequel, everyone gives a good, believable performance and there’s no rehashing of the original that usually hampers horror sequels. You also get to feel for some of the characters, so when they start to get bumped off, you actually feel the associated loss. The fact that the few survivors are all quite different also adds something to the mix, as you’re never sure who will make it to the end.

The plot of 28 Weeks Later revolves around the fact that while England is still unsafe (in that the clean-up operations – meaning the shifting of corpses, are still in effect) people are slowly repopulating the Isle of Dogs area of London (dubbed District One). This is handled well, with a military presence that while ubiquitous, is never overwhelming. During the pulse-pounding intro sequence that takes place while the original Infected are still at large, we focus on Don (Carlyle) and his wife Alice (Catherine McCormack). Following this we are introduced to his two children, Tammy and Andy, who 28 weeks after the original infection are reunited with a far more chilled-out version of Don in District One. It becomes evident that Don is just trying to forget and put a brave face on things, as he did in fact leave Alice for dead when the Infected attacked Don and his wife. Without re-iterating the entire story, it’s nice to see a bit of thought go into the characters, and even the soldiers have personalities, like Doyle who (in a way) meets with the other main characters early on through the voyeuristic cross-hair of his sniper rifle.

After a trip into London in search of a photo and/or anything to remember Alice by, Tammy and Andy sneak past defences and are surprisingly reunited with their mother at their old family home. It is interesting to see the state of London again, and just like the first film the desecration of one of the world’s most unique capitals is handled in a very credible way. Without re-treading old ground, it’s interesting to see the first wave of Infected, now just emaciated corpses strewn inside buildings and areas that have yet to be cleaned. Shortly after this little excursion, all hell breaks loose. As the infection spreads through District One, the soldiers are commanded to snipe the Infected, and when the outbreak spreads uncontrollably, “Code Red” (kill everything!) is initiated. A lot has been said about the negative depiction of American soldiers in the film, although the ruthlessness of “Code Red” is probably necessary given that the outbreak is already uncontrollable by the time Red takes effect. I’m in two minds; I wouldn’t pass Stone and his troops off as evil though for wanting to nuke an outbreak of Rage before it spreads further.

There are a number of noteworthy action sequences which follow that are very stylish, including the bombing of District One, which is breathtaking (and incredibly loud!). Another iconic scene is the flight through the tall grass, and Flynn’s helicopter, that well and truly cuts a swathe through the oncoming Infected. Like the intro, this proves quite a scary scene and breaks the usual conforms of horror by placing the protagonists in danger in broad daylight. Notable film locations include the old fairground and the train station, in which Scarlet has to guide the two children using only the night vision scope of her gun toward the final rendezvous point with Flynn. London landmarks are a nice (and I suppose obvious) edition, and thankfully never overused.

All in all, I think this was a fantastic sequel and I’ve gone from thinking it’d be pap to really looking forward to another! I’m glad of the fact then, that Danny Boyle had so much fun working on it, he plans on making a third part – <i>I can’t wait</i>. I just hope that given this film’s ending, they won’t try and make the next chapter too epic.

Without being a rehash there are some nice parallels with the first film:

-The solider presence

-The soldiers turning bad

-The many T.V. screens of violence, this time during a sniping scene

-One or two lines, Doyle saying “it’s all fucked”, etc

-The cringe-worthy fingers through eyes bit

-The ‘In A Heartbeat’ track’s return (although I’d rather like some new music)

-Driving where you shouldn’t!

…and probably a more besides. This all helps to keep the film grounded in 28 lore, with enough new stuff to keep it from feeling like a cheap reiteration of what’s gone before.

Criticisms from others:

Don (in his Infected state) does actually appear to have basic recognition since he has a minute flashback during the scene with his wife (previously unheard of among the Infected) and he tracks down Tammy and Andy all the way to the tube station before their departure from London. I can’t believe people picked flies with the fact that the new Wembley stadium wouldn’t have been there in 2002. I was more impressed by the cool look of the place, and that the grass was nice and long because there’d been nobody to tend it. People can be such malcontents!

There was a fairly big criticism that Alice was not being guarded, and that Don was able to visit her by simply swiping his key-card. Kissing her, he is of course infected, and then he somehow manages to get back out of the room – presumably the only way he can do this is by re-swiping his card in his Infected state. Whether or not Don is something of an anomaly among the Infected in that he can remember certain things, I’m not sure, but I’d say that there’s certainly some evidence to argue that point.

Closing notes:

“Mr Harris.”
“Yeah?”
“We found your kids.”
“Oh thank God, thank god, thank you so much!”
“We found your wife, too.”
“…”
- Genius!

Women are scary, when they’re Infected,
Women seem wicked when they’re Biting you,
Wheen youu’ve raaagee,
You can’t remember your name,
When you’ve raaagee,
You like to eat people’s brains,
When you’ve raaaaggggee (x3)
Oh come on now!
- Jim Morrison would be proud.