Halloween Scene: 28 Weeks Later (2007)

Allow me to get nostalgic, just for a moment. The first time I saw Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later was in this tiny art house theatre in Bowling Green, Ohio. I went with Barry's co-worker-turned friend Bobby, his girlfriend-now-wife Sasha, Toth and Randy (I think) and it blew us away. We had been hearing chatter about it and the alternate ending that you could see if you waited through the credits. The ride home was full of conversations about fast zombies and which ending we liked better. I can tell you with zero doubt that that's the furthest I've ever gone to see a movie and it was totally worth it. I later bought 28DL and watched it a number of times, so, like every other person on the planet, I was pretty skeptical when I heard about the Boyle-less sequel 28 Weeks Later. But damn was it good.

I won't be nearly as eloquent and detailed as Sean was when he talked about writer/director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo's 28WL back in '07, but it really seems like this flick was amazing in spite of itself. A sequel to a movie that most people either saw in art houses or on DVD getting a bigger sequel by some guy who wasn't involved in the first one with a joke title like 28 Weeks Later? It couldn't possibly live up to it's predecessor, but boy howdy, does it.

And, I think what makes it work so well is the fact that it's not a direct sequel, it's merely set in the same world as the original. No characters return (unless you count London, which I wouldn't argue against) so you're left with a part of the zombie mythos we don't tend to see: the clean-up and aftermath. Plus, if the opening of this movie doesn't get under your skin and make you think about how you'd REALLY react in a situation like this, then you might need to check your pulse. Sure we've seen people ditch other folks to save themselves in movies like this, but damn if this isn't the most effective emotionally.

That's really what makes this such a superior horror film, the level of emotional attachment stays consistent with the original. You start wondering how'd you react in a given situation and it's so easy to transfer most scenarios from a zombie infested world to the real one: how would you react if the woman you abandoned to thieves turned out to still be alive?

I also like how the emotional attachment bounces from character to character. After seeing how easily and understandably a husband might abandon his wife, it makes the adult heroes of this movie who accompany the children, even more heroic, earning them instant credibility (along with Scarlett's attestation that they probably shouldn't be bringing children into the city).

I had seen 28WL on DVD a while back, purchased it almost immediately afterwards, but hadn't watched it in a while, so the fates of the characters weren't fresh in my mind and I was continually surprised followed by moments of "oh yeah."

Another aspect of the movie that I love is the fact that things aren't forced down your throat. You can think about this movie for a while and realize all kinds of things. This time around, I fell in love with the idea that, Scarlett protested the idea of kids coming into London because "what if the rage virus isn't all the way gone?" only to have them not only be the only ones to survive (of our main characters at least), but also re-caused the spread of the virus inadvertently. So, she was right that they shouldn't be there, but for a completely different reason. Damn kids.

Oh, plus Harold Perrineau of Lost fame is in it, so bonus! I know I'm talking about a much-loved two year old movie that most horror fans have already seen, but if you haven't watched it in a while, I highly recommend it, if for no other reason than the helicopter vs. zombie scene and the very end with zombies storming France. It's way more effective than the "invasion" of NYC in Zombie and it nicely sets things up for a potential sequel.

Finally, a quick note about the DVD. There are two animated comics on there that were apparently first published through Fox Atomic that tell the tale of the guys who accidentally created the rage virus before the events of 28DL and one of a vigilante killing zombies and humans in "his city." The first one was really interesting from a continuity perspective (plus it had art by my con buddy Dennis Calero), while the second is more of a slice-of-life from one tiny perspective in a larger world. They're not too long and definitely worth a look.