Continuing the story afresh,top to bottom apparently

Rating: 8/10 (23 January 2008)

2002's "28 Days Later..." was a huge hit on both sides of the Atlantic,so of course they(as in the producers,company and some of the creators)would feel compelled to make a sequel. And why not? When "...Days..." left off left just enough of an opening for more to this story.
So it is that some seven months after the outbreak,England has been almost thoroughly ravaged by the RAge virus,but order has been restored via the U.S.Military(feeling false swelling of patriotism here),and expatriated English citizens are brought back into the country as the messes left behind are being cleaned up.
A brother and sister(IMogen Poots and Mackintosh Muggleton,whose names will catch at least a few eyes strange,methinks)return from abroad and are greeted by their dad(Robert Carlyle,getting what seems to be a rare chance to recreate the easy-going everyman character that once made him famous in stuff like "The Full Monty"),who appears to be the lone survivor of an attack in the country which counted among the casualties their mother(CAtherine McCormack,a lady I wish I saw more of in movies),but when the duo escape the quarantined,military sanctioned facilities to retrieve their stuff from their downtown London home,they find her alive. She,along with her kids are brought back to the facility,and while under observation,a remarkable(And chilling)secret is discovered by the staff medical captain(Rose Byrne,often confused for other pretty,doe-eyed actresses I bet),and it poses a double-edged sword for what is an actually more delicate situation to the public safety that what appears.
I'll stop with the description to avoid any spoilers(though it's possible I might've already given some). I will say that once the show's action begins rolling,it is frenetic and emotionally very effective. Even though there's plenty of activity(And hence people active in it)it is actually somewhat sparse on characters,with the brother and sister as your main focal points and heroes. Solid,emotionally draining performances by Poots,Muggleton and Carlyle are supplemented by physical(if perhaps abbreviated)impact players such as Jeremy Renner(As one of the unit team snipers who decides to aid the kids) and Harold Perrineau(as a nervous chopper pilot on patrol). Director and co-writer Juan CArlos Freinadillo is brought in to replace Danny Boyle(who produces)and probably is fortunate to start with what can be considered a new deck of cards here,since the previous movie is treated entirely as given background effect. THat way,his direction and script(co-written by Rowan Joffe)gets the fresh treatment,neither aided nor hindered by the original. I wish I could honestly say that this show either was an improvement or a step-down from the first movie,but I'm not sure how to compare. I WILL say that this film enlightens the viewer from the first film as to the full nature of the calamity(taking it away,for the most part,from the concept of the carriers as being purely "zombies"and more toward the concept of "infectes"),which I think couches this in more grim and powerful reality. I guess I will say to those interested in catching this film,who hasn't seen the first movie to check "28 Days..."(not to be confused with "28 Days" with Sandra Bullock),because this movie,despite being populated from almost top-to-bottom with new names,the storyline is THE most important part of both films. Like the last one,it works on a deeper level than an ordinary horror film,even if it feels like it sometimes falls into the traps(i.e. underdeveloped players,shortening of logistics to speed along action,etc.)that many films of its genre does. Well worth your rental dollars.