Rip roaring, Genre explosion, takes the series to a whole new level

Rating: 9/10 (15 May 2007)

28 Weeks Later, the sequel to the Danny Boyle art-house horror cult smash, was at the bottom of the list of movies one would look forward to. The first film was, in my opinion, an overlooked classic, it was raw, realistic and the performances from Cillian Murphy and troop where tour-DE-force. The thought of American's invading a British horror film made many worried, and it was quite distracting throughout the film, but it doesn't suffer much from it, and the film-makers wisely don't take it too far. Very much like Aliens (the action packed sequel to Alien) 28 Weeks Later is much more action orientated, and elevates the mythology of the first film to a whole new level. There are some truly thrilling moments in the film, some of the highlights being the napalm detonations, and night vision sequence in the subway, the night vision sequence is easily one of the most terrifying moments in cinema this year. The script is of high caliber, but is does have some frustrating moments, particularly the fact that most of the problems the characters face, are due to lack of communication between the characters. But these quibs are minor. Other impressive mensionables is the two young leads, who have the almighty task of carrying the film, they do a fantastic job. The film also smartly re-uses God Speed You Black Emperor and John Murphy's superb rock score, and the all round style of the first film is maintained, the only difference being the first film was shot on DV, this one on film. If your a fan of the first film, you'll go ga ga over 28 Week's, it's the quintessential blood soaked adrenaline rush, and one of the best sequels i've seen in a long time.
Verdict: Bring a seat to hide under.