Hits the ground running

Rating: 7/10 (2 October 2007)

The epidemic started in Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later - a virus turning people into rabid, zombie-like creatures - is seemingly quiescent. However, when a carrier reaches London, the infection spreads quickly with disastrous results; we follow the events through Don (Robert Carlyle), his children Andy (Mackintosh Muggleton) and Tammy (Imogen Poots), sniper Doyle (James Renner) and medic Scarlet (Rose Byrne).
The prologue is exceptional. It's such an effective sequence that it sort of hurts the movie in retrospect, as none of the following scenes reach that level of tension. Quality-wise, 28 Weeks Later peaks in the first ten minutes.
Performances are solid, even those by young actors. Visually, the movie offers some impressive scenes, like the apocalyptic climax with the bombing of London. The soundtrack by John Murphy is wonderfully creepy.
There are a few missteps, like a fleeting but stupid scene where the blades of a helicopter become a weapon, in a moment which belongs to a lesser zombie movie. Also, the way Carlyle keeps popping up in the second half is excessive; I applaud the script for making a brave choice (turning the protagonist into a villain halfway through), but the way he chases his children through the ravaged city is too much - he becomes like a zombie Energizer Bunny.
7,5/10