This is a real movie adaptation of Resident Evil 2 & 3; sequel exceeds the original

Rating: 9/10 (14 October 2007)

** minor spoilers but nothing crucial **
My interest in 28 Weeks Later peaked when I read Fangoria magazine on the making of 28 Weeks Later and I learned Spanish filmmakers were working on it which I thought unusual. It was a fascinating behind the scenes story, but then I forgot about it when the actual movie came out. I was too preoccupied with searching for gainful employment at the time.
I assumed that because of the four credited screenwriters, the movie would end up weak that turn out disappointing, as in many cases of past movies. I did not expect better when I decided to rent the movie (actually had to ask a video clerk if it's checked in yet at the counter) just to pass the time. I thought 28 Days Later was alright, nothing to write home about, except for maybe a lousy ending.
I popped the DVD in at around 3 a.m. Sunday morning because I had nothing to do. I believe watching the movie at night in the early morning was a factor in what turns out one of the most frightening and intense horror movies I've ever seen, and I've seen plenty of horror movies. I did not even see the trailer before the movie came out in theaters and I always assume horror sequels suck (Saw II the worst I've seen in years, thanks to hideously lame story and nauseating MTV rapid editing, Saw III just as bad for its excessive gore as torture porn) so these factors helped a great deal in lowered expectation.
The movie completely floored me after ten minutes intro. 28 Weeks Later is an adrenaline action horror thriller with high-octane intensity and more than adequate character development usually neglected in inferior horror movies. The only frightening horror movies I saw were standard haunted house (The Changeling), stalking killer ('78 Halloween, first four Friday the 13th movies) and sci-fi horror (Alien & '82 The Thing) fares. Gory horror pictures do not provide fright but only revulsion and disgust -- Haute Tension being a particularly execrable movie for this reason alone.
28 Weeks Later have massive amount of gore, but strangely it did not repulse me. Sped-up motion editing helped in this case to make it much more intense and frightening. Honestly, there are scenes with so much severed limbs and gore the movie should have gotten a NC-17 (Canada and UK gave it 18 certificate). The gore actually served the story rather than simplistic throw-away gore to appease the gorehounds like the hackneyed horror movies that emphasize excessive gory violence and geysers of blood for the sake of gore. This time it *really works* in a horror movie, which is exceedingly rare. Because 28 Weeks Later is an unbelievably violent movie with gallons of blood and pounds of severed flesh, it's definitely not for the squeamish or average moviegoer with aversion to horror genre.
The story departs from the usual cliché in repetition already done in the original, and this is very uncommon. It's like the horror equivalent of Babe: Pig in the City in daringly original and refreshing storytelling when the torch is passed. Sure, there may be questionable plot holes and implausibilities (especially genetic immunity to the virus) in the sequel, but the story and action are so tense and compelling the flaw can be overlooked to bask in the wild ride.
The movie is incredibly realistic in the depiction of the dystopian future of London, and I can imagine the same would happen in American and European cities where the cities brought to a complete standstill in barren post-apocalyptic wasteland feel eerie and depressing. The spectacular VFX effects and production design are excellent compliments to the story and action which made it feel like you are there in an alternative reality. However, the ending alone is very dark and depressing, so it shouldn't be a surprise. I did not expect the sequel to 28 Days Later which I thought was well-made but mediocre and I have no idea how the producers will come up with the second sequel to complete the trilogy since it's too much to think the virus might have taken over the entire planet to usher in the extinction of mankind.
28 Weeks Later reminds me of Capcom's Resident Evil video game franchise (particularly 2 and 3 for PlayStation) I played several years ago. The firebombing of London is eeriely reminiscent of the nuclear attack on Raccoon City that conclude the ending of Resident Evil 3 as well as the atrocity of Dresden, Germany during WWII. I never saw any Resident Evil movie, not even Extinction, but 28 Weeks Later is true to the spirit of Resident Evil series in "survival horror" to put it in plain term. Resident Evil 5 for PlayStation 3 will be a great compliment to 28 Weeks Later, as the millions of views for the trailer of the game attest on YouTube.
All in all, a masterpiece of horror genre -- one of the best movies of 2007 and a supremely well-made film that not only exceed the original but a total triumph in movie-going experience where the combination of horror and gore is a legitimate form of storytelling without unnecessary abuse by sheer indulgence in the pointlessness of excess gore.
**** out of four stars
Postscript: upon further research, I found out the Spanish filmmakers made Intacto, which was a truly exceptional thriller suitable for double billing with Nine Queens. Kudos to Danny Boyle for enjoying Intacto so much he made a deal with the Spaniards to make the first sequel that's better than the first for some viewers for its taut & claustrophobic story with emphasis on emotionally complex outlook.