Not the visionary masterpiece of the original, but still fun

Rating: 8/10 (22 July 2007)

Five years ago, British auteur Danny Boyle re-defined the zombie film with "28 Days Later". No longer did the zombies conform to George Romero's template of unstoppable drooling undead idiots with disposable appendages. Instead, the zombies were speedy, smart, fierce and not even actually dead, merely "infected". It inspired other similarly-themed films, the best of which are "Shaun of the Dead" and "Grindhouse".
Now there is a sequel to this genre-busting masterpiece. Sadly, neither director Boyle nor lead actors Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, Christopher Eccleston or Brendan Gleeson have returned for this one. However, that does not mean the film is worthless. Director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo ably mimics Boyle's style from the original, from the use of hand-held DV and wide shots of blighted London to the documentary-like editing and cadences of the dialog. He even casts Boyle regular Robert Carlyle in the lead role (Ewan McGregor still being a bit young-looking to play the father of two teenagers). There are also good performances from Idris Elba, Catherine McCormack and newcomers Imogen Poots and Mackintosh Muggleton.
Since the story is basically a re-tread of the original, I won't bore you with a plot summary. But I will say that since this is a sequel, much of what was shockingly original in the first film now seems expected. There are only two new twists: The soldiers are now Americans and are genuinely trying to help, and--in an important plot point stolen from "Grindhouse"--some people are immune to infection. This works for good and for ill. For good in that the main focus of the film is on a brother and sister who are immune (Muggleton and Poots) having to flee from their infected father (Carlyle) with the help of an army doctor (Rose Byrne) and a cocky sniper (Jeremy Renner). For ill in the fact that of all the Brits and Aussies playing American soldiers, only Elba and Byrne can do convincing American accents.
The original "28 Days Later" was a visionary masterpiece that revolutionized the horror genre. "28 Weeks Later" lacks the incomparable talents of Danny Boyle and the cast of the first film, but it is a good horror movie and a worthy tribute to the original. 8 out of 10.