28 Days Later!

28 Days Later was one of the very few movies I've really liked in recent years. I tend to like vintage stuff mostly, but for whatever reason I rented this many years ago and was blown away by the intensity and the craftsmanship of the storytelling. It was unpredictable, but still recognizable within the confines of its genre.


It's a smart story very cleverly told about a plague that transforms human beings into raging monsters. The very few folks who survive the infection are constant targets of attack. And the "Infected" in this one, the zombie-wannabes, are fast. In Night of the Living Dead the zombies are a threat because they seem to be ubiquitous and implacable but not fast. These creatures are all that and fast to boot. That added a whole layer of threat to the proceedings.

Now that said, I never got around to seeing the sequel 28 Weeks Later until yesterday. It's not as good, but then I didn't expect it to be. We still get the raging plague victims running, but this time they are up against heavy military force. The center of the story is about a family dashed by the coming of plague, and then destroyed again when it resurfaces 28 weeks later.


The storytelling in this one isn't nearly as strong, and the dreamlike aspects of the original are mostly missing. More than a few coincidences have to clatter together to make the story motor. The opening is very compelling, and pretty scary, but the movie rarely reaches that level. The reason is simple, I don't really relate to the kids much in the movie, as they don't rise above the level of cannon fodder.

The ending is a bit of letdown frankly, but I can see why they went that direction. The movie is stylish, and does offer up some interesting visuals, but it seems to lack the conviction of the first one.

Ah well. I'll wait for the next one, probably called 28 Months Later.

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