28 Weeks Later
Monday, September 17th, 2007
-
- Juan Carlos Fresnadillo
- 2007
I was very eager to see this sequel after I had much praise for 28 Days Later. Although Danny Boyle was not to direct this one, he was still a very influential member of the production team. I was also not surprised at all to see that, to much criticism, that the style of the film was completely different.
Whereas 28 Days Later was subtle, slow, deep and portrayed realistically, 28 Weeks Later is much more sensational. Films that have a heavy family element can be great. I have nothing against child actors. I do however have a lot against child characters - especially the kind in this film. They are stupid. The boy has no emotions. The girl looks twice her supposed age.
The plot also has a lot more holes. The situation that allowed the outbreak of re-infection is just totally outragous and demonstrates the complete ineptitude of the United States Armed Forces. How the infection was allowed to spread to the civilian population without being exterminated by a soldier with a big gun is also beyond me, but then I guess we’d have no movie.
Once the outbreak took over, I was pleased with the accelerated pace of the movie, and it took on much of the traits that made the first one so good. A group of people trying desperately to escape and survive total chaos brought on, this time not only by the infected but by the intervention of rapid military response.
It would have been so easy for Hollywood to destroy this. In truth, they didn’t do it many favours either, but the film is still enjoyable - at least the first time you see it. 28 Weeks Later is good for entertainment value but don’t count on any awards being handed out.
Tags: DVDs. 
No Comments »
28 Days Later
Monday, September 17th, 2007
-
- Danny Boyle
- 2002
I really liked this movie for some reason. It’s quite slow to start with and much of the story that occurred within the previous 28 days later is left to speculation and imagination. Whereas a lot of reviewers of this film ramble on about how the terrifying concept delivers and terrifying film, I was more absorbed by intrigue.
The idea of a virus that requires the most minimal of exposure from an infected sample of blood or saliva that could turn any person in to an outraged and demonic being hell-bent on attacking anyone who doesn’t share that same virus is totally out of the world of reality, but forgetting the science behind it, this movie makes it seem like a real possibility and genuinely gets you thinking about how fucked up it would be should it actually happen - and what would you do?. This is what I loved about this film.
As you’ll see if you watch the sequel, the absence of Hollywood in the production of this flick makes takes all the sensationalised crap you get from guys in camouflage with big guns blowing the heads off of people and focuses on a small group of young people simply trying to survive. This is much more in touch with the average person and it’s a nice change.
The acting, script and screenplay are all very good. 28 Days Later does suffer from the token love element and there are a few issues that always bugged me. I can’t believe that the central character Jim was able to walk around London, the most heavily and densely populated city in the UK, in broad daylight, for some several hours before encountering an infected. We can however, overlook this because it is this scene alone that sets the opening for the surreal tale of a bleak, empty, futureless Britain.
Tags: DVDs. No Comments »