As is, we're left with an almost perfectly crafted duo of undead films. Rumors of the proposed sequel have faded in and out over the past decade, and both Boyle and Garland continue to innovate in other genres and expand their portfolios, but if the ending of 28 Weeks Later teaches us anything, it's that you can never quite give up hope. The ending is perfectly satisfying but leaves the door open for 28 Months Later. Unpolished and brilliantly solemn, the future is at least lightened by a touching bond between siblings.
But at that moment, the victory is simply survival. While the children survive thanks to Doyle’s self-sacrifice (one their father didn’t make himself), the virus is still spreading and there are only vague prospects of a cure. Without risking too many similarities to the first film, 28 Weeks Later concludes on a comparably bittersweet note. While the action works best exploring the chaos of mass panic, it also gives a clear motivation and purpose to Rose Byrne’s medical officer, Scarlet, who discovers the children may possess a cure for the infection. The scene combines crushing claustrophobia with a relentless pace, and when the violence comes it's both shocking and indiscriminate. The escape through the Greenwich Foot Tunnel, in particular, is as pulse-pounding as anything in its predecessor, a marathon reminiscent of another iconic sci-fi horror sequel: Aliens. The procedural operation of military forces and the disregard for human casualties is just as chilling as the fast-moving zombies themselves.Īlthough the film expands its viewpoint to explore the global nature of the pandemic, 28 Weeks Later still keeps the action relatively focused, and Fresnadillo builts no shortage of memorable set-pieces. Idris Elba fulfills the role necessary to every zombie movie, the ruthless military leader willing to order civilian bombings to prevent further infections, but Elba is at least able to bring out the logical edge to a character that could’ve easily been played just for cliche. Jeremy Renner, too, is phenomenal in a pre- The Hurt Locker role as Doyle, a Delta Force sniper who suffers a crisis of conscience when he chooses to protect Tammy and Andy against orders. Poots, in particular, is fantastic the future Green Room star showed her early horror expertise as a fiercely independent teenager forced to take on the burdens of a parental role as she protects her younger sibling. They’re the ones forced to deal with their father’s mistakes when Don inadvertently spreads the virus while in quarantine. Children in zombie films all too often feel like a burden only involved to evoke sympathy, but the characters in 28 Weeks Later feel much more active. The character is forced to wonder: Is the lie is for his children’s benefit or is he just comforting himself?ĭon’s growth as a father, similar but distinct from Murphy’s patriarchal role, is made all the more crushing when his children are forced to make a similar decision in the film’s climax. Carlyle does an excellent job of showing how Don’s priorities shift. 28 Days Later created a family unit through the union of Jim ( Cillian Murphy), Selena ( Naomie Harris), and young Hannah ( Megan Burns), but 28 Weeks Later rips one apart through the introduction of Don’s teenage daughter, Tammy ( Imogen Poots), and younger son, Andy ( Mackintosh Muggleton). RELATED: The 40 Best Horror Movies of the 2000sĬarlyle exhausts himself emotionally early on, but perhaps even more crushing than the visceral sight of his escape is the moment Don breaks the news to his children of their mother’s death, lying about his role in her demise. At first glance, the prospects for the sequel weren’t promising. Filmmaker Juan Carlos Fresnadillo stepped in as director, but his script-co-written with Rowan Joffé, Enrique López-Lavigne, and Jesus Olmo-would follow an entirely different cast of characters. Boyle was out, choosing instead to work on the sci-fi epic Sunshine, another collaboration with screenwriter Alex Garland. Understandably, expectations were high for the follow-up, 28 Weeks Later.
Romero's Night of the Living Dead, but Boyle's innovative take on a 21st-Century post-apocalypse emerged as a worthy contender. All zombie movies have to live in the long shadow of George A. Boyle’s fly-on-the-wall perspective, released during the dawn of digital innovation, became an instant classic because of its humanist drama and biting political allusions. 28 Days Later, director Danny Boyle’s terrifying vision of London in the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse, immediately sparked renewed interest in the genre when it debuted in 2002.
0 kommentar(er)
