28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later Film Reviews

British Zombie Horror Series with Substance Behind the Violence

Jul 26, 2009

The 28 Days/Weeks Later is a British horror franchise that is not only incredibly gory and brilliant but also has important messages about modern society.

28 Days Later is proof (if it be needed) that Danny Boyle could pretty much turn his hand to anything if he felt like it. This film is not only one of the strongest modern additions to the zombie horror genre – although the people aren’t zombies, more on that later – but one of the better British movies of the last decade with a tight script by regular Boyle collaborator Alex Garland that pays homage to The Day of the Triffids et al.

It opens with a group of animal cruelty activists breaking into a lab and freeing monkeys that, unknown to them, are part of an experiment on a virus called Rage. The film then cuts to 28 Days Later where courier Jim (Cillian Murphy is his breakthrough performance) stumbles down the eerie empty streets of London unaware that the virus has destroyed society and turned most of the people into Rage infected – not zombies as they aren't dead.

He meets more survivors (including Naomie Harris and Brendan Gleeson) and together they travel to safety while avoiding the incredibly quick and bloodthirsty Rage infected – not zombies.

At the 28 Weeks Later mark the infected have died, the US has taken over the country and survivors are being slowly re-introduced. Then, as ever, the virus finds a way back into the population and everything goes to hell. It’s best to go in knowing little about plot details and if the idea of an American occupation collapsing into chaos sounds familiar it’s supposed to be. This is far smarter than people give it credit and like the Romero films is making stark political statements behind the gore.

The names Robert Carlyle and Rose Byrne feature prominently on the posters and although Carlyle has a very important part in the story the real stars of the piece are his children (played convinceingly by Imogen Poots and Mackintosh Muggleton).

Often sequels with a new cast and team behind it are a sign that it’s going to be complete rubbish but Weeks almost lives up to the original. Weeks is the Aliens to Days Alien, in that it despite being weaker still keeps the same nightmarish, claustrophobic experience and fills in the gaps with bit more gung-ho action, flashier special effects, a similar ethereal score from John Murphy and is impressively shot by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo in his English language debut.

Both films have their scenes of extreme tension, Days has the mansion break-in while Weeks has the truly terrifying opener in the locked cottage. They both work hard to show the devastating effect of the virus, one key moment in Days demonstrates the destructive power of one drop of infected blood.

Where Days had thumbs pushed in eye sockets and vomiting blood Weeks has this and so much more as one group of the infected meet the nasty end of a helicopters’ blades. These films are extremely bloody and hard to stomach but the violence isn’t senseless titillation for the gorno crowd as there is substance behind it and characters are sympathetic, although Weeks does at one point use obvious death fodder at times.

Weeks is a bit bloated and loses some of the dystopian feel that ultimately makes it less enjoyable than Days but despite the faults – both films are too long and drag towards the end – it’s still good to see a British series that hasn’t resorted to post-Lock Stock cockerny gangster antics.

An alleged 28 Months Later is on the horizon, probably with the Rage virus infecting the world at this stage. Hopefully the writers will have an interesting story to tell and not just flogging a dead horse for the sake of profit. It would be a shame for an intelligent series to go the way of many horror franchises by churning out brainless sequels with no vision and very little to say.

The copyright of the article 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later Film Reviews in Horror Films is owned by Steven Cookson. Permission to republish 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later Film Reviews in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.