28 Weeks Laterhas a fantastic opening scene, though it’s a shame the rest of the film isn’t quite able to follow up on the evocative initial imagery.28 Days Laterisn’t just one ofBritish director Danny Boyle’s best films, but one of the most iconic and influential zombie movies of all time, which is truly saying something considering that the genre is just as densely populated as the massive hordes of undead it portrays. Its sequel,28 Days Later, leaves a bit to be desired comparatively, but starts off incredibly strong with a powerful opening scene.
The infected of the28 Days Laterseries aren’t technically zombies that eat flesh, but infected humans who have lost their minds to the Rage Virus.
True to its title,28 Weeks Latercontinues the tradition of the first film, taking place the eponymous number of days afterthe initial Rage Virusoutbreak that caused society on the Island of Great Britain to utterly collapse. The film follows a new group of survivors attempting to make it to the new safe zone established in London by NATO, spearheaded by gung-ho United States military forces. After six months, the virus has seemingly been eradicated after taking the majority of the U.K.’s population with it, but a carrier of a new asymptomatic strain soon complicates things.
28 Weeks Later Has A Fantastic Opening Scene
Tense, Haunting, And Viscerally Bloody
Despite the title of the film, the opening moments of28 Weeks Lateractually do take place during the first outbreak of the Rage Virus, centering on a group of survivors who have already seemingly found a way to safely hide from the roving bands of murderous infected. They seem to be living as idyllic a life as possible amid the bleak circumstances, eking out an existence in a modest cottage in the English countryside. Their peaceful candle-lit dinner is interrupted when a young boy, clearly on the run from the infected, knocks at the door in a terrified state.
Though her husband, Don, is hesitant to admit anyone inside, the compassionate Alice unlatches the boarded-up door and allows the frightened lad inside. Don’s fears are soon proven to be justified when the boy’s presence leads a massive horde of infected right to their location. Before long, huge herds of rage-fueled maniacs are tearing down the boarded-up doors and windows of the building, and a hapless woman is the first to go when she’s pulled into the fray by the arm, turning into a Rage Virus carrier within a matter of moments.
This leads to a series ofclassic zombie movie tropesin which the desperate survivors are forced to kill their former loved ones and make difficult decisions to survive. Only the pragmatist Don barely escapes by the skin of his teeth by not even attempting to save other people, even his wife, Alice, whom he abandons in the attic to make a break for a docked motorboat. This decision literally comes back to bite him later, but his harrowing single survival from the situation is a great return to the trademark bleak reality of28 Days Later.
28 Weeks Later Doesn’t Come Close To Matching The Original
Which Is Admittedly A Tall Order
Sadly, the mastery of the opening scene is quickly lost as28 Weeks Laterprogresses. That’s not to say the sequel is a bad film overall by any means, but it certainly falls short in living up to the lofty expectations of its predecessor, with the exception of such a strong first sequence. First and foremost,the human element that made28 Days Latersuch a relatable and evocative zombie film simply isn’t there. It’s a lot harder to picture oneself in the circumstances of the more blank-slate heroes when watching28 Weeks Later, undermining much of the franchise’s appeal.
Not only that, but the action of28 Weeks Lateris driven by absurd decisions and characters that act remarkably stupidly, such as when the U.S.-led NATO military leaves one of the most important discoveries of their lives, an asymptomatic carrier of the Rage Virus, essentially alone and unattended. Once a new outbreak inevitably occurs, the dumb decisions actually make iteasier for the Rage Virus to rapidly spread, gathering all the refugees into a clumped parking lot.
28 Weeks Later’s Opening Scene Feels Like A Totally Different Movie
And A More Interesting One, At That
Perhaps what’s most disappointing about28 Weeks Lateris how much potential the opening scene shows despite feeling like a completely different movie. This initial scene truly takes advantage of Great Britain’s natural landscape to create terror, making horrors out of normally picturesque meadows. While it’s easy not to think about the hordes of zombies that might or might not lurk around every corner of a dense urban environment, the emerald rolling hills of the countryside make Don all-too-aware of the avalanche of gnashing teeth coming for him as he sprints for his life.
While it’s easy not to think about the hordes of zombies that might or might not lurk around every corner of a dense urban environment, the emerald rolling hills of the countryside make Don all-too-aware of the avalanche of gnashing teeth coming for him as he sprints for his life.
That creates all the more tonal whiplash when the rest of the film plops the viewer back into a busy cityscape full of scientists, doctors, and military personnel all flocking about to and fro. Gone are disturbingly empty, open horizons packed with ferocious killers just behind every curve, potentially adding a refreshed sense of rural isolation to the terror of the Rage Virus. It’s all the more a pity that28 Days Laterhad already spent plenty of time in cities and around the military, meaning28 Weeks Latermissed its chance to explore a new zombie apocalypse.
28 Years Later Already Looks Like A Better Sequel Than 28 Weeks
The 28 Days Later Franchise Returns To Danny Boyle’s Capable Hands
Luckily,the upcoming28 Years Laterseems like it’ll be ready to finally provide the adventure through a zombie-infested English countryside that28 Weeks Latercould have been. Unlike the first sequel,28 Years Laterwill be directed by Danny Boyle, returning the franchise to the talented eye of its original creator. Thusly, it will seemingly ignore the events of the initial follow-up, considering the trailers have shown off emaciated zombies that refuse to starve to death and implies the U.K. is still the only foothold the Rage Virus has in the world.
Details about the plot of28 Years Laterare still scarce, but the idea of an isolated group of survivors on an island that sends a scouting party into the mainland to observe the progression of the virus is an interesting one indeed. The film could even promise new mutated forms of infection, evolving the terror of the Rage Virus to new heights.28 Weeks Laterisn’t a bad film, but it is a disappointing one, and ideally the next entry in the franchise will be able to expand upon the vibe of its strong opening scene.
