28 Weeks Later

Alright, picture this: You wake up one morning after a night out with your friends. You guys had fun last night. To be exact, you went to a pub/cafe/warung/whatever. So there you are, right, all comfy and stuff under your blanket. You didn't want to get up, even though you're craving for a cup of coffee. You fought that Sunday morning lethargy, and somehow you managed to carry yourself to the kitchen. So you fixed yourself a cup of coffee. Then you remember that your girlfriend was supposed to be there too. After all, she was here last night. Hmm.

You called out for her. But there was no response. Then suddenly, the door creaks open.

And there she was, with blood dripping out of her mouth. Her eyes are red, and for some reason she was covered in blood. She ran across the room to get to you. Before you know it, she was all over you. In a bad, bad way.



So you grab a kitchen knife, then you slash her forehead with it. Blood gushing out everywhere. Blood. Gallons of blood.

Then you run outside, only to find that everyone has blood dripping out of their mouths, eyes and ears. And they're out to get you. As you run away from them, another wave of zombies (yes, that's what they are, if you haven't figured it out by now) comes up in front of you. Hundreds of them. And with only a kitchen knife, what can you do? Eh?

You're fucked.

At least, that's how I felt when I watched 28 Weeks Later. This film is saturated with blood, violence, nihilism, guns, explosions and sheer, sheer terror.

Click the link below to read the rest of the review.



Let's start with the story.

In 28 Days Later, there was a virus outbreak in Britain. But this ain't bird flu. It's more like drool-blood-and-kill-everyone kind of disease. It's called Rage, and it's a zombie outbreak, spread through direct contact with infected blood and body fluids. In 28 Days, Britain was overrun by zombies. Heck, that's awesome. I'm picturing a zombified Queen of England in my mind, and it's so amusing.

So anyway, this movie takes place 28 Weeks Later (well duh, you jackass). The zombies are all dead from starvation, and basically Britain is clean, zombie-free. Then the US military went in to take control of the island. Reconstruction and repopulation is in place. All the Brits have to do is make tons of babies and re-open the tourist sites that the Americans love so much.

Everything seems joyful. That is, until a carrier (a virus carrier; someone who's immune to the disease, but can infect others) enters the quarantined part of London (where the film takes place) and re-start the epidemic. Nay, it's far worse than epidemic. It's pure chaos. I don't want to spoil the story, but I can tell you this: nothing can stop the disease from spreading.

Even though the story's a bit subpar compared with 28 Days Later, the cinematography and everything else makes up for it. I like how it's directed. I like how they managed to place the cameras and take shots from the weirdest angle. I like how they use long take to create an atmosphere of suspense. I like how the camera shakes violently when the zombies attack. I don't like the editing though; some scenes were quickly placed after the important scenes, thus killing the mood.

From the grim atmosphere evoked from seeing an abandoned and run down London, it is clear that these guys spent a lot time with the screenplay and set direction. If you watched 28 Days Later, you'd also notice that the producers get to play with a bigger budget this time. Think 28 Days Later, with guns and napalm. Heck, even that's an understatement. That sense of desolation and emptyness is still there, and is now amplified and brought to us in a remarkable way. For example the soundtrack always kicks in at the right time, and helps build up tension. And when the music stops, and you can only hear the main character breathing, you'd know that something fucked up is going to happen. And no, it's not that predictable. The zombies always show up in front of your face at the right time. It's great.

To sum it up: This movie is dark. It's disturbing. But at the same time, it reminds us that if we take away 20 thousand years of civilisation, we are not unlike beasts, with no sense of morality or compassion. But enough about that.

I'd say it was a well spent 12 bucks.

Forget about Dawn of the Dead, go watch this instead.

Putra