28 Weeks Later

            Sunday afternoon I saw the savior of mainstream horror movies as we know them. 28 Weeks Later is the creation of Director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo and co-writer Rowan Joffe. I never heard of either one of these men but I must say they created a glorious, gorgeous, gory, ultra-violent monster in 28 Weeks Later. I consider myself a pretty hardened veteran of mainstream horror movies where virtually nothing makes me react. Well, the opening cottage scene where a group of survivors are quickly attacked by infected made me grind my teeth so bad I pulled a muscle in my jaw. If you’ve seen this movie and that scene didn’t scare the shit out of you and get your heart pumping go to a hospital cause you’re probably dead, and if you’re dead and still walking around that’s awesome cause you’re a zombie and you need to come to my house and hang out with me. Now I’m only talking about the first20 minutes of this movie, the rest of it is just pure movie-making genius by which all horror movies should follow.

            28WL takes place in London 6 months after the original rage virus has decimated the British Isles . A U.S.-led NATO force has declared London infection free and a small number of British citizens are now repatriating to a heavily guarded section of London in an attempt to get back to some sort of civilized life. Children are also allowed back much to the behest of an army doctor named Scarlet. We end up following the character of Don played by Robert Carlyle (Trainspotting, Ravenous) who abandoned his wife Alice, played by Catherine McCormack (Braveheart, Shadow of the Vampire) in the vicious cottage attack that left him the only survivor (or so we think). Don is reunited with his children Andy and Tammy played by Mackintosh Muggleton and Imogen Poots respectively. Don tells them his version of what happened and we get the impression that Donis a sniveling, lying fuck, but he’s the only parent so I guess I felt for him. Later on Andy and Tammy escape the compound to back to their old house where they find their mother alive and not-so-well. She is brought back to the compound to be tested and to be reunited with her family but there’s a snag… Alice was bitten but was not infected which leads Scarletto conclude that Alice is a carrier for the disease, this means she can still infect people, oh yeah, you know what’s next.

            What ensues leads me to the opinion that 28WL is not only the best movie of 2007, but one of the most entertaining flicks to come to America since I don’t know when, oh yeah 28 Days Later and Shaun of the Dead. A “Code Red” is initiated and the movie goes shithouse from there on. Mass hysteria, mass infection (started by Don, Nice Going Dick!!!!),and oh yeah a mass shooting that breaks out when the army can no longer  distinguish between infected and the scared-shitless who are also running. This chain of events starts an adrenaline rush that doesn’t end until the credits role.

            A rooftop sniper named Doyle (SWAT, Paper Dragons) is our hero to match our heroine Scarlet in protecting our little rare cures for the common infection (lying in the blood of Andy and Tammy). Doyle guided by Harold Perrineau (Oz, Matrix 2), his fellow soldier/friend heroically guides our twice parentless little ones through a twice ruined city that is about to be fire-bombed by the army all the while trying to protect them from army snipers and a group of escaped infected.

           The kids are also being stalked by their infected yet somewhat advanced, infected father (reminiscent of the Land of the Dead Big Daddy character). I could have done without that story-line but its there and it didn’t do too much damage to its integrity. Question, what do you get when you get an open field of infected and some helicopter blades? Oh yeah, a total bloodgasm, sheer-fucking-brilliance.

            I cannot say enough about 28 Weeks Later except that it is a cinematic masterpiece that boasts a great story, awesome sound, amazing special effects, and a cast that does exactly what it was hired to do, and that is to entertain. I’ve already seen it twice and I may see it a few more times to enjoy the theatrical experience. This is something I encourage all of you to do because Fresnadillo keeps the loud, raw, chaotic and frantic feel of 28 Days Later alive but makes this movie all his own, there is more action and I loved every second of it, 28WL has lots and lots of balls and is far from just a sequel. I can honestly say I’m proud to be a mainstream-horror movie fan. Very rarely do I go to any movie and find I’m entertained all the way through. Do you love the infected as much as I do?  Hopefully I’ll see you all at the Eiffel Tower ,Sweet!!!!