28 Weeks Later (2007)

3 Stars (out of 4)

'Weeks' End

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

I was not much of a fan of Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later, with its ugly cinematography and its listless co-opting of already-existing ideas. But this sequel, directed by the much more imaginative Juan Carlos Fresnadillo (Intacto, Intruders), takes the zombie invasion in a new, grim direction.

The zombies have been largely contained and the world has turned into a military-controlled state, with ordinary citizens living in fear. (The fear is more present than any actual threat.) Two young people -- Tammy (Imogen Poots) and Andy (Mackintosh Muggleton) -- make their way back to their family home and discover their mother, infected, but apparently with different symptoms. She is taken back for study, but an emotion-infused momentary lapse of reason causes another zombie outbreak. Tammy and Andy wind up escaping into the countryside along with a medical officer (Rose Byrne) and a sniper (Jeremy Renner).

The great cast (which also includes Harold Perrineau, Catherine McCormack, Idris Elba, and Robert Carlyle), along with the rich, moody cinematography help underscore the movie's subtle themes: mainly the way that fear affects us humans, even on an unconscious, rational level.