28 Weeks Later (2007)

28 Weeks Later: Directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo. With Robert Carlyle, Rose Byrne, Jeremy Renner, Harold Perrineau. Six months after the rage virus was inflicted on the population of Great Britain, the US Army helps to secure a small area of London for the survivors to repopulate and start again. But not everything goes according to plan.

“Having seen 28 Days Later I thought I was prepared for this, but I was not. Somewhere near the beginning of the film is a scene that goes from zero to psycho in about 2 seconds flat. The beginning of 2004u0026#39;s Dawn of the Dead also had a wildly chaotic kick-off scene, but unlike that film, which was a great film to laugh through while chomping your popcorn, this film is no laughing matter. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWhen thereu0026#39;s no violence, thereu0026#39;s fear and tension. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWhen there is on-screen violence, there is absolute shock and horror. Scene after scene shows ordinary people placed in impossible situations from which they cannot escape. This time, of course, there now two implacable predators out there hunting them down: the rage virus from the first film, and the military which is attempting to maintain control of any outbreak, but is willing to visit unspeakable horrors upon innocent people if they cannot keep that control. The horror and scale of the virus is so severe, that the plans the military implements are completely plausible.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe actions scenes are masterfully done, effectively placing the viewer in the points of view of both the victims and the crazed, but still scarily human, zombies. The portrayal of the violence pulls no punches; people of all age groups and walks of life are destroyed without remorse. No attempt is made to soft-pedal it. The fragility of human life on Earth and its vulnerability to just the right nasty virus are thoughts that stay with you after youu0026#39;ve left the theater, and add a nice u0026quot;after tasteu0026quot; of fear. The soundtrack, as with the first film, is amazing in conveying the tension and dread and sadness of the scenes. The story is fairly tight, as well. My only complaints might be with the acting of some of the soldiers, which just didnu0026#39;t feel authentic to me for some reason.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eOverall Iu0026#39;d say this is one of the best zombie films Iu0026#39;ve ever seen, in fact, one of the most effective thrillers Iu0026#39;ve seen, as well.”