Plot: What’s it about?
The zombie genre is certainly a bewildering phenomenon. One would think that only so much could be done with the premise of mindless, flesh-hungry, virus-infected people. And yet somehow, this bizarre concept just will not die (if you’ll forgive the pun). Personally, I’ve just never been much of a fan. Zombie stories tend to be, by very definition, post-apocalyptic in tone, and while I’ve got as healthy a morbid fascination as anyone, I find watching that kind of thing on a regular basis to have a cumulatively oppressive effect on me as a viewer. It’s just not fun but for so long – preferably in small, value-sized portions. This is probably why I simply cannot wrap my mind around the universal adoration bestowed upon The Walking Dead. While the series admittedly has very good production value, I could only stick with it for a few episodes. Or maybe I simply found it too derivative of this film and its predecessor – films I don’t revisit all that often (for reasons I’ve already stated) but still highly respect for at least attempting to inject something new and fresh into what had honestly become a pretty tired concept.
When I first saw 28 Weeks Later, I left the theater convinced that I’d just seen one of the best sequels ever made. Danny Boyle’s “28 Days Later” was an impossibly difficult film to follow, to say nothing of managing to do so effectively while actually taking the story into a new and interesting direction. “28 Days Later” was, for lack of a better description, the independent art house film of the zombie genre – something that, before seeing that film, I would not have thought possible. 28 Weeks Later could have stayed in the same vein (sorry, these puns are just too easy), but director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo does something risky here by skewing the tone of his picture just enough to establish it as its own animal, distinct from the prequel. Yet what makes the film work as well as it does is that it also does all of this without losing the feel of “28 Days Later” altogether. In a way, it feels like a logical second chapter with a larger scope and a distinct and different vantage point, and yet it still plays as cut from the same creative cloth. The films are of the same universe. That had to be a very difficult tightrope to walk, and this film does it better than almost any other sequel I can think of.
I must admit, though, that I’m not quite as enamored with 28 Weeks Later as I was in 2007. Having recently watched the two films back to back, Danny Boyle’s film simply has an artistry to it that’s missing from the sequel. And really, it has less to do with the differing approaches the two directors take with regard to action and scope. Although I do personally prefer the more intimate setting of the first film, I think it was absolutely the correct decision for Fresnadillo to distinguish his film from Boyle’s by making the stage broader and the stakes arguably higher. I think that’s part of the reasons the two films work so well together as two halves of the same story. No, what set “28 Day Later” apart were its quiet moments and its disorienting stylistic flourishes (which, to be fair, no one does quite like Boyle). 28 Weeks Later is, by comparison, a far more conventional film (and more so now that I revisit it), and it has little choice but to suffer slightly for it. Still, it’s as worthy a follow-up to a great zombie film as anyone could have possibly expected, and I’m not ashamed to say that I’m more than a bit bummed that plans for a “28 Months Later” with Boyle back at the helm have likely been scrapped. Then again, I suppose we should be careful what we wish for and consider ourselves fortunate that we at least got two quality films. After all, I’d liken 28 Weeks Later to “Scream 2” in that it’s a sequel not quite up to the first, but strong enough that a fantastic third film could make for a tremendous trilogy. And we all saw how that turned out, didn’t we?
Video: How does it look?
My artistic preferences aside, 28 Weeks Later is a clear and decisive step up from the first film in the area of picture quality. Fine object detail is truly excellent on this disc. The digital video shooting style really serves the sterile, aloof tone well in the opening scenes, and lends an ultra-real, in-your-face feel to the blood-soaked second half of the film. Black levels are especially excellent, with a deep and inky presence that’s absolutely vital to the effectiveness of the picture. I noticed no instances of edge enhancement or blocking. Only a few, extremely fleeting instances of banding here and there in exterior shots that show a lot of sky keep the disc from achieving a perfect 5.0. As per usual with Fox, the encode here is terrific, with a nice, healthy bitrate. Fans of the film should have nothing to complain about. The brightly-lit shots when the children are first reunited with the father are standouts, and it made me realize how great a well-done Blu-ray transfer (yes, even one from back in 2007) can hold up today. Subtitles are available in English, English SDH, Spanish, Cantonese, and Korean.
Audio: How does it sound?
28 Weeks Later, as I’ve stated, is a much “bigger” zombie film in terms of scope and action than its predecessor. Whereas before there really wasn’t all that much opportunity for an audio track to impress, here we’re treated to tried and true staples of the action genre like helicopters, massive, city-wide explosions, gunfire, and lots and lots of stampeding monsters. This is tailor-made material for ear candy, and Fox’s DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track delivers exactly what we want. Check out just the opening sequence, which begins quietly, in darkness and with whispers. Every line is perfectly intelligible and subtle, creepy surround effects impress with their ambient envelopment. When the zombies attack a few minutes later, the track is an onslaught of effects, bombast, low frequency and expert directionality. If I was forced to levy a complaint here, the track does skate precariously close to “loud” and “harsh” territory at times, but then, given the subject matter, this soundscape really probably isn’t intended to come off as especially pleasant, either. Still, I have little doubt that this track presents the film precisely as intended, and it has an overall presence that’s simply not there on a lot of discs. Crank this one up and you’re sure to provoke some great jump-scares. Also included as options are French and Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks.
Supplements: What are the extras?
While the supplemental package for 28 Weeks Later reads as fairly extensive, the meat and bones unfortunately prove rather paltry. First up is a commentary by the director which, while worth a listen for hardcore fans, is run-of-the-mill and generic enough that I know I honestly won’t be revisiting it very often. Still, it proves to be probably the most interesting and valuable supplement on the Blu-ray. As for the rest, we get a few deleted scenes with optional director’s commentary, none of which would really have added all that much to the theatrical version of the film. There are also two featurettes included, but they’re hardly worth mentioning. These are your standard, EPK-style fare that you’ll watch once and then promptly forget. Sadly, the deleted scenes and featurettes are also presented in 480p only, making their inclusion even more shrug-inducing. Rounding out the extras are trailers for both “28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later, this time actually presented in 1080p. Those basing a purchase on a desire for truly substantive extras may find themselves slightly disappointed. My advice would be to pick up this Blu-ray for the quality of the film itself and for this disc’s excellent picture and audio quality.
