I saw 28 Days Later a long time ago, on TV, while doing something different and not really paying attention. At this point if you asked me about this movie I wouldn’t be able to tell you anything. So I’m reviewing 28 Weeks Later on pure merit – since I can hardly recall anything about the first part.
Kill Zombies with a Helicopter
Most zombie movies are relatively shallow. I never understand why, because most of the zombie plot-lines really give writers room for drama, psychological analysis, study of human behavior in extreme conditions and etc… Of course most zombie-movie writers and directors skip over all of that and and concentrate on action, gore, scary zombie chase sequences and gratuitous violence dispensed both by zombies as well as survivors.
28 Weeks Later is no different. Through most of the movie characters are to busy running away, shooting or hiding to actually talk to each other. They also die too fast for us to really get attached to them. So there is no deeper character driven drama here. The 28 [Days\|Weeks] Later universe also removes the main source of moral dilemma. Since the Rage virus turns you into a zombie in 60 seconds flat, there is no need to ponder what to do with bitten/potentially infected survivors. You see someone being bitten, you shoot them – it’s that easy.
In effect what you get is action packed action, with a side of more action. Which, again, is not unexpected in a zombie movie. I must say I enjoyed watching it – but then again I love zombie movies in general. But the plot was weak, and I called every “shocker” scene (ie. one where something jumps out on the screen to freak the shit out of you) ahead of time. See below this review for my rant about the plot (I’m not putting it here because it contains spoilers). I give it a solid 3 stars – if you like action packed movies, or zombies you will likely have fun. For added fun bonus watch it with someone who easily freaks out during horror movies. I did, and it was very lulz-worthy experience.
I can’t help it but ask: who came up with the helicopter scene first? Both 28 Weeks Later and Grindhouse have a scene depicting mass zombie decapitation using a low flying helicopter. Who ripped off who here?
My rating: stars
Formal review aside, let me complain about the plot now. Spoilers below!
The whole explanation for the second outbreak in the movie was totally lame. How lame was it? Let me count the ways:
- Two kids sneak out of the tightly controlled “Green Zone” by jumping the railing on the bridge and walking on the outside past heavily armed guards
- The area in the walking distance around the “Green Zone” is still full of bodies. You’d think they would sweep it clean by now, but no…
- A sniper positioned on a roof sees the kids sneaking out, and reports it. When he does this, the kids are just beyond the bridge. All that needs to happen now, is for one of the bridge guards to open the gate and bring them in. They let them go instead. WTF?
- Instead of immediately capturing the kids, they let them loot a pizza place, steal a delivery bike and drive all the way to their old house where they find their mother still alive
- Finally the army wakes up and sends a helicopter and a heavily armed team after the kids which conveniently arrives at the house when the kids figure out that mom is kinda-sorta infected
- They take mommie to the base, run some tests and find out she is a carrier – she has the Rage virus in her, and can infect others, but she does not exhibit any symptoms except for the bloody eye thing.
- The kid’s father is some sort of mega super/janitor who conveniently has a master key to everything – including the high security quarantine room where they hold his wife
- So he goes to see her, and gets infected
I have no clue why the dude had a key to that room, but I’m pretty sure he shouldn’t have it. I mean, come on!
And why the hell did they send a decked out commando squad in full gear with an air support to get the kids? As far as the army was concerned the last infected died months ago. All they needed was one or two dudes in a Humvee. Go figure.
[tags]28 weeks later, 28 days later, movies, movie, zombies, the rage virus[/tags]
George Romero, to answer your question. A tall zombie has the top of its skull removed by helicopter blade in 1978’s “Dawn of the Dead”
Ah, so that’s where it’s from! Thanks!
“I have no clue why the dude had a key to that room, but I’m pretty sure he shouldn’t have it. I mean, come on!”
How did you miss the bit where he crapped on about his Access All Areas pass? It was fairly prominent and obvious.
Nice cinematography, some nice scenes, but the plot to join them together was terrible.
The chief medical officer being in her twenties (and a Major, no less!) was pretty funny, too.
As a friend said: it’d be a much better plot if the ‘good guys’ did everything right but made one mistake. As it was, the ‘good guys’ made endless amounts of stupid mistakes so you don’t really feel much sympathy for them.
[quote comment=”4599″]How did you miss the bit where he crapped on about his Access All Areas pass? It was fairly prominent and obvious.[/quote]
I saw that, but it still didn’t feel right. Why would a civilian have access to a military medical lab where they were holding a Rage virus carrier? I can see how he had the pass for all the civilian areas, but it just wouldn’t make sense to give him a key to the super-tightly controlled, quarantined med lab.
Also, why no one was posted at the door? There was a guard watching the room where the kids were staying, but no one keeping an eye out for the virus carrier.
This movie became ridiculous the moment the two children decided to exit the green zone. Firstly, I can’t believe how they were able to escape, secondly, the whole basis of the movie is based on their stupidity. Code-red would not have been called it if was not for their ignorance.
sigh
yeah the whole green zone thing was ridiculous, and then bitching to there dad about him “lying” was BS to, how was he to know she would be immune? out of everybody? to top it off the fact they didn’t just shoot her was really bad. however 28 days was realy good, and more focused on the characters than anything else i liked that