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Photo © Twentieth Century Fox(Atomic)
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28 Weeks Later
Action; Drama
1hr. 32 mins.
May 11th, 2007
MPAA: R for strong violence and gore, language and some sexuality/nudity.
Twentieth Century Fox(Atomic)
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Starring: Robert Carlyle, Rose Byrne, Jeremy Renner, Imogen Poots, Catherine McCormack, Idris Elba.
Directed By: Juan Carlos Fresnadillo
Produced By: Andrew Macdonald, Enrique Lopez Lavigneon , Allon Reich.Ex.-Prod:Danny Boyle
Screenplay By: Enrique Lopez Lavigneon ; Rowan Joffe; Dir. Fresnadillo
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Reviewed
By: Wellington Lee
Rated 2.81/5
Feature Review:The creative team of Danny Boyle(Dir.) and Andrew Macdonald wowed critics and Indie lovers with the 1996 acclaimed
"Trainspotting", about Scottish youths and hard drugs. They have not fared as well with B.O. and film pundits, in their
successive, U.S. financed/shot efforts(a Life less Ordinary; The Beach-with L.D. Caprio). Returning to Britain in
2003, the trio's(with auth./ex-prod. Alex Garland)prequel 28 Days Later, hit a nerve with horror/thriller audiences, and
critics.
The story of a loose lab, rhesus virus, rapidly crossing species and infecting London, and then the country with biting
human zombies, was thrilling and terrifying. Garland worked on possible storylines for a sequel, and the trio decided to
step back from the total creative process, carefully selecting their crew.
Dir Juan Carlos Fresnadillo wowed them and Sundance/Cannes Festivals, with his edgy thriller:"Intacto". The fact that the
Spanish Dir. had never directed in English, fit their one goal: a totally fresh perspective for the follow up to the
original work , so familiar to British audiences. Boyle and Garland worked with him in development and on the set, but
still
allowed Fresnadillo and his writers/producer, Enrique Lopez Lavignemore and Jesus Olmo, creative control.
The story unfolds in a straightforward manner. Lead Dan( Carlyle)is holed up with wife Alice and several others in a
country home. The provisions are canned and scarce. The action starts and builds to a terrifying pace, as they are
attacked and overcome by infected, biting human zombies. In a key scene that portends what is to come, Alice tries
to save a young boy, as terrified Dan runs for his own life, abandoning her. In an exclusive interview with Wellington
Lee
of T.M.G., Dir Fresnadillo spoke to this:"I wanted realism. The survival instinct is sometimes stronger than any feeling
for anyone. I wanted the audience to think:' what would I do?'".
Weeks later, after the U.S. led N.A.T.O. occupation and eradication of the infected, Dan tries to explain what happened to
his teenage daughter Tammy(Poots) and son Andy. Carlyle powerfully portrays Dan's wrenching guilt and grief, as he now
tearfully lies to them both, that he saw the infected bite and their Mom, before he could help. Families are reunited
with
the few quarantined and uninfected survivors, at this 7 month marker. They are housed in new high rise complexes in a
secure 'green zone'(tongue in cheek!), with U.S. snipers eyeing watchfully, including co-star Jeremy Renner, as Sgt.
Doyle.
Fresnadillo's realism emerges again, as the bored special forces snipers including Doyle, spy randomly on the residents,
through their rifle scopes. Production designer Mark Tildesley , chose the once fiercely independent and water
surrounded,
Isle of Dogs district, for this zone.
Tammy leads Andy in what kids do: disobey the rules and sneak out. Without really realizing the danger that they could
face, in the lifeless city. What a treat to watch Imogene Poots(Tammy)in her 2nd Feature(V for Vendetta) cry real tears,
in that poignant reuniting/confession scene with Dad.
Poots fills the screen, with her and Andy's chaste demeanor, as they run free through the streets. They head for one last
look at their home, through chilling scenes of once busy streets with abandoned cars. In one particularly eerie scene,
Tammy
hunts victims' pockets for moped keys, in a Diner with full plates of customers' food. A small reveal: Mom is alive,
though
showing bite marks, and hiding out in the family's home. Dad lied.
This sets up one of 2 noble characters. Scrubbed down like a Jew in a concentration camp, and poked full of needles, Mom
Alice(Catherine McCormick:"Braveheart ; Tailor of Panama")is thought to harbor genetic immunity, by the compassionate U.S.
Dr./Major Scarlet(Byrne).Aussie Byrne, previously in exotic roles in '04's Troy and Marie Antoinette, is an empathetic but
gutsy heroine. She and fellow U.S. trooper/hero Doyle, guide the two children, through the inevitable climactic, third
act. Fresdadillo and the script writers end with a near spiritual like note of hope. I see closing metaphors reminiscent
of
the recent†Children of Menâ€: innocent, surviving children, providing the hope for mankind's survival.
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