An awesome and ridiculous film that leaves you thrilled beyond the point of your natural endurance
2012
Theatre
The show has suddenly become quite wonderful, and the galvanising factor is the terrific stage debut of Melanie C
Blood Brothers
Music
The British pop music industry may be eating itself but if Muse are the pick of what it can offer the world in 2010 then British music is in rude health indeed
Muse
I was smitten by both Gilberts enormous luxuriant moustache and the intelligence and nuance of this highly entertaining play
I totally recommend Babbo to anyone who is looking for really good and traditional Italian food
Always been a fan but never seen them live. I was ecstatic to be part of this epic event. WOW!
London,
Derek Malcolm's rating
Reader rating
Dir: Juan Carlos Fresnadillo.
Cast: Robert Carlyle, Catherine McCormack, Jeremy Renner, Rose Byrne, Harrold Perrineau
Description: In the sequel to 28 Days Later, NATO forces led by U.S. army have taken control of the virus-ravaged cities, were many of the infected with the dreaded Rage contagion have died from starvation. Convinced that it is safe to return survivors to holding camps, NATO opens the borders to the Isle of Dogs, beginning to repopulate the island with survivors under constant watch from gun-toting snipers. Alas, a carrier of the infection manages to infiltrate the enclave and once again unleashes the plague, with even more devastating consequences.
Country: UK. 2007. 100mins
Forces of nature: Tammy and Andy (Imogen Poots and Mackintosh Muggleton) come up against martial law in 28 weeks later
Run for your life: Robert Carlyle takes flight
If Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later was a horror movie that effectively masqueraded as science fiction, the follow-up would make George Romero run for cover. Taking charge of the sequel and upping the violence by several points, Spanish director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo offers blood all the way - but little more than a crimson spectacle.
28 Weeks Later portrays a suitably spectacular, devastated London that looks as if the bin men haven't been around for six months, let alone a fortnight, and adds a gun-happy invading US-led Nato force to the equation. However, more, in the end, means distinctly less.
The Rage virus of the first film has now burned out. The resettlement of a wrecked Britain is about to begin when a woman is found living rough who, though apparently immune herself, is capable of spreading the infection. Thereafter, everyone is caught between the zombie plague and the kill-on-sight policy of the authorities.
One of the first victims is Don, played by Robert Carlyle, who is the best actor in the film by such a long way that becoming a flesh-eating zombie before we are halfway through seems a waste of his talent and our interest.
He's the head of a family which includes Catherine McCormack and child actors Imogen Poots and Mackintosh Muggleton, and he has to start running as soon as they all try to escape the marauding plague victims. It doesn't, of course, do him much good.
Meanwhile, Fresnadillo piles more and more grisly spectacle upon us, including some fairly sensational views of a capital city under the fiery and explosive cosh of an over-active Nato.
Donald Rumsfeld isn't in the cast but one keeps on looking out for him. Nothing and no one is spared for a not-very-noble cause.
Exciting for the eye though this may be, plot confusion reigns supreme. It's like a video game over which we have no control. Unlike Boyle's film - which skirted closer to science fact than fiction - the contemporary relevance is frittered away and we are left with a kind of pile-driving nullity, empty of any real content.
The worst horror is that the dark ending suggests a franchise in the making. Let's hope that next time all the excellent production values will be put to less sensationalist use.
While it is good to see that the British, excusing the director for a moment, can do this sort of thing as well as the Americans, it would be nice to think that we could do it a little better than some of them.
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Watched this movie tonight and have to say is one of the most disapointing sequels I have ever watched. The movie starts off excellently with action right from the get go and it doesn't stop until the end but the holes in the script were just too much for me to make it an enjoyable film.
1) how could a janitor have access to an area that should be inaccessable to anyone bar leading officers? This movie does not say much for Americans at all!
2) although it was a good idea, Wembley Stadium just can't be in this movie. The first movie was made in 2002, with no shots of wembley stadium in london!! This movie was suppose to be based 6 months later so who built the new Wembley? I'm guessing it was infected that were filled with so much rage because the stadium took so long to build that they decided to build it themselves! Just stupid!
Now I could continue but I'm not trying to bad mouth this movie per-say, it had such potential to be a great movie but with too many holes in the script and big holes at that I feel it was a real disappointment!
- Ron John Jr, Portadown
Well I saw this early yesterday afternoon, in the Ritzy in Brixton and had to work out where the nearest exits were and who was sat behind me within the first 2 minutes. I've seen most horror films going and often been disappointed but this just filled me with a sense of dread, hopelessness and despair. You know when you wake up from being chased in a bad nightmare well this captured that feeling and magnified it. Yes a quite a few holes in the plot lines but who cares. I suspended disbelief and felt quite sick at times. Found myself talking out loud saying "****, ****, ****". Just wishing that people could escape the fate they were going to have. Very scary, clever and visually stunning to see my home city portrayed in such a realistic and frightening state. Loved it!
- Adam, London, England
Everyone seems determined to follow Mr. Malcolm's lead by looking for 'any real content' in 28 weeks later. Are you in a trance? It's a zombie film! In my opinion, which I have thought out for myself, this is that rare cinematic anomoly - a sequel that is better than the original. Robert Carlyle gives his usual standout performance, but is well supported by a strong cast. The direction is gripping and the sound is excellent and the plot is simple. Apocalypse Canary Wharf? Not arf!
- Justin Carroll, London, England.
This film takes off from the last one, but with a diffenrnt director.
The start of the film is promising, with a very tense beginning, as a group of survivors are shacked up in a farmhouse in the middle of nowhere. Don (Robert Carlye) and his wife and children are keeping it togther with small rations and looking out for the rage fest zombies, roaming the land. The zombies find their hiding place, then all hell is let loose!
Robert Carlye, shines in the film, with some exellent acting.
The U.S, Nato forces are in London and true to their nature - blast everything that moves!
The film turns into a Zombie, eating, gore fest. The plus side to the film is the deserted streets of London and some stunning ariel shots of our capital city.
I await the 3rd one with interest.
- Steven Kingett, Leyton
I watched this before watching the previous film, 28 days later and to be honest, I was a bit confused. It's certainly not difficult to follow, the characters make some totally stupid decisions just for the benifit of plot advancement but its fast pace and gore make up for most of it's other shortcomings.
Not the worst film showing at the moment and it helped waste a rainy afternoon. Go see the original first though.
- Tobias, Docklands
Morning:
11°c
