28 Weeks Later: B (R)

It is difficult to review "28 Weeks Later" without comparing it to its prequel, "28 Days Later" (2002), along with "Land of the Dead" (2005) and the remake of "Dawn of the Dead," which not only gave the zombies speed but revived the nearly trite genre. While the film would stand fairly well on its own, as a sequel it fails to live up to director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Boyle's riveting film. \nThis time around, Juam Carlos Fresnadillo steps in as director. Handpicked by Danny Boyle, Fresnadillo picks up right where Boyle left off, using gritty film, jarring camera work and excessive amounts of blood. \nThe storyline picks up six months after all the zombies of "Days" have died off. The quarantine of Britain has been lifted and citizens gradually re-enter the desolate city. This time, however, Britain is prepared for possible resurgence of the virus that initiated nationwide carnage. The U.S. Army has assumed command of the country, and snipers lurk on every building top waiting for the first sign of unrest. \nThe plot centers on the reunion of Don (Robert Carlyle) and his two children, Andy (Mackintosh Muggleton) and Tammy (Imogen Poots), who have returned to Britain after a stint in a refugee camp. The children soon learn the mysterious fate of their mother, who becomes a key player in the remainder of the film. Needless to say, the zombies do return, followed by an onslaught of sniper bullets. \nA scene in which American soldiers fire into a crowd at random is eerily reminiscent of the Kent State University massacre in 1970, magnified many times over. While the film may appear grotesque on the surface level, the violence is not simply for shock value. It speaks to the political state of the world and will make you question the government's implicit power to kill at will for the greater good. \nFresnadillo delivers an exciting flick, but while the overall look of the film is excellent, the action sequences are cut so fast that they appear disjointed. The visual confusion makes it difficult to understand exactly what occurs during the action scenes. Regardless, the film is not without its abundance of bloody and fiery gore. I don't remember the zombies forcing anyone's eyeballs into their sockets in the prequel.