28 Weeks Later

28 Weeks Later
File:28weekslater2 large.jpg
Directed by	Juan Carlos Fresnadillo
Written by	Juan Carlos Fresnadillo Enrique Lopez-Lavigne Rowan Joffe Jesus Olmo
Produced by	Andrew Macdonald Allon Reich Enrique Lopez-Lavigne Danny Boyle Alex Garland
Starring	Robert Carlyle Rose Byrne Jeremy Renner Harold Perrineau Catherine McCormack Idris Elba Imogen Poots Mackintosh Muggleton
Cinematography	Enrique Chediak
Distributed by	Fox Atomic
Release date	11 May 2007
Running time	99 min.
Language	English

28 Weeks Later is a 2007 British post-apocalyptic science fiction / horror film and sequel to Danny Boyle’s 2002 film 28 Days Later. The film is directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo and it was released in the United Kingdom and North America on 11 May 2007.

Plot

The film opens with husband and wife Don and Alice hiding in a boarded-up cottage in the countryside with four others as the Rage infection spreads across the mainland of Great Britain. Although they initially seem to be safe, the cottage is soon attacked by the Infected and the inhabitants become separated. Don finds his wife cornered by an Infected individual in a bedroom, pleading for his help. However, rather than put himself at risk by intervening, Don shuts the door on her and flees the cottage, escaping on a motorboat on a nearby river.

Twenty-eight weeks after the outbreak and six months after the last of the Infected starved to death, a U.S.-led NATO operation commanded by U.S. Army Brigadier General Stone begins to repopulate the country, starting with the Isle of Dogs in London, known as District 1. Among the survivors flown in from European refugee camps are Don's children, teenage Tammy and twelve-year-old Andy, who are reunited with their father. Escaping from District 1 to visit their old family home, Tammy and Andy discover that their mother is still alive. Medical checks conducted by army doctor Scarlett confirm that Alice is infected but does not show any symptoms. Scarlett believes that Tammy and Andy may have inherited their mother's genetic immunity to the Rage virus.

During an unauthorised visit, Don kisses Alice and becomes infected from her saliva. He violently kills her then attacks several soldiers, spreading the infection. Stone orders the execution of Code Red, a prepared plan to deal with another outbreak, and snipers attempt to shoot the Infected without harming any uninfected civilians. However, the situation soon spirals out of control and Stone orders the army to kill everyone. One sniper, Sergeant Doyle, is uncomfortable with these orders and abandons his post, joining a group of survivors including Scarlett, Tammy and Andy. Attempting to lead the group to safety, Doyle is contacted by helicopter pilot Flynn, who arranges to meet him at Regent's Park. Doyle's group make it out of District 1 just before the U.S. Air Force firebombs the entire area, incinerating the Infected and civilians alike. However, some other survivors and Infected, including Don, also manage to escape into wider London.

At Regent's Park, Flynn, who was expecting to meet only Doyle, refuses to evacuate the other survivors and tells Doyle to meet him alone at Wembley Stadium in north London. Running from the Infected through the streets of central London, Doyle, Scarlett, Tammy and Andy take refuge in an abandoned Volvo V70 when they are confronted by a cloud of poison gas released by the army. When Scarlett cannot start the car, Doyle sacrifices himself to push-start the vehicle and is killed by flamethrower-wielding NBC soldiers. Following a helicopter attack on the car as it travels through Westminster, Scarlett, Tammy and Andy take refuge in Charing Cross tube station. In the darkness, Scarlett is killed by the infected Don, who then attacks and bites Andy. Tammy shoots and kills her father and discovers that while Andy is now infected, he is a carrier like his mother and shows no symptoms.

Reaching Wembley Stadium, Tammy and Andy are rescued by Flynn, who uses his helicopter to fly them over London, past the White Cliffs of Dover and across the English Channel towards France.

In an epilogue captioned "28 Days Later", Flynn's helicopter is shown abandoned. Flynn's radio can be overheard with a man desperately calling for help in a French accent. The film ends depicting a swarm of infected running across the terrace of the Palais de Chaillot towards the Eiffel Tower, indicating that the infection has managed to cross the Channel to Continental Europe.

Cast

• Robert Carlyle as Don
• Jeremy Renner as Sergeant Doyle
• Rose Byrne as Major Scarlett Ross
• Idris Elba as General Stone
• Catherine McCormack as Alice
• Harold Perrineau as Flynn
• Imogen Poots as Tammy
• Mackintosh Muggleton as Andy
• Shahid Ahmed as Jacob
• Emily Beecham as Karen
• Garfield Morgan as Geoff
• Meghan Popiel as Soldier DLR Train
• Philip Scott as Jason
• Amanda Walker as Sally
• Jon Beniston as Private Ford
• Tim Shields as Corporal Long

Production

In March 2005, 28 Days Later's director, Danny Boyle, said in an interview that he would not direct the sequel, but he would serve as executive producer. Juan Carlos Fresnadillo was instead attached to direct 28 Weeks Later. On 1 September 2006, the studio announced that principal photography for 28 Weeks Later began in London. On 3 December 2006, second unit filming finished near the IMAX cinema in London.

Casting details

28 Days Later director Danny Boyle said in March 2005 that the sequel would feature a new cast, since previous cast members Cillian Murphy and Naomie Harris were occupied with their own projects. On 23 August 2006, Jeremy Renner was announced to portray Sgt. Doyle, one of the principal characters for 28 Weeks Later. On 31 August 2006, Harold Perrineau was announced to portray a U.S. special forces pilot for the film.

Promotion

Trailers

Cinema Trailers began in the UK in the Week Commencing 9 April 2007 with Muse's Shrinking Universe used in the background.

Biohazard Warning

On Friday 13 April 2007, 28 days before the release of the film in UK cinemas, a huge biohazard warning sign was projected against the White Cliffs of Dover. The sign contained the international biological hazard symbol, as well as stating that Britain was "contaminated, keep out!"

Graphic novel

In July 2006, Fox Atomic Comics and publisher HarperCollins announced that they were publishing a graphic novel titled 28 Days Later: The Aftermath in early 2007 to bridge the gap between 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later.

Release

Prior to the film's opening the MPAA gave 28 Weeks Later an R for strong violence and gore, language and some nudity. The film has been rated "(18)" in the UK. The film has opened in 2,000 theatres across the United States.

Reception

28 Weeks Later garnered generally positive reviews. The film has been praised for being "exciting, action-packed and superbly directed thriller that more than lives up to the original film" and "28 Weeks Later is brutal and almost exhaustingly terrifying. It is also bracingly smart, both in its ideas and in its techniques". The film has generated a rating of 69% on Rotten Tomatoes with 84 positive reviews and 36 negative reviews. The film made 10 million in its opening weekend, coming in second place at the box-office, well behind Spider-Man 3.

External links

• Official Site
• 28 Weeks Later at IMDb
• 28 Weeks Later Trailer at Apple.com
• 28 Weeks Later at FoxAtomic.com Official Movie Website
• Production photos at Yahoo!