- "They were really fast, you know? Chased us. Chased your mum. And we were trapped. Trapped in the bedroom. I... I seen them... biting. I couldn't do anything. I tried to go back. She was already gone."
- ―Donald Harris
| 28 Weeks Later | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Credits | |
| Title: | 28 Weeks Later |
| Directed by: | Juan Carlos Fresnadillo |
| Written by: | Rowan Joffé; Juan Carlos Fresnadillo; Enrique López Lavigne; Jesús Olmo |
| Produced by: | Danny Boyle; Alex Garland; Enrique López Lavigne; Andrew Macdonald; Allon Reich; Bernard Bellew |
| Music by: | John Murphy |
| Cinematography: | Enrique Chediak |
| Edited by: | Chris Gill |
| Production | |
| Distributors: | Fox Atomic; Fox Searchlight Pictures; DNA Films |
| Released: | April 26th, 2007 |
| Rating: | R |
| Running time: | 99 min. |
| Country: | UK |
| Language: | English |
| Budget: | 15,000,000 |
| Gross: | $64,227,835 |
| Navigation | |
| Previous: | 28 Days Later |
| Next: | — |
28 Weeks Later is a 2007 horror film directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo and is a sequel to the 2002 Danny Boyle film 28 Days Later. The film premiered in London, England on April 26th, 2007. It was released theatrically in the United States on May 11th. Critically, the film has received favorable reviews with high recommendations from noteworthy sources including Variety, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Hollywood Reporter. [1] The film review website Rotten Tomatoes gave 28 Weeks Later a 72% fresh rating among their site-approved film critics. [2] Despite its slightly misleading title, the plot of the film takes place five years following the events of 28 Days Later. A man named Don, escapes from a horde of infected that raid the house he was living at, leaving behind his wife to be consumed by the bloodthirsty maniacs. Five years later, the military have successfully cleansed the city of infected and have begun reconstruction efforts. Don reunites with his children and has to tell them the grim truth about how their mother died. He is shocked to discover that his wife is still alive and what's more, she is a carrier of the "rage" virus. The nightmare continues.
Plot[]
The infected attack.
Four people are residing in a small cottage in the English countryside: the homeowners Geoff and Sally, two younger people named Jacob and Karen and Don and Alice Harris. Though living is cramped and uncomfortable, they have been able to survive free of the infected savages that have overwhelmed most of Great Britain. During dinner they hear a knock at the door. They are reluctant to answer it until they find out that it is a young boy fleeing from his infected parents. They let the child into the house and give him food, but moments later, a horde of infected attack the cottage and break in. Karen is the first to fall and she quickly becomes one of the infected. Geoff tries to save Sally while Jacob manages to get outside. Alice tries to protect the boy, but more of the infected pour into the house. Don panics and flees out the kitchen window, leaving his wife behind screaming his name. He runs down to the dock as the infected begin to pursue him. He finds Jacob in a motor boat and climbs aboard. The infected surround them and Jacob falls prey to the disease. Don turns the boat around and rides off.
Time passes and the infected inhabiting the city of London slowly begin to starve and die off. A joint US-NATO task force comes in and cleans the city of the bodies. Reconstruction efforts begin and some twenty-eight weeks later, the quarantine over central London is lifted. There are still many neighborhoods which are contaminated and are considered restricted. The viral-free zone is referred to as District One.
Don Harris works as a high-ranking section officer of District One. He is in charge of the various utility projects and lives in a high-rise apartment in the city. As civilians are allowed back into the city, Don is reunited with his children Tammy and Andy. When asked about their mother, Don is tearfully forced to tell them the details of how she died, but neglects to mention that he fled from the house without even trying to save her. The children want to revisit their old home, but their father warns them that it is in the restricted area and they cannot go back.
The following day, Tammy and Andy take it upon themselves to disregard their father's warning and go to the restricted area of the city. Snipers are perched on rooftops all throughout London and they easily spot the kids sneaking past the barricades. A soldier named Sergeant Doyle communicates with a helicopter pilot named Flynn and tells him about the "lost puppies".
Another victim
Tammy and Andy find an abandoned scooter and ride back to their old house. While going through various mementos, Andy goes upstairs into the attic. There he finds his mother Alice, alive and well, but extremely malnourished. Alice rushes over to him and embraces her son. The military arrive and all three are taken back to a medical center.
Alice is put through an arduous decontamination process and taken to a hospital room. A medical officer named Scarlet determines that she is infected, but otherwise appears to be immune to the symptoms commonly associated with the "rage" virus. Despite this however, she is still a carrier and must be kept locked away.
When Don hears the news, he comes over to the medical center. Tammy and Andy want to know why he told them that he watched their mother die when clearly she is very much alive. Don tries to divert the discussion, stressing the importance of the fact that she is alive.
With his high-level clearance, Don is able to bypass the security protocols and gain access to Alice's room. Alice kisses him and transmits the virus to him. Within twenty seconds, Don is consumed by the viral rage and bludgeons his wife to death with his fists. He then goes on a rampage through the facility, spreading the infection to several staff members. The outbreak begins anew.
Cutting out the infection
Dozens of infected citizens begin pouring into the streets, spreading the disease even further. The snipers begin picking off those who are obviously infected, but before long, the order comes down that they are not to employ select targeting and that they are to shoot any person they see - infected or not. One soldier, Sergeant Doyle, has a moral objection to the order and abandons his post. Scarlet finds Tammy and Andy and tries to get them out of the danger zone. As the infection spreads, General Stone orders the Code Red initiative, which includes firebombing parts of the city. District One is decimated, but large numbers of the infected, including Don, escape from the bombardment. Scarlet informs Sergeant Doyle that the children may hold the key to a cure, and must be protected at all costs. A helicopter pilot named Flynn arrives to pick up Doyle, but refuses to take anyone else. He tells them that he risks being shot down for transporting possible infected. Doyle ignores Flynn's instructions and begins escorting the civilians to Wembley Stadium where Flynn is scheduled to pick him up.
Aftermath
When General Stone learns that the firebombing has not completely wiped out the infected, he instructs his men to use chemical warfare. Soldiers begin dispensing nerve gas into the streets of London.
Sergeant Doyle, Scarlet, Andy and Tammy break into an abandoned car to escape the nerve gas. In the process of push-starting the car, Doyle is burned to death by flame throwers from his fellow soldiers. Now pursued by helicopter, Scarlet drives into an underground transit tunnel where the children and she continue on foot. In the darkness, Don Harris emerges and brutalizes Scarlet until she is dead. Don then attacks and bites Andy, but Tammy shoots him before he can kill the child. Like his mother, Andy is immune to the symptoms of the infection and suffers no ill effects from the bite other than pain. The children continue to Wembley Stadium and are picked up by a reluctant Flynn, who flies them across the English Channel to France, as previously instructed by Doyle.
Twenty-eight days pass. Calls for help and screams can be heard over the radio of Flynn's now abandoned helicopter. A swarm of infected are shown sprinting through a subway exit. As they run into the open, the Eiffel Tower comes into view, revealing that the "rage" virus has spread to Paris, France.
Cast[]
Notes & Trivia[]
- 28 Weeks Later is rated R for strong violence and gore, language and some sexuality/nudity.
- Has been made available in both full-screen and widescreen DVD editions and was included in a two-pack with 28 Days Later.
- Filming for 28 Weeks Later began on September 1st, 2006.
Characters[]
In alphabetical order
- Alice
- Alice Harris was the wife of Donald and the mother of Andy and Tammy. She was left to die in the English cottage by her husband after it had been attacked by a horde of infected. Alice was bitten, but possessed a natural immunity to the virus and survived. Now a carrier, she resurfaced 28 weeks later and was brought to a medical facility in London. She transmitted the virus to her husband who went into a rage and bludgeoned her to death with his fists.
- Andy
- Andy was the young son of Alice and Donald Harris. Like his mother, Andy was immune to the "rage" virus. His sister and he escaped from a London medical center after his father succumbed to the virus and they were protected by Sergeant Doyle and a medical officer named Scarlet. Donald tracked his son down to an underground transit tube and bit him, thus transmitting the virus. Although immune, Andy was now a carrier.
- Don Harris
- Don Harris was the husband of Alice and the father of Andy and Tammy. While living with his wife and four other people in a small cottage, Don was attacked when a group of infected broke into the home. He cowardly fled from the building leaving his wife behind to be overwhelmed by the infected. Alice survived however and was now a carrier for the virus. She reunited with Don 28 weeks later and transmitted the virus to him. Infected, Don flew into a frenzy and murdered Alice as well as several security guards and soldiers. He was responsible for instigating the second viral outbreak in London, thus prompting military leader General Stone to firebomb the city. Don tracked his children down to an underground transit tube and killed a medical officer named Scarlet. He also attacked and bit Andy. Like his mother, Andy was immune to the infection. Tammy picked up Scarlet's rifle and tearfully gunned her father down.
- Flynn
- Flynn was a helicopter pilot and a close friend of Sergeant Doyle. When the military began firebombing London, Flynn agreed to air-lift Doyle out of the danger zone. Doyle had several survivors with him, but Flynn refused to take them, fearing that they might be carriers of the "rage" plague. When a swarm of infected approached the landing site, Flynn used the helicopter's rotor blades to slice through them. He later air-lifted Tammy and Andy Harris to a safety zone.
- Geoff
- Geoff and his wife Sally owned a small cottage in the English countryside. Following the initial outbreak, they provided shelter to several survivors including Alice and Don Harris and two others named Jacob and Karen. A group of infected attacked the cottage and Geoff tried to save his wife, but was unable. He was either killed or infected by the invaders.
- General Stone
- General Stone was a member of the US Army Rangers assigned to a joint US-NATO task force charged with the repatriation of Great Britain following the last days of the quarantine. When a second outbreak occurred, Stone was forced to initiate the Code Red contingency strategy, which involved firebombing the entire city.
- Jacob
- Jacob was one of six people living in a small cottage in the early days of the viral outbreak. When the infected attacked the cottage, Jacob and Don Harris managed to make it outside to a motorboat. Donald survived, but Jacob was infected as they tried to escape. Once he turned, he tried to kill Don.
- Karen
- Karen was one of six people living in a small cottage in the early days of the viral outbreak. She desperately believed that her lover was still alive and would be returning home soon. When a group of infected attacked the cottage, Karen was the first victim. An infected bit her on the arm and she quickly turned. Don Harris killed her by bludgeoning her with a tire iron.
- Sally
- Sally and her husband Geoff owned a small cottage in the English countryside. Following the initial outbreak, they provided shelter to several survivors including Alice and Don Harris and two others named Jacob and Karen. A group of infected attacked the cottage and Sally was killed.
- Sam
- Sam was a survivor living in London. He met up with Sgt. Doyle and Scarlet as well as Tammy and Andy Harris and joined their group for a brief time. Sgt. Doyle led them to a clearing where his colleague Flynn was supposed to pick them up with his helicopter. The area was infested with rampaging plague victims however, and Flynn was not able to set his chopper down. Sam tried to climb onto the vehicle's landing strut, but was overwhelmed by infected and died soon after.
- Scarlet
- Scarlet was a medical officer in the military and part of a US-NATO task force charged with maintaining the quarantine over Great Britain. She was the first to determine that Alice Harris was immune to the symptoms of the "rage" virus, though she was a carrier for the disease itself. Scarlet later joined with a sniper named Sergeant Doyle to help Alice's surviving children Tammy and Andy escape the city during its second infection outbreak. After Sgt. Doyle was killed by his fellow soldiers, Scarlet brought the kids down into a dark transit tube. Their infected father, Don Harris, tracked them down and murdered Scarlet.
- Sergeant Doyle
- Sergeant Doyle was a sniper and a member of the US-NATO task force charged with maintaining the quarantine over Great Britain. He was close friends with a helicopter pilot named Flynn. When an outbreak occurred in 2007, Doyle and his team began picking off infected victims that they found exiting a medical center. When the order came down to ignore select targeting, Doyle could no longer maintain his position. He refused to open fire on those who were not infected. Abandoning his post, he went down to the streets where he met Tammy and Andy Harris and a military physician named Scarlet. Doyle knew that General Stone was going to initiate the Code Red contingency plan, which involved firebombing the city and tried to help the kids escape from the affected areas. Contacting Flynn, he arranged to meet with him at a cleared area so he could get the kids to a shelter. A swarm of infected emerged at the zone and they were unable to get onto the chopper. Doyle took them back into the city, but by this point, the military began using chemical weapons to ferret out the infected. A group of soldiers armed with flame throwers cornered Doyle and the others as they were trying to escape. Doyle heroically allowed himself to be killed by the soldiers so that the others would have enough time to get underground.
- Tammy
- Tammy was the daughter and oldest child of Don and Alice Harris. When the quarantine over Great Britain was lifted, her brother Andy and she were allowed back into the city of London where they reunited with their father. Tammy took it upon herself to bring Andy into the restricted area of the city to the old house where the once lived. There they discovered their mother, whom the believed to be dead, was still alive and living in the attic of the house. The military found them and brought all three back to a medical facility. When another outbreak occurred, a military physician named Scarlet helped Tammy and Andy to get out of the danger zone. They were assisted by a soldier named Sergeant Doyle who warned them that the military were going to firebomb the city to cleanse it of the infected. After several close calls, Tammy, Andy and Scarlet eventually made their way to an underground transit tunnel. Their father, now infected, tracked them down and killed Scarlet. He also attacked Andy, biting him, but fortunately, Andy was immune to the infection. Tammy picked up Scarlet's rifle and used it to gun her father down.
Deleted scenes[]
- There were two deleted scenes from the film, both of which involved the character of Andy. The first, called "The Canteen", took place when the children first arrived in London and involved a cafeteria scene where Andy first meets Scarlet. While a seemingly unimportant scene, it does establish why Andy knows Scarlet's name when he encounters again later in the film. The second deleted scene, called "Andy's Dream", takes place towards the end of the film after Andy is trapped in the transit tube. He dreams of seeing his mother Alice, alive and well, on a subway car.
See also[]
External Links[]
References[]
Keywords[]
Decapitation • Dismemberment • Eye injuries • Female partial nudity • Head injuries • Profanity • Pseudo-Zombies • Viruses