28 Weeks Later

I avoided 28 Weeks Later when it came out in theaters and only watched it this weekend so that I could catch up in time for 28 Years Later. 

I have a touch and go relationship with horror. I’ve probably never seen anything that might be labeled as torture porn. No Saws or Terrifiers or whatever. There’s a level of cruelty that’s part of the inherent structure of those things that I do not enjoy. 

Or another way to put it is that I am a huge Stephen King fan and I am never going to read or watch Pet Cemetary. 

I’m out. 

28 Weeks Later has a cruel but wickedly fun opening that gave me hope for the rest of the movie. Unfortunately, the rest of the movie was mostly just a collection of miseries and horrible deaths inflected on characters who were mostly noble. 

On the one hand you could argue that this is what happens in war (this one is a war allegory) the bravest and most noble often die horribly. But mostly it felt ugly and violent for the sake of being ugly and violent. 

I do not go to movies to see what I already suspect – that life is often merciless, capricious and pointless. I go to movies to be uplifted. 

However, there is a scene where a helicopter takes on a hoard of zombies that you really should check out. Likewise that solid opening. 

And, at least so far, this film has nothing to do with 28 Years Later and likely will not need revisiting to enjoy it or the upcoming sequels. 

Watch the first one. Jump to the third one. And unless you feel the need for some pointless, ugly violence, skip this altogether.