| Overall Grade: |
C- |
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| Story: |
D+ |
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| Acting: |
C |
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| Direction: |
C- |
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| Visuals: |
B- |
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28 Reasons to wait for the DVD...
by Willstradamus (movies profile)
Apr 21, 2008
20
of
26 people found this review helpful
In all honesty I didn't leave the theater totally feeling I had just waisted 91 minutes of my life. The film was okay and even scary(ish) at times. But then again the story-line had more holes in it than Sonny Corleone's body on the causeway and the movie fell apart like a fat-man sitting in a termite-infested rocking chair.
To their credit, I appreciate the fact that the producers did not try to capitalize on the success of 28 Days Later by releasing a quick, watered-down sequel for the sake of the almighty Euro. They went so far as to try and create a totally different story-line. They even mixed in children for a sentimental/emotional tug on the audience's collective hearts. However, anytime you mix children in the equation (for a so-called Horror Flick), you're walking a thin-line between love & hate.
Audiences generally don't like children who are brash, hard-headed and don't listen. And after causing most of the problems, they usually end up crying for their "mommies & daddies" when things go wrong.
Such is the case for 28 Weeks Later. Not to spoil the movie, but I bet if the children had just asked their father if he had a picture of their mother(maybe in his wallet), a lot of (movie) lives would have been saved. But I guess there wouldn't be a reason to finish filming. I spent the remainder of the film hoping the children would get their comeuppance (we don't know if they eventually did or not). I know everyone else (in the movie) suffered from their actions.
The other main characters (strong and smart in the beginning) became weaker and dumber as the scenes rolled by. They seemed very much out of character. I was expecting them to remain strong and intelligent...at least until their demise. But Doyle and the Doctor clearly must have been "huffin' paint" in-between their scenes.
Now I wish I had waited until the DVD came out so I could pause the movie and ask my viewing group, "What the Hell was that?" or, "Why did/didn't they do that?" Being a Netflix subscriber, I could have paid A LOT less to see the movie (I expect it to be on DVD no later than August or September '07).
Obviously, the sequel did not live up to my expectations. I had been looking forward to this film for quite some time. I just wish the producers had spent more time filling in the holes in story-line than they did filling in squibs with fake blood (there was plenty of that). If a third installment comes out, I sincerely hope the producers learn from their mistakes and return to the format they used for the first film.
I'm now going to ask some questions I had about the movie to those of us who have already seen it.
If you haven't seen the movie yet and don't want to know what happens, please stop reading now.
If you have, can you please explain to me:
Why didn't Doyle send a few volleys in front of the children as they tried to sneak away? Surely it would have scared them and drawn attention to the other soldiers.
What took NATO so long to track them down and how did they know where the children were going?
How come NATO let a field doctor do tests on the mother's blood? When they found out how special she was, why didn't they airlift her out of there?
Why did the doctor let the children lead the way down the escalator (in the dark) when she had the night-vision scope?
How come the father became a "Smart" rage-mutant? He didn't have the genetics to alter the mutation...the mother did.
How come HE was given access to all levels? Was he British Military?
How come he popped in and out of scenes? Why didn't he attack like all the other rage-mutants did?
How did he know how to hide from the fire?
How did he know how to use his swipe key to find his way out?
Where did all those other rage-mutants come from?
Why didn't NATO have tanks with flame-throwers and barricades just in case of an outbreak?
Why didn't anyone have grenades?
How come Doyle didn't have a small-arms weapon (he could have given the doctor).
If the doctor was military, why did she have a hard time with the rifle? (I thought ALL military personnel were trained to use fireamrs)
What happened to the General and the rest of his unit?
If her blood was so important, how come there weren't any guards for the mother?
How did security let rage-mutuants rush them if they had locked & loaded automatic weapons?
Enough of my questions...I don't want to ruin the DVD for those planning on buying it in August or September. |
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