What began as a Sundance indie film gained a budget, allowing the next installment in the 28 Days Later zombie franchise to find new (un)life. But this is more than a simple horror film, as zombie films have always had a knack for intelligence. 28 Weeks Later's upcoming October DVD release will have plenty of people talking about terror and the real embodiment of evil.
28 Weeks Later is about the repopulation of London after all those infected with the Rage virus have died. But one infected woman survived, immune to the virus, and, of course, the virus reenters the population. The U.S. military, leading the repopulation effort, decided that the threat was out of their control and began killing everyone. In true zombie movie fashion, this film is more about the response to zombie take over rather than the zombie threat itself.
Horror films are truly the last untapped resource for intellectual conversation. They're both entertaining and smart. Horror has always had a very telling take on current events.
The 28 Days Later franchise marked the first mainstream British introduction to an American film genre and, in true zombie movie fashion, it painted a collage of contemporary society fit for discussion. No optimistic portraits of the human spirit are found in these art house zombie flicks, but something much darker. The parallels in 28 Weeks Later to the war on terror are incredibly blatant: U.S. aid in a foreign problem, the U.S. decide to respond to the threat in a non-discriminatory way, and the zombies become a metaphorical characterization of terrorists, as anyone can be(come) one. 28 Weeks Later addresses the issues of collateral damage in the most extreme way: everyone can be infected therefore everyone must be destroyed. While the zombies of George Romero's classic Dawn of the Dead represent mindless American consumers, the zombies of 28 Weeks Later hold more similarities with potential threats to social harmony and the common good.
28 Weeks Later functions as a horror film first, but it goes beyond its obligation. To make such a social statement about world affairs is not foreign to film, but usually remains superficial, lacking an intellectual edge (see The Invasion and Idiocracy to ravel in stupidity camouflaged as intelligence). 28 Weeks Later addresses contemporary issues while remaining a horror film that is enjoyable and jarring. Its political orientation takes the film beyond reel fodder for late night Sci Fi Channel presentations. On the one end, it's scary because it's true, and on the other end, it's just scary. This is film that will give you a jolt and leave you with ethical questions that may have no reasonable answer.
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28 Days Later releases on DVD tommorrow, Tuesday October 9th...
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Tim Posada is a freelance writer living in Southern California who just finished a master's degree in theology from Fuller Theological Seminary. When not pouring coffee for a living or watching 24 or the latest movie, he's normally asleep.
