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by Jaclyn C. Stevenson

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While the sequel lost some of the raw, psychological terror of its predecessor 28 Days Later, 28 Weeks Later does maintain the same horrific imagery and pulse-quickening pace, and still straddles the line between a gory slasher and a terrifying modern world shocker. Like the first in this franchise, it still begs the question: What if?

Directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, 28 Weeks Later picks up six months after the rage virus has annihilated the British Isles. The U.S. Army has set up shack, leading reconstruction and repopulation of the country, having deemed the infection contained.

Of course, from the moment the lights dim in the theater, we're only waiting for that one variable no one thought of that will bring the maniacal, red-eyed, foam-spewing Infected back to England.

But in the meantime, 28 Weeks Later does throw a few interesting curveballs. It opens before the Rage Virus has completely cleared itself from the country the first time around, giving the audience a soda-spitting reminder of what made the Infected so horrendous. It's a cinematic feat in and of itself to make everyday citizens running across a hillside in broad daylight look terrifying - and the make-up, direction, and slick film editing are still effective.

Also, Robert Carlyle (Trainspotting, The Full Monty, Eragon) takes on a major role in this film, while 28 Days Later relied on virtual unknowns to tell the story of a country ravaged by sickness and its citizens.

Maintaining that reality-based tactic, though, is newcomer Imogen Poots, a teenager still in the midst of her studies, who turns in a performance in the sequel that seems to smack of 'I Knew Her When.'

As the plot moves forward, there are some slow points and some gratuitous scenes of violence - two older couples walked out of the theater during my screening.

But 28 Days Later was known for its quick twists and turns, and for the uncertainty it instilled in us as to whether or not the film's heroines would make it out alive. 28 Weeks Later is pushed ahead by the same uneasiness.

It doesn't reach the same heights as the original, but the sequel does hold its own without falling flat. And like 28 Days, it also leaves us with the same shudder, disturbed that the plot is not so far-fetched as we might like.

Learn more about this author, Jaclyn C. Stevenson.

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