28 weeks later

So yesterday I decided to go see 28 weeks later, and I got it in my head that I wanted to see it @ a drive-in. So I went to Poughkeepsie last night, it was a nice ride (Though I do have to admit the Taconic Parkway is kind of scary @ 1:30 in the morning. At one point deer attempted to scare the crap out of me by eating grass or whatever on the shoulder of the road.) I think it's the longest I've ever driven for a movie. I just love the drive-in, to tell the truth. When I was a kid we used to go to the drive-in in Chicago and see all sorts of stuff. I remember yelling "get the bastard" during the end of Aliens when Ripley comes out with that big yellow loader contraption. Got my mouth washed out with joy dish soap for that one. A movie we went to see cause the white sox game sold out because a young pitcher by the name of Roger Clemens was starting that night. I used to sit with my brother on the top of our van with a gigantic brown paper bag full of homemade popcorn. I remember seeing David Bowie in Labyrinth out at a drive-in in Nevada. I remember one of the oddest double features I ever saw, ET and Animal House. Nothing like some boobs and beer to go with your cute little alien.

Which sort of brings me to last night. With that perfect double feature of... Firehouse Dog and 28 Weeks Later? Didn't get there in time for Firehouse Dog, I'm sure it's brilliant though. 28 Weeks Later was an hour and a half, completely engrossing, shocking, scaring, gross-out festival of zombie wonderfulness. Though lacking the humor present in most Romero zombie films, this film is superior to Romero's films in every other way. The violence was not humorous, no close-ups of belly rings being torn out, or intestines played with by shambling creatures. The most violent scene was actually very much so in keeping with the first film, reproducing one of the more grisly shots in recent memory.

Now all zombie movies, probably due to Romero's influence, generally attempt some form of social commentary (Even Shawn of the Dead's normal humans walking around zombified was sort of a nod to Romero social conscience). This film addresses both the political war on terror, while also taking a look at the motivation of human beings. The film opens with Robert Carlyle coming into contact with the infected and surviving though not before ditching his wife to save himself. Racked by guilt and fear he attempts to explain this to his children when they return from holiday (sent on a school trip a couple days "before") to an empty england. A US led force has attempted to start rebuilding England, as the infected have died off, and the country is ready to be repopulated. I wont describe the story line much more than this because quite frankly the movie is shocking and twists and turns down some roads you may suspect, but down others you will not expect. The ending I expected, but I still love the shot, cause it's exactly what I wanted to see.

If you enjoy horror in the least go see this, cause it is quite possibly the best of it's kind.