--- title: "28 Weeks Later: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/28-weeks-later/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/28-weeks-later" critics_score: 75 critics_reviews: 13 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # 28 Weeks Later (2007): what the critics said Critics' score 75 from 13 reviews: 11 positive, 1 mixed, 1 negative. Most critics like it, and the reviews agree on why: Fresnadillo keeps the grim tone and the frantic documentary-style camerawork of the original while working on a larger scale, and the deserted London locations do much of the frightening. The praise clusters on the set-pieces, the outbreak and chase sequences in particular, which several reviews call relentless and terrifying, and on the film’s willingness to read as an allegory of occupation, with the military presence making the crisis worse rather than better. The spread is fairly wide for a film this well liked. A minority finds the plotting careless: Time Out thinks the script relies on too many fudges and neglects the moral complexity of its key characters, and The Guardian, the one outright dissent, calls a credibility-breaking glitch around thirty minutes in fatal and finds the whole thing frequently boring after a strong opening. Even admirers concede it is less fresh and less heartfelt than its predecessor. ## The Hollywood Reporter Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 10 May 2007. The critic calls it a ferociously entertaining thriller with sympathetic characters, stunning set pieces and pulsating excitement. It ups the ante on the rage virus story with explosive box-office potential. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/28-weeks-157946/) ## The AV Club — Scott Tobias Rating B+. 11 May 2007. Fresnadillo directs with assured intensity that blurs genre entertainment and real catastrophe, maintaining the original's scrappy feel while escalating chaos and tension through relentless infected and societal breakdown. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/28-weeks-later-1798202611) ## Empire — Kim Newman Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 27 April 2007. The sequel extends the story in intelligent, suspenseful ways with bigger action and more amazing deserted London sequences, though it is not quite as fresh or heartfelt as the original. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/28-weeks-later-review/) ## Radio Times — Alan Jones Rating 4/5. Fresnadillo's sequel retains the grim tone and sense of dread but on a more epic scale, with frantic documentary-style camerawork placing viewers at the heart of the horror. It expertly orchestrates galvanising gory action with clear parallels to Iraq in the spectacle of occupying forces exacerbating the crisis. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-sedms4/28-weeks-later/) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 9 May 2007. Superior genre fare directed and performed with gusto, it is atmospheric and creepy with excellent use of London locations and bloodcurdling chase sequences that keep the tempo high. It is an exhilarating ride despite occasional shifts in tone and improbabilities. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/28-weeks-later/4032266.article) ## Slant Magazine — Jeremiah Kipp Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 9 May 2007. The film delivers unrelenting apocalyptic doom and nihilism, critiquing the War on Terror through self-destructive authority and decimated characters while adopting a larger epic scope than its predecessor. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/28-weeks-later/) ## The New York Times — A.O. Scott Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 11 May 2007. The critic describes the film as brutal and almost exhaustingly terrifying yet also bracingly smart in its ideas and techniques, with a signature blend of grisly horror, emotional impact, and biting satire that comes close to George Romero's work. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/11/arts/11iht-flik12.1.5665305.html) ## Total Film Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 11 May 2007. A frantic follow-up that delivers jolts, gore and just enough character to care about, with intense action sequences and eerie empty London landmarks standing out. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/28-weeks-later-review/) ## Los Angeles Times — Carina Chocano Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 11 May 2007. The review portrays the film as the grisly anatomy of a quagmire laden with references to large-scale fiascos, grimmer and grislier than its predecessor, with an allegorical message that chaos breeds chaos and force amplifies it, while remaining compelling and adrenaline-fueled viewing. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-may-11-et-weeks11-story.html) ## Time Out — Ben Walters Rating 3/5. 8 May 2007. The film offers impressively mounted set-pieces that build real tension, but the plot relies on too many fudges and neglects the moral complexity of key characters. It maintains the first film's eerie score and skittery camerawork while putting London locations to cannily distressing use. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/28-weeks-later) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 11 May 2007. The critic finds the film disappointing after a terrific beginning, with a stupid plot glitch around 30 minutes in that undermines credibility, and despite some spectacular moments it fails to disguise that there isn't much mileage left in the zombie concept, often becoming boring. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2007/may/11/horror.actionandadventure) ## Digital Spy — Ben Rawson-Jones Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 10 May 2007. The film is a superb, terrifying and allegorical sequel that devours the notion horror sequels are inferior, delivering visceral thrills and moral complexities. It stands out for its relentless, gruesome outbreak sequences and an emotionally gripping, uncomfortable exploration of survival dilemmas. [Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a46322/28-weeks-later/) ## Eye for Film — Anton Bitel Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 8 May 2007. The critic finds the sequel makes for scorching horror with a perfect blend of well-drawn characters, political allegory, grand guignol, flesh-crawling tension and very fast-moving zombies. It leaves no margin for optimism in its bleak portrayal of a world order where normal values become irrelevant under extreme circumstances. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/28-weeks-later-film-review-by-anton-bitel) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/28-weeks-later.md