Twenty Eight Weeks Later

Bloody life

Director: Juan Carlos Fresnadillo

Cast: Robert Carlyle, Catherine McCormack, Rose Byrne, Jeremy Renner, Mackintosh Muggleton, Imogen Poots, Idris Elba

Ah, those moral dilemmas in life. You know you are supposed to put family before self and country before family and all that jazz. Sort of mine not to question why, but to do or die.

In principle. But in reality you are more likely to be tempted to run for your own life, and hang the morals. That is just what Don Harris (Robert Carlyle) does in 28 weeks later, when he escapes, leaving his wife Alice (Catherine McCormack) to face the attacking humans stricken by the strange virus which demands a bite of human flesh and all the blood that can be sucked.

And the stage is set for a nice sequel to 28 days later. Having shown the vurlence in the first film, with the indomitable human spirit, it is now time for some reality check on marriage and morals.Don is alive and well in the supposedly virus-free Green Zone, and when his daughter Tammy (Imogen Poots) and son Andy (Mackintosh Muggleton)join him they are one happy family, and Don suppresses his conscience and blatantly pronounces his wife as dead. (Brilliant performance there by Carlyle, especially when Tammy accuses him later of telling that he watched their mother die, and he says `thats not what I said ) .

He pays the price for his moral quibbling when the kids lead the American-lead NATO forces to their home (not in the Green Zone) and the mother is found to be alive. How much is love worth when the urge to save ones own skin supercedes all other emotions? It is Alices turn to take moral stock and it is blood on the streets all over again. The virus is alive and kicking for more fresh blood.

In the era of Geroge Bush, can American-lead NATO forces be anything but morally bound to duty? There is not a single derelict soldier on duty, and when themedical officer Scarlet (Rose Byrne)worries about the youngsters in the camp,and not being medically ready, Gen Stone (Idris Elba) assures her thatCode Red would take care ofthe iffy situations.

The forces do just that, with wooden faces all around, and although there is plenty of gore, blood anda flesh-strewn landscape that Vampire would fall in love with, to me the creepiest scene is when Tammy goes into the pizza place to `borrow the scooter keys from the dead delivery boy and when Andy comes face to face with his mom. And again with his dad now fully infected..

And the tantalizing last shot , ``This one is for dad tells you that part 3 of the series will be along soon.