FAQ for
28 Weeks Later (2007) More at IMDbPro »

The following FAQ entries may contain spoilers. Only the biggest ones (if any) will be covered with spoiler tags. Spoiler tags have been used sparingly in order to make the page more readable.

For detailed information about the amounts and types of (a) sex and nudity, (b) violence and gore, (c) profanity, (d) alcohol, drugs, and smoking, and (e) frightening and intense scenes in this movie, consult the IMDb Parents Guide for this movie. The Parents Guide for 28 Weeks Later can be found here.

According to the timeline shown after the opening scene in the village, this film takes place 28 weeks after the initial outbreak in 28 Days Later.... So this film takes place roughly 24 weeks after the main events of the last film.

The idea of what constitutes a zombie has changed over the years through various forms of entertainment, including movies, TV shows, comic books, video games and more, and the definition is hotly debated among zombie fans. Director Danny Boyle and scriptwriter Alex Garland both feel that the movie depicts zombies but in a unique way not seen before. As Boyle has stated, "I feel there was respect for the genre, but I hope that we freshened it up in some way" (Production notes, available here). 28 Days Later is an action/horror film influenced by notions of both post-apocalypticism and zombie culture itself. "The Infected" are not the traditional 'zonbi' of Haitian folklore or the living-dead slaves of old Hollywood monster movies. Nor are they the George A. Romero-styled reanimated corpses that feed on uninfected flesh. But they are still mindless drones who act in numbers, rather than individually. They do not eat, speak, rationalize, form new ideas or even determine how they will make their next move, instead acting purely on base instincts. As such, the viewer is left to decide whether 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later are zombie films or not.

This is never specifically clarified in the film, but the most likely explanation is related to what Sergeant Farrell (Stuart McQuarrie) says in the first film. He hypothesizes that the rumors of infection outside Britain were lies to keep the population controlled. If the people thought that the rest of the world was exactly the same as Britain, they wouldn't try to escape, as it would be pointless to flee to another infected country. However, if they knew that other countries were free of infection, there would be a mass exodus of people, leading to mass panic and rioting at places like airports, docks and train stations (which Mark (Noah Huntley) encountered in the first film). By telling the populace that other countries were also infected, this situation could be kept to a minimum. Additionally, given that the infection becomes active in only a few seconds and is highly visible, the chances of infecting other areas of the globe are virtually non-existent, as no one could 'unknowingly' transmit the disease from one country to another (ie the virus couldnt be transmitted on, say, an airplane, without the pilot realizing that there was an Infected aboard).

On a more practical level, the reason for the ambiguity in relation to the first film is that Danny Boyle and Alex Garland changed their mind mid-shoot as regards the spread of the virus. Initially, they had planned for the virus to be a worldwide epidemic (hence Selena's comments), but they then decided to have it confined to just Britain (hence Farrell's theory).

Whilst never clarified in the film itself, it has been explained in the graphic novel, 28 Days Later: The Aftermath (which begins prior to the events in 28 Days Later as well as bridging the time between 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later), that the infected target their victims through smell. Uninfected individuals smell of perfume, deodorants, soap, etc., while those that are infected would reek of perspiration and dirt. One could conclude that the virus would be counter-productive if an infected individual attacked another infected individual, ergo it has evolved to exclude that possibility. On a more practical level, one could argue that this facet of the Infected is based simply upon the tradition of the earlier zombie films that influenced 28 Days Later, insofar as in such films, zombies are never seen to attack other zombies.

He was most likely infected with Rage. When the Infected storm the farmhouse, overwhelming the handful of survivors, Don (Robert Carlyle) and Alice (Catherine McCormack) make a final retreat upstairs and into one of the bedrooms at the end of the hallway. After Don abandons Alice and the little boy (Beans El-Balawi), we see Alice screaming at Don through the window as he flees the farm. Then, she is suddenly yanked back into the darkness of the room, presumably by an Infected. Now, later on in the film, after Andy (Mackintosh Muggleton) discovers Alice in their old house in London, we see a flash cut of Alice running through a wooded area without the boy. We know she has been bitten by this point, although she is asymptomatic. As such, it is likely that the little boy was himself turned into an Infected by being bitten in the bedroom, and when Alice discovered that even after being bitten she herself was not infected, she simply fled without him. This picture appears to show the boy as an Infected.

Yes it did. There are two possible answers to this question.

1) As has been speculated by some fans, perhaps the Americans don't know the disease originated with apes and, therefore, are unaware that it can in fact jump from species to species (a highly unlikely explanation).

2) More plausibly, when Stone (Idris Elba) says Rage can't jump between species, he is actually referring to Orders. Rage can infect all primates (including humans and apes), but it cannot infect, say, aquatic lifeforms or canines. As such, this makes Stone's claim a simple error of semantics as opposed to creating a major continuity error.

Initially, the soldiers don't know she is infected, so there would be no need to post guards. After Scarlett (Rose Byrne) discovers the bite mark on Alice's arm and tests her blood, it is discovered that she is infected (although asymptomatic) and, most importantly, capable of infecting others. At this time, Stone decides to have her killed. As such, there is no period of time when security would be required. She is not considered to be a threat until after the blood tests, at which time, she is simply to be eliminated.

As Don explains to his children as they approach the hotel, "I run the place". He also shows Tammy (Imogen Poots) his access card and points out to her that he has access to "all areas", hence his ability to enter areas normally off-limits to civilians.

This is left somewhat ambiguous, but it's fair to surmise that Alice survived the farmhouse-attack due to being bitten and then making her way home, unmolested by the Infected due to being an infected but docile carrier (think about Alien³: somehow the alien in that film could sense that Ripley was carrying the alien queen in her body. The same sort of principle applies here). Don, after he is infected, has a personal reason to attack Alice as she is the focus of his "rage" due to his shame and guilt in abandoning her. Although she was Infected too (suggesting that he won't attack her), she is in the room with the person whose anger she is fuelling. As evidence of this, just before he attacks her in the medical lab, there is a flash cut to Don's last sight of Alice as he slams the door shut in the farmhouse, suggesting that he has retained part of his memory even after infection has occurred.

It is also worth noting that writer/director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo and writer/producer Enrique López Lavigne confirm this theory on the DVD commentary, pointing out that the reason Don gouges out Alice's eyes is because he feels so much shame and guilt for abandoning her that he wants to take away her ability to look at him, hence metaphorically removing the shame she projects onto him. As such, the fact that Don attacks Alice whereas other Infected leave her alone is not, as has been suggested, a plot hole, but is actually an indication of a personal component to Don's Rage. Also this explains why he was stalking his children; he was secretly ashamed that he left their mother to die. So he had to destroy them as well.

There is no definitive answer to this question; some people say yes, some say no. Incidents cited in support of the theory that he represents a new type of Rage victim include the flash of memory seen before he kills Alice, hiding from Doyle (Jeremy Renner) and only revealing himself to Andy, hiding behind a wall from the explosions when London is fire-bombed, using the gun to beat Scarlet to death, the second memory flash as he attacks Andy and, especially, his reaction when Tammy calls him "dad". Some fans argue that all of these incidents point to Don being a more evolved form of Infected, retaining some basic memories and acting in a less frenzied manner than the normal Infected. If one subscribes to this argument, it could be hypothesized that the Rage virus itself possibly underwent some kind of genetic modification in Alice's blood (and hence it would do the same in Andy's), and as such, anybody infected by Alice (or Andy) would exhibit the same characteristics as Don. This is pure speculation however, and in any case, not everyone agrees that Don does act any differently than the normal mindless Infected.

There are two schools of thought on this question. Some fans argue that both Tammy and Andy escape because they are carriers, and CWO Flynn (Harold Perrineau) is probably killed in the crash. Another argument is that Andy (an asymptomatic carrier of Rage) infects Flynn, thus causing the crash, and then, either Flynn goes on to infect others, or Andy does so inadvertently. This argument also suggests that Tammy too may have become infected, in contradistinction to the above theory. This is based on the notion that she is not a carrier, because she does not possess the genetic anomaly exhibited by her brother and mother; a theory supported by the fact that she does not have the same eye discolourisation as them.

See here for a detailed overview of all the weaponry used in the film.

The song in the first half is "Want" by Witchman.

The song in the last half is "Shrinking Universe" by Muse.

In the House - In a Heartbeat by the film's composer John Murphy. It was originally used in the climax of 28 Days Later.... On the 28 Weeks Later soundtrack however, it is called Don Abandons Alice.

"Welcome to Britain" by John Murphy.

Both the R2 UK DVD released by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (UK) in 2007 and the R1 US DVD, released by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment in 2007, contain the following special features:

A feature length audio commentary with writer/director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo and writer/producer Enrique López Lavigne.

Two deleted scenes, with optional audio commentary by Fresnadillo and Lavigne (see below for more information on these scenes).

'Code Red: The Making of '28 Weeks Later''; a 13 minute making-of featurette.

'28 Weeks Later: The Infected'; a 7 minute featurette looking at how the actors playing the Infected where prepared for their roles.

'28 Weeks Later: Getting Into the Action'; a 7 minute featurette looking at the choreography of the action set pieces in the film.

'28 Days Later: The Aftermath (Chapter 1)'; a 7 minute animated version of the first chapter from the 28 Days Later: The Aftermath comic book.

'28 Days Later: The Aftermath (Chapter 3) - Decimation'; a 5 minute animated version of the third chapter from the 28 Days Later: The Aftermath comic book.

UK theatrical trailer

There are two deleted scenes on the DVD:

1. 'The Canteen': A scene in the canteen in the apartment complex, where Andy goes and sits down beside Scarlett. Don and Tammy arrive and they are all formally introduced. Scarlet tries to explain that the Rage virus is possibly still alive, but she concedes that it is 'probably' gone.

2. 'Andy's Dream': After Tammy kills Don, and Andy runs away from her, down into the subway, there is a scene where he 'dreams' of getting on a train. He sees his mother in another carriage and begins to run towards her. They meet one another and embrace, but then Andy realizes it is Tammy, not his mother, and they are still in the subway, not on a train.

The soundtrack, composed by John Murphy, was released June 12, 2007. It was originally available only on iTunes, but as of June 2nd, 2009, a CD has been available by La-La Land Records in a limited edtion of 1500 copies, including 5 extra tracks and an interview with Murphy, not available from the iTunes release.

28 Weeks Later Original Soundtrack (iTunes-release) (2007): 1. 28 Theme (3:57), 2. Welcome to Britain (2:25), 3. Helicopter Chase (1:41), 4. Fire-bombing London (2:38), 5. Theme 7 (1:53), 6. Walk to Regents Park (2:54), 7. Kiss of Death (2:53), 8. Don Abandons Alice (2:59), 9. London Deserted (2:24), 10. Go Go Go! (2:10), 11. Theme 2 (2:33), 12. Knock Knock - Cottage Attack (2:30), 13. Night Watch (1:56), 14. Code Red (2:29), 15. Going Home (2:38), 16. Tammy Kills Her Dad (2:20), 17. Crowd Break Out (1:48), 18. Outbreak (3:06), 19. Leaving England (2:36), and 20. End Titles (2:38).

28 Weeks Later Original Soundtrack (La La Land Records-release) 2009: 1. Cottage Attack** (2:35), 2. 28 Theme (3:31), 3. Welcome to Britain (2:25), 4. Firebombing London (2:35), 5. London Deserted (2:23), 6. Kiss of Death (2:52), 7. Scooter Through London* (3:16), 8. Going Home (2:37), 9. Alice is Alive!* (2:23), 10. Don Abandons Alice (2:57), 11. Night Watch (1:56), 12. Go Go Go! (2:10), 13. Code Red (2:30), 14. Walk to Regents Park (2:53), 15. Outbreak (3:06), 16. Crowd Break Out (1:49), 17. The Depot* (3:17), 18. Helicopter Mayhem* (4:27), 19. Andy's Theme** (1:53), 20. Underground* (3:35), 21. Leaving England (2:37), 22. Hymn to England** (2:38), and 23. John Murphy Interview* (13:08).

* Only La La Land-release; **Re-titled track

All music by John Murphy