The thing about 28 Weeks Later is that it isn't the movie they wanted to make. They wanted to make a movie called 28 Minutes Later about the initial Rage epidemic and the subsequent destruction of British society. But for some reason they felt this movie wouldn't fly—so instead they crafted a fairly implausible scenario in which Britain begins to be repopulated by the American military a scant six months after the initial outbreak, establishing that 15,000 British refugees are now living on a rebuilt Isle of Dogs in London in relative comfort, with running water and electricity. The epidemic is over, and they're all perfectly safe, except they aren't, and the whole thing goes to shit again.

Although 28 Weeks Later gropes for a Romeroesque politics with some early references to the Green Zone and other gestures towards the occupation of Iraq, it never really gets there—the film is mostly about running away from zombies. In that respect it's almost precisely as good as the first one. But all the same it feels as though an opportunity to up the ante has been missed.

And yes: they're making a 28 Months Later. Of course they are.