28 Weeks Later
NZ release: 02 May 2007
Graphic violence & offensive language Rated on: 11 May 2007
What’s it about?
Six months after a virus outbreak in the United Kingdom, the US Army declares the war against the infected won. In an attempt to seal off a small area of London to help the survivors repopulate and start fresh, not everything goes according to plan.
The facts
- Directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo
- Starring Jeremy Renner (The Avengers), Rose Byrne (Bridesmaids), Idris Elba (The Wire), Robert Carlyle (T2 Trainspotting)
- English language
- Runtime: 100 minutes
- Second instalment in the 28 Days Later series
Why did it get this rating?
This film was classified by Te Mana Whakaatu, Classification Office. You can find out more about classification process and ratings here.
28 Days Later is intended to evoke strong reactions and test your tolerance for graphic imagery. If you do not handle horror or zombie themes well, it may be a film to skip or at least approach with caution.
28 Weeks Later is much darker and gorier than its predecessor, 28 Days Later.
Violence
The film contains highly violent and gory scenes throughout the entirety of the film. It contains depictions of violence towards – and the killing of – women, children, and elderly which may be particularly shocking or unsettling for some viewers.
People are frequently infected with a rage-inducing virus that turns their eyes red, causing them to vomit blood and goo, and become maniacal, attempting to kill and infect others. People are bitten, beaten to death, shot, hacked to pieces, limbs are torn off, and disturbing sounds like gnawing, crunching, and tearing of body pieces are clearly heard.
Some of the strongest moments of violence include:
- The opening sequence contains deaths of many innocent characters in brutal ways. This scene is often described as one of the most horrific for viewers due to its high intensity and strong gore.
- A man is seen becoming infected. He foams at the mouth, screams in pain, and eventually attacks a woman – punching her, biting her, and gouging her eyes out with his thumbs very slowly. This scene contains a lot of blood and gore.
- A woman standing near the wall of a house is suddenly grabbed by someone from outside who tears her arm off. She screams as we see bone, blood, and tissue (quite graphic).
- Many infected people are shot at by snipers while running through the streets. One of their arms can be seen with blood splattering and tissue dangling.
- A man is dragged into the water by infected people. The water fills with blood and he turns infected.
- A helicopter flies through a crowd of infected people. We see the propeller hack bodies to pieces in close-up, with gore and crunching sounds. The next scene presents lots of guts and blood lying around and people cut in half, with the bottom of their body still twitching.
- A city is firebombed and gassed, killing people in waves of flames. A boy and a girl watch in shock as a man is burned alive on the ground.
- A boy has a disturbing dream about his mother who pulls the skin off from her face, revealing his face underneath.
- We see a medical needle entering a woman’s arm before blood is drawn out through a tube.
Content that may disturb
Jumpscares happen a few times throughout the film, which may shock some viewers.
Some scenes are disturbing, for example, beetles skitter around as a girl retrieves keys from the remains of a person’s skeleton, and maggots are seen wriggling in a bowl of food.
Sex scenes
In one scene, a man and a woman can be seen from a distance having sex. We see the womans bare back and the side of her breast as she thrusts on top of him, however, this scene is not graphic.
When content stays with you:
We all have our boundaries, and it’s completely okay if something you’ve watched is weighing on your mind. If certain content lingers with you, consider having a chat with friends or whānau to debrief about what you’ve just seen. But if you’re still feeling affected, please reach out to any of the following helplines for support.
