28 Weeks Later (Blu-ray) Review

[Tekman]

http://www.dvdreview.com/reviews/pages/2698.shtml

20th Century Fox Home Entertainment is now delivering a high definition version of "28 Weeks Later" on blood-curdling Blu-Ray Disc. The result is every bit as amazing as you would expect it to be. Given the nature of the film and the deliberate grittiness of the images, one would expect a high definition presentation that would be a mixed blessing. But not so! The image is razor sharp and the grain found in the picture is reproduced perfectly to create this incredibly harsh look of the movie. Instead of fuzzing up the picture the grain is so sharply defined that it is essential to the presentation. There are scenes, of course, where the filmmakers went for a very clean and smooth look and these sequences are equally nicely reproduced. The colors are rich and vibrant, creating a world that looks devastatingly desolate, yet at the same time shows signs of life sprucing up. Black levels are amazing in the transfer making sure the film reproduces the full contrast range of the original imagery with deep solid blacks and well-defined shadows.

To increase the visceral impact of the film, this Blu-Ray Disc also comes with a 5.1 channel DTS HD Master track that is encoded losslessly. As we all know by now, things just don't get any better than lossless audio and with that in mind, this track has been designed for maximum impact. Expect your bookshelves to rattle, your walls to shake when you run this track at a decent volume. The brutal bass extension and the dynamic range of the track will make you jump out of your seat more than once, giving you every bit of nerve wrecking entertainment you have been seeking when you picked out this disc.

Presented on a dual-layer disc, the release also offers up a number of cool bonus materials, starting with a commentary track by director/co-writer John Carlos Fresnadillo and co-producer Enrique López-Lavigne. This Spanish-born filmmaker may not have a Hollywood track record but he managed to capture the essence of the first film perfectly and tapped into it with such raw energy that the resulting film is quite an experience despite its shortcomings. The commentary offers more insight into the process and is recommended to all fans of the film.

You will also find some deleted scenes with optional commentary on the disc, together with tow featurettes, entitled "Code Red: The Making Of 28 Weeks Later" and "The Infected." Both of them are exciting and thrilling and well put together to offer additional insight. The same is true for the featurette "Getting Into The Action" which takes you onto the set, right in the midst of the shooting of the film and the frenzy going on there to create the kinetic scenes for the film.

The disc is rounded out by two animated chapters from "28 Days Later: The Aftermath" and the film's theatrical trailer.

I found that "28 Weeks Later" got my adrenaline pumping in a heartbeat. Not three minutes into the film and I was hooked. The story may have a few holes but overall the movie is a powerful entry in the horror genre and a worthy sequel to Danny Boyle's original shocker. The high definition version that 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment is delivering here is worth every penny, I promise you that.