Reviewer's grade: A-

What a difference five years makes. I wasn't a fan of Danny Boyle's 2002 sleeper smash "28 Days Later," and not because I was against the then-novel idea of fast-moving zombies. I simply found the second half to be an utter bore following an enticing setup; its purposeful murky look made it more problematic.

But the inevitable sequel, "28 Weeks Later," is a major improvement. Although the "rage virus" that turned everyone crazy in the first film now has died out, it has a tricky - and rather ingenious, script-wise - way of resurfacing, inside a U.S. military-guarded compound of UK survivors. Juan Carlos Fresnadillo co-writes and directs with a sure hand and a fine eye, creating a rare marriage between art and commerce, especially in the realm of horror.

This beats "Days" on all levels, from acting to frightening, and the latter is what matters most of all to its target audience. Even though its story eerily reminds of us things we goes to movies to escape from, "Weeks" does it with such skill that you can't help but be a little amazed. R  

-Rod Lott