It feels like a large portion of my life has been spent with the rumours of a new entry in the 28 Days Later series swirling around, but now, in 2025 a new film has finally been released in the form of 28 Years Later (directed by Danny Boyle - 28 Days Later, and written by Alex Garland - Annihilation, 28 Days Later), the first of a planned trilogy. I was concerned how a new entry could match the splendour of the previous two. The first movie is a straight up classic, and while the sequel, 28 Weeks Later has some faults, it also has one of the very best opening scenes of any movie ever. Upon watching this new movie I came to realise that this isn't so much a sequel, as a completely new story that just happens to be set in the 28 universe. Obviously, some spoilers for the other films to follow, and ignoring semantics, I will be referring to the rage virus infected as zombies.
After a brief prologue set at the start of the rage virus outbreak, the action moves to funnily enough, 28 years later. A single line of intro text explains away how the virus was beaten back from Europe and once again contained within the United Kingdom. The entire country has been quarantined, patrolled by boats, with no one allowed in or out of the place. A small community have survived, living on a small island off the coast, linked to the mainland by a single pathway which floods at high tide. Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson - Nosferatu, Kick-Ass) has decided to take his twelve year old son, Spike (Alfie Williams) on a rite of passage trip to the mainland, so that the boy can get his first taste of fighting the zombies that plague the land. While on the trip, Spike notices a large fire burning in the distance, but his father is hesitant to tell his son the significance of what can be found there. After a series of adventures, Spike returns to a heroes welcome, and learns from one of the islanders that the fire is where an apparently insane former doctor (Ralph Fiennes - the Harry Potter series of films) lives. With Spike's mother Isla (Jodie Comer - Killing Eve TV show) seriously ill, and with his increasing disillusionment with his womanising father, Spike takes it upon himself to sneak off the island with his mother, to go on a foolish quest to travel to the doctor and try and get help for her.
It soon became clear that tonally this is a far different beast to the films that came before. This could be seen immediately in a traditional 28 style zombie attack sequence that takes the form of the prologue. Rather than that iconic tune playing over the horror, there was instead more of a jaunty jolly sound, contrasting roughly against the chaos. The music choices throughout were strange and eccentric. This, coupled with the surreal and pretty crazy post-apocalyptic Britain gave the feel of a zombie film via the lens of The Wicker Man, and a little bit of LSD thrown in for good measure. From start to finish there are so many bizarre flourishes that shouldn't work, yet they somehow do. From stock footage of archers spliced in with characters in film firing arrows (bow and arrow being the main form of weapon in this world), to weird kill scenes that see the action paused and then unpaused from a different camera angle, the film had a feel all of its own.
Spike is a flawed character due to the immature decisions he makes based on his age, but he also had the devil's luck, somehow muddling his way along his adventure. I thought for a child protagonist he was pretty decent, and Taylor-Johnson and Comer were also strong as their respective flawed and complex characters. The best of the supporting characters was Erik (Edvin Ryding), a Swedish soldier who accidentally ended up in Britain and who has some of the most funny lines in the film. I really enjoyed the scenes where he is trying and failing to find points of reference with Spike, the boy not knowing what a delivery driver, internet, or even a radio was. Fiennes was a good side character as well, and memorable with his dyed orange skin.
Spike is a flawed character due to the immature decisions he makes based on his age, but he also had the devil's luck, somehow muddling his way along his adventure. I thought for a child protagonist he was pretty decent, and Taylor-Johnson and Comer were also strong as their respective flawed and complex characters. The best of the supporting characters was Erik (Edvin Ryding), a Swedish soldier who accidentally ended up in Britain and who has some of the most funny lines in the film. I really enjoyed the scenes where he is trying and failing to find points of reference with Spike, the boy not knowing what a delivery driver, internet, or even a radio was. Fiennes was a good side character as well, and memorable with his dyed orange skin.
Set design was strong throughout, but I did find myself missing the more relatable environments, as there was a move to more natural settings and ruins. Some of the references were a bit too on the nose, such as a petrol station where the 'Shell' sign had lost its 'S', but still looked great.
There was a lot more zombies than I had expected, and it became hard to see them as purely virus afflicted humans. Years have not been kind to them, and now have evolved into different types. There are bloated pasty white ones who can only slither along the ground, running emaciated zombies, and hulking nightmares referred to as 'Alphas' who are very hard to kill and extremely powerful. These different types gave a bit of a The Last of Us feel to the film, and all combine to make for some thrilling scenes. Highlights include a small subplot following a group of panicked soldiers, and Spike and Jamie's early journey where they end up being pursued by running zombies through dense woodland. The zombie effects are fantastic as expected, bringing visually interesting creatures to the screen.
The story was relatively straight forward, but goes along at a fair pace. There was an intense slow-down in the film's second half, with a strange temple made out of bones where things get metaphysical and almost an essay on what it is to live and die. I could see this part being a bit of an acquired taste.
I had heard the ending of this film was very strange, but I wasn't prepared for just how weird things got. It's not hyperbole to say that 28 Years Later may just have the most bizarre ending to any film I have ever seen! The whole cinema seemed stunned into silence with such a left field finish, but I did kind of love it.
The story was relatively straight forward, but goes along at a fair pace. There was an intense slow-down in the film's second half, with a strange temple made out of bones where things get metaphysical and almost an essay on what it is to live and die. I could see this part being a bit of an acquired taste.
I had heard the ending of this film was very strange, but I wasn't prepared for just how weird things got. It's not hyperbole to say that 28 Years Later may just have the most bizarre ending to any film I have ever seen! The whole cinema seemed stunned into silence with such a left field finish, but I did kind of love it.
The answer to how to make a sequel to two such iconic films was to make a film that had a tone and vibe all of its own, rather than trying to ape what came before. The pacing suffers a little in the second half, but this kaleidoscopic 1970's feeling fever dream delighted time and time again. As a sequel it wasn't the best, but as a new film that just so happens to be set in the same universe this excelled. As I sit here writing this review, I can't wait to get to see 28 Years Later again, and I am very excited to see the next film, which is due out only next year.
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