When experiencing a movie that is so electrically supercharged with energy and is preposterously zany with its presentation, oftentimes you can feel a little disoriented by the time it’s over and not totally understand what you just experienced. Might not be true for all, or even most, but for someone like me who is so easily pretzel brained by an unconventional method of storytelling, 28 Years Later had me stumbling out of the theater in a way that is so rare for movies that see wide releases in movie theaters. Danny Boyle, may be the zaniest director of them all, is a repeat offender when it comes to movies that leave me dizzily satisfied by the time the credits roll, regardless whether I really liked the movie or not.
That idiosyncratic energy that Boyle brings to the table combined with screenwriter Alex Garland’s heady and complex thematically storytelling approach makes for a perfect tandem as a filmmaking partnership. 28 Years Later plays to both of their strengths in spades, and although I do have some quibbles with the movie, overall I thought it was thrilling to watch and thought provoking in a way that is pretty uncommon in sequel filmmaking nowadays. So, let’s sharpen our arrows for our bows to kill some zombies, and review a movie…
Let’s start with Boyle and Garland, as I believe they are the big winners here, obviously. For this duo, it all started back in 2000 with The Beach, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, which was Garland’s debut novel, and also a very interesting turn for Boyle as a director at that point in his career. The Beach received lukewarm reviews at the time of its release, and has kind of gone by the wayside in terms of its legacy, but for me personally, I found it to be a captivating and extraordinarily entertaining movie. I was extremely young when I first watched The Beach, it was my first Boyle movie that I saw and I remember that experience vividly and fondly. From the stunning visuals, to idiosyncratic storytelling filled with wonder and also dread, to the remarkably late ’90s early ’00s soundtrack, The Beach was one of the first times where I felt like my eyes and ears were melting from what I was watching and hearing.
Porcelain by Moby being used to introduce the titular beach is one of my favorite scenes of the century, and maybe the most wondrous scene in movie history. The fever dream nature of the movie is dizzying, confusing and captivating, just like 28 Years Later, a perfect marriage of author and director. Although Boyle and Garland went on to do bigger and technically better work together with 28 Days Later, Sunshine, and now 28 Years Later, I still hold on tightly to The Beach being my favorite of the bunch simply because of its intoxicating nostalgic prowess…
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Separately though, Boyle and Garland have both had incredibly successful careers as well. Their creative partnership ended in the late ’00s when Garland went on to direct his own films, and he really blossomed as a filmmaker in his own right with Ex Machina, Annihilation, Men, Civil War and Warfare. Garland is a super interesting filmmaker whose films are all filled with philosophical exploration into unique characters facing conflicts both physically as well as existentially.
Boyle has always been a total wild card. Trainspotting is a certified classic and generationally important, and Slumdog Millionaire was an awards darling, which I actually think has been a little bit slept on at this point and isn’t respected as much as it should be. 127 Hours with James Franco is a really tough watch but obviously a technical masterclass while Steve Jobs is a super fun movie to re-watch over and over again even though it bucks so much against the typical Danny Boyle stylistic approach so much so that I always forget he even directed that movie. For the hippest director in the business to do a walking and talking movie like Steve Jobs, especially with Aaron Sorkin, who, don’t get me wrong, is probably the most talented writer alive, but doesn’t seem like a stylistic fit with Boyle, was a pretty interesting turn for Boyle. Even though some of Boyle’s recent work showed signs of slippage, 28 Years Later is a major comeback for the director, in my opinion. The man has his groove back…
28 Years Later, which is the third entry in the ‘28 ___ Later’ franchise, kicks off in the Scottish Highlands 28 years ago, right when the RAGE outbreak begins. Teletubbies is playing on the TV for a group of kids, which was such a fun moment of nostalgia, that was also an effective ploy for the audience to understand exactly where they are in time. A wave of panic sets in for the adults outside the room as clearly, since this is a ‘28’ movie, the RAGE virus turns this group of families into raging zombies set out to kill anything in their path. A young lad, Jimmy, escapes with a kick-ass soundtrack, entirely done by the Scottish band the Young Fathers, playing in the background. Much akin to the original 28 Days Later, with the opening of the movie being frenetic, dark, and scary while also being so energetically presented that it’s hard not to have fun watching, even though what’s happening on screen is so dreadful and terrifying…
It’s now actually 28 Years Later, and we are introduced to another young lad, Spike, played by Alfie Williams, his dad, Jamie, played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson and his mom, Isla, played by Jodie Comer. This family lives in a protected community on an island as we now know that the RAGE virus completely decimated the British Isles, but has been contained to just that region (retconning the sequel, 28 Weeks Later, by the way) but unfortunately for the survivors in this region, nobody is allowed out, essentially being erased from existence as we know it. These people that remain are basically stuck in 2002 forever, living amongst the infected and perpetually trying to survive. 2025 might not be great, but being stuck in 2002 surrounded by zombies? Spike won’t get to enjoy the experience of paying $100+ for two days worth of groceries, or be drowning in some sort of debt, or be brain rotted to death by endless consumable content, or have to suffer in a world of where creativity and general happiness for the most part is stunted by politically motivated chargedness that is never ending to the point where if a zombie outbreak were to occur, I’d have to seriously take into consideration that I might be team zombie. Instead, Spike is stuck in 2002 in a safe and loving community with a bow and arrow killing zombies… Hmm. Okay, I might need to rethink this one…
Spike’s dad, Jamie, is an experienced archer, and has experience venturing out to the mainland, off island, where he is part of the group responsible for collecting resources and killing zombies with a bow. Jamie is preparing Spike to take on this role as well, and even though Spike is only 12 years old, is readying to make his maiden voyage onto the mainland with his dad. Problem is, Spike’s mom, Isla, is very sick, and nobody in the community is able to figure out what is wrong with her. This is devastating for Spike, and for Jamie as well, even though he has a terrible way of showing it, but more on that later. Spike and Jamie arm themselves, and make their way off the island, by way of an unbelievably cool passage on a causeway that is only accessible during low tide, and during high tide, the island is unreachable without a boat, which doesn’t seem to be permitted.
Once they are on the mainland, all hell breaks loose, and I’ll avoid specifics to keep this spoiler free so you can enjoy the action as it comes. From here, the movie really plays out in three different parts. The maiden voyage with Jamie, the return to the mainland with Isla to find a cure from a supposed doctor, the only doctor, who is living in the wilderness amongst the zombies, and the eventual meeting of this doctor, played perfectly by Ralph Fiennes. Fiennes, who is just… god is he so good. More on him later as well. From that maiden voyage on, 28 Years Later is filled with action frickin’ packed entertainment that is thrilling, funny, scary as hell, and somehow thought provoking that even given the filmmakers, I was stunned by the movie’s personality and thematic focus. 28 Years Later is no simple kill-a-zombie and then run-over-here and then run-over-there flick that is pretty common in the zombie movie and TV show landscape. Love, loss, grief, and guilt are themes that are heavily explored in a story that is filled with blood, guts, dicks, and different species of zombies and takes place in a nightmarish hellscape. It took me hours, even a day or two after seeing this to fully appreciate the depth and heart that 28 Years Later has, all with the typical vibrancy that Boyle presents on screen…
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Speaking of the technical aspects. Boyle and his filmmaking team used a goddamn rig of iPhones to shoot this movie. Again, this movie was technically filmed on an iPhone 15. That is remarkable to even think about. Two things.
- What a win for Apple. I’m sure this will be a trend that is continued, and honestly could lead to some pretty cool stuff going forward.
- The original 28 Days Later was shot on a camcorder. The gorilla approach to the filmmaking of these movies is such a charming aspect that is so thoughtful and interesting and works so well for these movies specifically. Usually I’m a curmudgeon for movies being shot on film and only film, as when digitally shot movies, when not in good hands, frankly look dull. But, I’m slowly starting to appreciate the potential of modern technology, and what that means going forward.
28 Years Later is bursting at the seams with energy. The editing style is so jumpy and frenetic that it really disorients you in a way that works great for a chaotic zombie movie. The action was perfectly executed when it had to be, and the personal moments were handled just as well. It’s a pro doing a pro’s job, plain and simple…
In terms of the writing, I don’t believe Garland is particularly interested in just making a zombie survival movie. I believe he is more interested in the fallout that occurs amongst the people, the survivors, of the ordeal. The zombies are just window dressing to the real questions he is asking and story he is trying to tell. Like, how would we treat fellow survivors, and even the zombies, in a situation like this? What is the psychological impact of an apocalyptic event?
At the beginning, Jimmy’s father, a priest, sees this event as a rapture of sorts. He believes this whole heartedly, dies, and quickly becomes a soulless zombie, just like the hundreds of thousands of others. All the same, it doesn’t matter where or who you were before, in the end, you end up in the same place. The themes of each and every Garland movie finds themselves in this same existential conundrum. That being how do our surroundings, events and obstacles impact our psyche. This mindf–k of an exploration peaked with Ex Machina, where even I watching the movie felt sorry for Ava, that is until she turned.
The writing for 28 Years Later is as good as Garland has ever been. The way the story is structured to keep it moving at a great pace, introducing new characters, removing characters, bringing the Alpha zombies into the fold, mixing the emotional elements with the action, writing the characters to be progressively evolving organically and then sort of closing out with an emotional gut-punch, followed by a frolicking fun and what-the-f–k finale that makes you totally forget how emotionally sincere the tone just was before it flips on its head completely and becomes a totally different tone altogether. There was sad closure, followed immediately by fun closure. Excellent storytelling…
I’d say the acting was all pretty much up to snuff and then some. This is the aspect that I look back on the fondest afterwards rather than being aware of it while I was watching. Obviously, a Danny Boyle and Alex Garland movie that is a follow up to a beloved original is going to garner some interest from some of the top dogs. And they all delivered. Taylor-Johnson is so great at being a tough guy who could on one hand be a part of the Wild Bunch, and on the other be the husband from Kramer vs. Kramer. Just such a cool performer who is strapping, handsome as hell and has the acting chops to deliver the angry, happy, horny, emotional, and conflicting character that was needed to make the Jamie character work. Great stuff from him.
Jodie Comer has a lot of screen time, but due to her character being very sick for the entirety it didn’t really allow for her to spread her wings. But, for what she was given, she’s a great actress, so obviously it worked. There was a character who was introduced later in the movie, Erik, a Swedish military man, who is trapped in the quarantine because his patrol ship crashed (note: the outside world patrols this region to make sure nobody escapes). Erik, played by Edvin Ryding, brought some legitimate comic relief and different energy to a point where the movie really did need it. He came in at the perfect time, and made the most of his time on screen, particularly when he was showing Spike his cell phone, and a picture of his very attractive “girlfriend” back home in the real world. Erik and Spike played really well off each other. Alfie Williams, who again, played Spike, was a real revelation for me in this movie. He has a shoulder the weight of the movie pretty much as the lead and does a great job at holding the screen well with real presence…
I wanted to break out a separate section for Fiennes out of respect. When he’s introduced later in the movie, he takes the ball and it’s demon time from that point on. It’s remarkable how Fiennes is able to dominate the screen no matter what he is in, or who he is playing. His character in this, Dr. Kelson, is a true wildcard. A wack-job who is out there living alone and building a sculpture made out of skulls. Taking the time to burn the skin off the heads, scrape the hair off, boil and then present the skulls as a monument to remember people. A memento mori.
I won’t go into too much detail on specifics, but Fiennes and maybe only like Daniel Day-Lewis would be as good and as believable bringing the weird, yet lovable energy where whenever he talks, and whatever he says, is emotionally draining for the audience because of how prolifically the words come out of his mouth, even though what he is doing is like, wait, what’s going on with this guy? His whole chapter of the movie is so bizarre, yet so beautiful, and Fiennes is perfect for the role, as he pretty much always is in anything ever…
Sequel storytelling as a whole annoys the living Christ out of me. Even though some of the time, hopefully most of the time, the intentions are good, and there is so much more to bite off in some stories that could have been chewed in the original. But as of late, the re-imaginings, re-quels, legacy sequels, and so forth have been so reliant on hearkening back to the originals with references and gotcha moments that the story being told is completely lost in the fray.
I find that a lot of these films are made in ways that are more of a jukebox approach from a fan of the original who just wants to pay homage more so than creating something that can actually stand on its own two feet. I can sometimes be a simp for nostalgia and whatnot but for the most part, it doesn’t quench my thirst. 28 Years Later though, is a totally different approach. These are the authors of the original, and they are here to tell a completely new story and just use the same world as a conduit to tell this story. I find this flavor of sequel filmmaking to be a breath of fresh air. Actually pushing the story and universe forward and not constantly going backwards. Yes, there are references and quick moments that pay homage, so to speak, but for the most part, you can watch 28 Years Later without even knowing about the original’s existence, and enjoy it just as much…
28 Years Later is opening against the animated feature Elio. I think it beats Elio, considering How to Train Your Dragon is still also playing in theaters, but because of this, I don’t love its chances at being an enormous box office hit. But, the theater I was at was pretty much packed, more so than most of the other horror movies I’ve seen in a while, and it was a wide ranging crowd. Young, old, everything in between. I think there is a solid cult fan-base of the original, and the aura of the original might be enough to bring in a younger crowd. Most of all though, it’s a zombie movie, and people like zombies. More so than that most of all though, people love going to horror movies in theaters, which has been a theme over and over again with box office success after box office success. Sinners was a global phenomenon and Bring Her Back, an incredibly dark movie, even doing relatively well. I’d imagine 28 Years Later can get up to $75 million worldwide, maybe even creeping over $100 million with good word of mouth. If a quality movie like this can make $100 million at the box office, we all win…
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Overall, I was enormously impressed with 28 Years Later. To be honest, when I walked out of the theater I didn’t appreciate it as much as I did the next day after I thought about it some more. The thought even crossed my mind that maybe I’m just so used to the legacy sequels being annoying that I was harder on this beforehand and didn’t go in with the right frame of mind.
I came to the conclusion that I was just so discombobulated by the frenetic energy and constant shifting of gears that 28 Years Later was doing that I was always on my toes, and by the end when the credits rolled I was so confused by that bizarre finale and insanely unique pseudo-conclusion that happened before where I was like wait, what’s going on here? Boyle and Garland are both presumably the winners here, but Fiennes and Alfie Williams can make a case. In my opinion though, the naked Alpha zombies were the real winners. There was a scene where an Alpha zombie was in a full on sprint chasing after Jamie and Spike on the causeway, at night, and just the way it was filmed and built up to was the most captivating, terrifying, well shot scene of the year for me. The more I think about 28 Years Later, the more impressed I am. Which is a bizarre experience for me because usually it is the flip side of that where I come out of a movie juiced and hyped and positive but then when I think about it, and time sets in, I begin to dislike it or forget about it altogether. In this case, it really was the flip-side entirely. I liked leaving, but not as much as I did when I thought about it more and appreciated the professional job that the filmmakers and actors did. That’s what great about movies with depth that are thought-provoking and meticulously conceived. Even if filmed with a gorilla style approach like Boyle’s, which is downright crazy to be honest, the movie is always grounded with a soul. 28 Years Later has the energy of a RAGE infected zombie, but it sure does have the soul of a human being, and not a zombie…
Wicked Horror Rating: 8/10
From Columbia Pictures and Sony, 28 Years Later is playing exclusively in theaters as of June 20th, 2025.
