Posted in: Kaitlyn Booth, Movies, Review, Sony | Tagged: 28 years later

28 Years Later Review: A Well Made Coming-Of-Age Story Feat. Zombies

28 Years Later has some weird structure and pacing choices, but the worldbuilding, story, and moral and ethical questions it asks its audience really counteract those problems.

28 Years Later is an uncompromising look at how humanity would evolve in a world where some are left behind while everyone else in the world moves on.

Director: Danny Boyle
Summary: A group of survivors of the rage virus live on a small island. When one of the group leaves the island on a mission into the mainland, he discovers secrets, wonders, and horrors that have mutated not only the infected but other survivors.

28 Years Later Embraces "Show, Don't Tell" Brilliantly

As soon as 28 Weeks Later was released, people started asking for a third movie, and it was for very obvious reasons. While the second film wasn't nearly as good as the first, the second film ended on one hell of a shot; implications of the rage virus making its way into the rest of Europe after being successfully quarantined in Britain. People have been wondering what happened next and how that specific kind of infection would ravage the entire world, but a third film just never came to be. Finally, 28 Years Later was announced along with a sequel and a planned third film as well. And while that is already very welcome, the reality we live in now, compared to the one where the first two were made, specifically involving highly contagious viruses, is very different, so it was impossible for this film not to feel more relevant than ever.

So the decision to essentially retcon the find scene of 28 Weeks Later and reveal in 28 Years Later that humanity managed to push the rage virus back onto Britain and then cut the islands off from the rest of the world is one that hits differently after 2020. That, combined with Brexit and the idea of Britain separating itself from the rest of the European Union, playing a major role, showed that director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland would not pull their punches. However, that doesn't mean anyone is heavy-handed about the entire thing. There is a lot of "show, don't tell," which explains how human beings and society have evolved for those left behind who aren't infected and have to fend for themselves.

The film is essentially split into two different trips to the mainland for Spike (Alfie Williams). Unlike his parents, Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and Isla (Jodie Comer), Spike is a kid and hasn't known anything other than a post-rage virus world. The first trip is a coming-of-age mission for Spike to go onto the mainland, leaving behind the safety of the island they all live on, which is only accessible during low tide, and kill one of the infected. In the second half, Spike goes back to the mainland again, this time with Isla in tow for very different reasons. This is Spike's story and journey above anyone else as he confronts the realities of the world he was born into.

The movie being split into two different trips to the mainland means that the pacing for 28 Years Later is a bit off. A lot of what is being shown in the trailers is from the beginning of the film, and that first track across to the mainland, so much of the action is toward the beginning of the film, with the latter half being much more somber and reflective. It's not quite the order you expect from a movie like this. It can throw you off a little if you go in without knowing about the pacing issues, but now you do, so you can be a little more prepared that this film isn't structured the way most Hollywood films are, and that will make the pacing a little different.

A Coming-Of-Age Story: Feat. Zombies

Performance-wise, everyone is excellent, but it's Williams who is the standout. He's going toe to toe with some big veterans of the industry, but manages to be just as good as the rest of them. Ralph Fiennes has one of the more interesting characters, and it's good to know we haven't seen the last of him since he is reportedly going to have a much bigger role in the second film. Boyle's directing and Garland's writing remain top tier, and there is so much nuance and small things in there that are fun to watch. Some people will probably be annoyed that 28 Years has introduced different types of zombies, but these aren't zombies; these are sick people, and human beings are remarkably adaptable to adapting and changing to survive even the most insane conditions. Life often does finds a way.

In terms of being a horror movie, it's a bit more up in the air whether or not 28 Years Later really accomplishes that. There is the horror of the situation and the horror of seeing some of what would happen if humanity lost some of its empathy toward its fellow man, but in terms of scares, it's a couple of jump scares and some chases. In the classical sense, this doesn't feel like a horror movie, but more of a coming-of-age story set during a time that just so happens to include a bunch of infected people who are out of their minds when they're sick. The ending is also buckwild, but to get into it would be getting into varying levels

28 Years Later has some weird structure and pacing choices, but the worldbuilding, story, and moral and ethical questions it asks its audience really counteract those problems. Is it a perfect film? Might not be, but it's a damn good time, and that is coming from someone who is notorious not into horror movies at the end of the day. The second film, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, which is directed by Nia DaCosta, will be released in January 2026, but the third movie is still up in the air. That ending indeed leaves much to the imagination, and if it's any indication of what is on the horizon, we're in for a treat six months from now.

28 Years Later

---

Review by Kaitlyn Booth

---

8.5/10

28 Years Later is an uncompromising look at how humanity would evolve in a world where some are left behind while everyone else in the world moves on.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!