Film Review: 28 Years Later

It is 18 years late but we finally got a long-awaited sequel to 28 Weeks Later. Days became weeks, but weeks did not become months and instead we are treated to a whole different world and a different story with 28 Years Later. The characters from the first film never continued to the second and the same can be said with this third instalment. The world has changed as well as the characters, to tell a completely new and original story set within the confines of a United Kingdom that is ravaged by infected zombies, for lack of a better word.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson plays Jamie, Jodie Comer plays Isla, and the two of them are parents to the young Spike played by Alfie Williams. It is through Spike’s eyes that the story is told. He spent the first third of the story learning about the infected with his father, then must survive them with his mother before finally confronting them himself on his own as he journeys deeper into this hostile country. The country this time is Scotland, and the location provides a completely new aesthetic to the series. It feels at times like The Last of Us, and you can see where the influences of that show have shone through with this film. Films such as Annihilation and I Am Legend also are acknowledged through the visuals and narrative, but instead of mimicking them we are treated to something beautiful and deadly.

Writer Alex Garland, who previously made Warfare earlier this year, and famed British filmmaker Danny Boyle team up again to tackle this franchise. They know their stuff and they know that it is pointless doing a legacy sequel, with past characters joining new ones. Instead, we have new characters and a new story. The music is different, the atmosphere is different, yet it also has a sense of familiarity. There are some bold risks taken such as the surprise ending of the film which shocks just as much as some the of infected action. Then there are sequences that feel tense and genuinely scary, like the Causeway chase where the Alpha tracks down Spike and Jamie. There are many more moments that wow and shock you and that is the power the film has. It is mesmerising and entertaining at the same time.

It is very had to find and point out any flaws for this film, yet something does come to mind. This is the supposed first part in a three-part trilogy based on 28 Years Later with some setting up going on as well as a cliffhanger which further proves there is more story to be told. The Bone Temple elements towards the end of the film feels like a tease of more to come as well. This only adds to the excitement though and it almost demands a re-watch so you can pick up on what you missed the first time. 28 Years Later is thought-provoking, personal and wildly addictive to watch, which makes this a very worthy sequel even if it did come out nearly two decades late.

★★★★★

5/5

Final Verdict:

28 Years Later borrows a lot of elements from contemporary media, from I Am Legend to The Last of Us. It wears it influences and crafts a new original story almost told in three parts — the father, the mother and the son. The narrative shifts and evolves, as has the world which we previously saw ravaged back with 28 Days and Weeks Later. The infected are different, the camera work and visuals look old-school yet modern. Danny Boyle and Alex Garland are two very innovative filmmakers who are still at the height of their creative careers and it will be exciting to see where the story goes next.

Thanks for reading today’s blog!

Alex Murray, the Head of Eyesight Productions