Movie Review: 28 Years Later

In 2002, 28 Days Later sparked a resurgence of the zombie film genre that led to an inevitable sequel – 28 Weeks Later (2007) – and has now delivered audiences 28 Years Later, along with the return of the original director (Danny Boyle) and writer (Alex Garland) of the first film in the series. The film, which is the first of a planned trilogy to close out the saga, proves to be a mixed bag that delivers on its pedigree but, at the same time, seems more concerned with setting up subsequent films than telling the story at hand.

The film begins nearly three decades after the “rage” virus ravaged England and parts of coastal Europe, before it was successfully contained. Now, amidst a ruthlessly enforced quarantine, survivors on a small island are protected by a heavily-fortified causeway that separates them from the mainland and the infected.

It is at this point that Spike (Alfie Williams) is travelling to the mainland with his father Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) as a sort of right-of-passage within the community to register his first “kill” of an infected. However, Spike’s mother Isla (Jodie Comer) is quite ill and Spike would prefer she be taken to a forgotten doctor on the mainland rather than pursue his own “ritual.” What follows is Spike’s own coming-of-age tale, set in the hellscape of a zombie apocalypse.

Director Boyle brings back his kinetic style to the genre, although he may rely on zombie point-of-view perspective a bit too much from time to time, and the film benefits from that approach overall. But, as the film reaches its zenith an subsequent denouement, it becomes painfully clear that this was never intended to be a stand-alone piece and the narrative is compromised a little because of that. Regardless, the film remains a tight and entertaining zombie yarn.

As Spike, young Alfie Williams is asked to shoulder a bulk of the narrative heft of the film, which he does admirably. There is also something quite touching about his devotion to his mother and her well-being throughout the film. Aaron Taylor-Johnson too carries his portion of the film’s weight as Jamie, guiding Spike into adulthood in the midst of the zombie outbreak. It is obvious he wants his son to become a survivor in this new reality they find themselves living in, but he also seems to want him to have a chance to simply live as well and that comes through via Taylor-Johnson’s portrayal.

“28 Years Later.” © 2024 CTMG Inc. & Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc.

Both Jodie Comer and Ralph Fiennes, when they both show up to become full-fledged characters, manage to hold their own and possibly even hijack the film to a certain extent, before returning the reigns back to Williams of course.

Although 28 Years Later may feel like a bit of a cheat in that it ends on what some may consider a sour note as it seems more intent on setting up a subsequent installment than concluding its current story, it still delivers a solid entry to the series that perhaps could have benefitted from a bit more trimming and a more focused conclusion than is delivered.

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Mike Tyrkus

Editor in Chief at CinemaNerdz.com

An independent filmmaker, co-writer and director of over a dozen short films, the Editor in Chief of CinemaNerdz.com has spent much of the last three decades as a writer and editor specializing in biographical and critical reference sources in literature and the cinema, beginning in February 1991 reviewing films for his college newspaper. He was a member of the Detroit Film Critics Society, as well as the group's webmaster and one-time President for over a decade until the group ceased to exist. His contributions to film criticism can be found in Magill's Cinema Annual, VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever (of which he was the editor for nearly a decade until it too ceased to exist), the International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers, and the St. James Film Directors Encyclopedia (on which he collaborated with editor Andrew Sarris). He has also appeared on the television program Critic LEE Speaking alongside Lee Thomas of FOX2 and Adam Graham, of The Detroit News. He currently lives in the Detroit area with his wife and their dogs.

@miketyrkus

Mike Tyrkus

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