The long-awaited sequel to 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later also featured a reunion of the original film’s director/writer combo of Danny Boyle and Alex Garland.
The pair showed that they can still work together to make great films. This film was shot using an array of different technologies, including an absolutely insane set of rigs that held up to twenty iPhones at once.
These various cameras and filming techniques allowed the film to return to what made the first film so special.
Narrow shots made the audience feel claustrophobic, which greatly enhanced some of the truly heart-pounding chase scenes. Sweeping drone footage and wide shots allowed the world these characters inhabited to feel big, despite being quarantined to an island.
While all of these shots served a purpose, it was the jarring switches back and forth that really helped bring Garland’s script to life.
It wasn’t just technology that made this film stand out, however. In Boyle’s hand,s this script was able to capture what made 28 Days an instant cult classic while also being a stark contrast to the original.
28 Days was about pure dread. Danger lurked at every turn. It showcased not just the end of the world, but also the worst that humanity has to offer.
Even though it was far from glitter and unicorns, 28 Years Later accomplished something that I don’t think any zombie-based film or show has ever been able to do: Provide hope.
Centering the film around a twelve-year-old protagonist did a lot of heavy lifting on that front.
28 Years Later takes place in a small community living on an island off the mainland UK, connected only by a causeway that can only be crossed during low tide.
It is here we meet the young Spike (Alfie Williams), his dad Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), and his mom Isla (Jodie Comer).
Spike and Jamie are preparing for Spike’s first trip across the causeway to the mainland.
The rage virus has been eradicated from the rest of Europe, but the UK is a quarantine zone. We also learn that Isla has a mysterious illness.
On the mainland, Spike kills his first zombie, a fat crawling zombie called a “Slow Low.” Later in their journey, the father and son duo encounter an “Alpha.”
As part of the alphas' bidding, a horde chases them into a cobblestone house. Spike gets nervous while they fend off this horde with bows and arrows, causing him to miss most of his shots.
While hiding out from the alpha, Spike sees a fire off in the distance, setting the stage for what becomes a fantastic and hopeful coming-of-age story, set against a bleak backdrop.
When they return home, Jamie regales the community with tales of Spike’s bravery, competence, and effectiveness in fighting the horde. Lying doesn’t sit well with Spike, so he leaves the party thrown in his honor.
On his walk home, he sees his dad cheating on his sick mom in an alleyway. Once home, the boy learns that the fire he saw on his trip was a doctor, and the next day he presses his dad about taking Isla to see this doctor so they can learn what is wrong with her.
When his dad says no, Spike sets in motion a plan to sneak her off the island and take her to see the doctor himself. On this second trip to the mainland, Spike and Isla meet a stranded soldier named Erik.
The three begin looking for the doctor. It is on this trip that we get an up-close and personal look at the Alpha. Spike is forced to confront his fears and learns to take out some of the faster and more dangerous zombies.
Finally, we meet Dr. Ian Kelson (Ralph Fiennes), and Spike finally gets some answers about his mother’s health.
Bookending Spike’s emotional journey to save his sick mother are two scenes featuring a blonde man named Jimmy. The first of the two takes place twenty-eight years earlier in the Scottish Highlands.
The movie opens on a young boy who flees danger after his family and homeland are overtaken by the rage virus. We don’t see Jimmy again til the end of the film when he and his band of zombie fighters rescue Spike from a horde.
This scene initially sparked some controversy as Jimmy and his followers were dressed like disgraced English DJ Jimmy Savile. Savile was accused of sexual abuse by hundreds of people, including children.
These accusations were not taken seriously until after Savile’s death in 2011. Initially, people were not happy about the character being dressed like and seemingly paying homage to the monster that was Savile.
However, the director has since explained the choice. The entirety of British civilization and pop culture died in 2002 with the rage virus.
Jimmy ran away and built his entire existence around pop culture—and he had not yet known about the heinous crimes of Savile.
Jimmy Savile died without ever having to answer for his crimes. In a way, you can say a country ravaged by a virus of this magnitude did too.
Overall, 28 Years Later was an incredibly touching family drama. It showed us how extremely resilient people can be in the face of tragedy, yet it also showed us how bitter and callous it can make people as well.
It did all this while still delivering an exciting, edge-of-your-seat thriller. This was an excellent sequel that lived up to the hype and will certainly have fans eager to see how the rest of this new trilogy unfolds.
Making this film even more interesting was the original soundtrack and score composed by Scottish rock/hip hop trio Young Fathers. In addition to Anthony Dod Mantle’s photography, the Young Fathers' music and compositions gave the film eerie vibes at times and hopeful ones at other times.
Watch the Trailer for 28 Years Later
Featured still from “28 Years Later” via Sony Pictures
