FIlm: 28 Years Later

If I’m honest, I’ve waited 23 years for this sequel. 28 Days Later is still one of the most unsettling horror genre films that I have seen. I can’t tell you how excited I was when I found out not only was Danny Boyle back (my favorite director), but so was Alex Garland (one of my favorite screenwriters) for 28 Years Later. With that said, there will be a bias in this review, but one that I believe is warranted. I’m not sure anything will outshine the disturbing nature of the first film, but not only does 28 Years Later still leave you uncomfortable, it’s also the sequel we deserve.

I’ve come to the conclusion recently that it’s best to go into shows, books, and movies as blind as you can. Other than knowing that Boyle and Garland were back, I had no idea what this movie was about or who was cast. I wasn’t sure if any of the storylines from the previous films would be continued, or if we would follow our past heroes and heroines. I am a little sad we didn’t get to see Selena and Jim (it’s been proven that the suspiciously looking infected in the field is not him), but I wasn’t disappointed. Our world isn’t limited to a select few, so why should this film be any different? Considering this is a review about the new film, it’s hard not to reveal a bit of the cast and plot. However, I won’t be hurt if you stop reading until you’ve watched the film. I would almost prefer it that way, but please come back.

Now that we’ve gotten the spoiler warning out of the way, 28 Years Later follows a young boy named Spike (Alfie William) as he navigates early adulthood and the complexity that this quarantined world brings to his daily life.  Spike, his father (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), his mother (Jodie Comer), and other survivors have prospered on a small island away from the mainland infected. The world has continued to evolve, including the infected, which brings new challenges to our protagonists as they venture out of their safety zone as a rite of passage.

The film takes place 28 years after the initial events of the first film, with the infection once again being contained to the mainland of the UK (which ties up the loose ends of the second film), and examines what inhabitants have experienced living in a quarantined landmass. The world of 28 Years Later is a realistic follow-up to what was set up in the previous films, with the added bonus of this continuation being back in the hands of Boyle and Garland.  

This would be as good a time as ever to spill one of my film secrets. I had never seen 28 Weeks Later until I was prepping for 28 Years Later. My lack of viewing wasn’t because horror isn’t my favorite genre, but because I was being a film snob. You can take the girl out of film school, but sometimes you can’t take the film school out of the girl. I’m not particularly a huge fan of sequels in general, especially ones that I don’t feel are necessary, but I definitely have my reservations on ones that don’t have the same writer and/or director as the original. 

That point, plus my love of Boyle, the film snob, was alive and well within my hesitation for 28 Weeks. After watching it, however, I do wish I had seen it sooner, for it was better than I expected. It did a good job keeping the social commentary of a post semi-apocalypic environment started in the original. It was also a good bridge between the original and the new film. 28 Days explored what society would do when the focus is on rebuilding. 28 Weeks played with the concept of sacrificing one to save the masses in a wartime society. 28 Years Later touches on a society that is lacking because it doesn’t advance like the rest of the world due to its isolation.

The country has been stunted since 2002 while the rest of the world continues to modernize. As a modern viewer, having benefited from the advances in technology, health care, and social interactions, trying to imagine living in a 2002 world is difficult. This is where the unsettling feeling kicks back in, just like it did with the first. That’s a big reason why I was thrilled with Boyle and Garland being back in the driver's seat. This team does a good job of bringing difficult topics into the conversation, but not in a way that you feel like you are being force-fed a lesson. They lead you to the motif, but you are in charge of whether or not you will engage with the discussion. 

28 Years Later tackles a few points possible in a quarantined environment, ones that you will have to decide on your own what they are, for these spoilers I will keep hidden. They are presented in a way that resembles a fork in the road. One path it’s a sequel to a rage-infected horror film, while the other is how society will survive after a pandemic. You don’t have to watch a commentary film, but in my opinion, you are missing out if you don’t.

I thoroughly enjoyed this film, and I believe everyone should see it. It doesn’t shy away from the horror genre, and these infected are just as frightful as they have always been. Maybe even a bit more, considering their evolution. Also, not only is it the sequel we deserve, but it can stand on its own as a singular film. You don’t necessarily have to have seen the previous films (though you will be missing out) to enjoy 28 Years Later. It is a self-contained film about how society can survive and adapt when they are faced with unfathomable events. It makes you think without hurting your head, and it thrills you just as any good horror genre film should.

Written by Lisa M Mejia
Images provided by Sony Pictures