28 Years Later

This is very much a movie of two halves – the first gives you the tense, gory horror that you’re probably expecting from a sequel to 28 Days Later, while the second has more ambition and scope, but is arguably less consistently effective.

Premise:  28 years after the outbreak of the Rage virus, Britain has been permanently quarantined and any remaining survivors have been left to fend for themselves.  12-year-old Spike (Alfie Williams) – who has grown up in an isolated community on a tidal island off the northeast coast of England, with his father Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and his mother Isla (Jodie Comer) – prepares for a coming-of-age ritual … his first scavenger mission to the mainland.

Review:

As I’ve said many times, I’m not a huge fan of horror films per se, but the 28 Days Later series tends to flirt on the edge of the horror genre rather than fully embracing it – after all, despite the fact that 28 Days Later arguably reinvigorated the zombie sub-genre back in 2002 (predating the likes of Zack Synder’s Dawn of the Dead and The Walking Dead), the filmmakers have always been adamant that “the Infected” in these films are not actually “zombies”.

The fact that the 28 Days Later series is not a straight-up horror series perhaps explains why 28 Years Later very much feels like a movie of two different halves.  The film opens with a prologue set back in 2002 during the original outbreak of the Rage virus, and it’s a fairly brutal and unrelenting opening sequence.  (Incidentally, the relevance of the prologue won’t really be explored until the next film, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, which is coming out in January).

“…the first half delivers the tension & horror that you’re expecting…”

Once we jump ahead “28 years later…” we pick up the story as 12-year-old Spike (Alfie Williams) and his father Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) prepare for Spike’s first scavenger mission to the mainland.  The backstory that the community on the tidal island has managed to survive the last 28 years because there’s only one way on or off the island provides a credible reason for how Spike has been able to live a (relatively) normal life up until this point.  So normal, in fact, that certain elements of life on the island and the family dynamics between Jamie and Isla (Jodie Comer) feel more like a bleak, kitchen-sink, working-class drama than they do an apocalyptic horror movie.

Nevertheless, the first half of 28 Years Later definitely delivers the tension and horror that you’re probably expecting from one of these films, as Spike’s and Jamie’s mission to the mainland proves to be more complicated than first expected.  They not only encounter “Infected” similar to those seen in the previous movie (I say “movie”, because there don’t appear to be any direct references to 2007’s 28 Weeks Later, which of course wasn’t written by Alex Garland or directed by Danny Boyle, unlike 28 Days Later and 28 Years Later), but the audience is also introduced to a new type of Infected – the “Alpha”, who’s bigger, stronger and tougher than the others.

“…I admire the ambition & creativity of the second half…”

However, at around the halfway point, the film takes an unexpected turn, and becomes something a little different.  Don’t get me wrong, there are still Infected in the second half, and still plenty of danger and death – but the focus shifts away from mere survival to explore other themes.  I have mixed feelings about the second half – some of which are difficult to discuss without straying into spoiler territory – but what I can say is that although I admire the ambition and creativity of the second half, and there are certain aspects (particularly in the final act) which are really effective, I was taken out of the film a little by some “bad horror movie decisions” made by one of the main characters.

I can’t say much more than that, but for me, the bad decision made by a main character at around the halfway point derailed my enjoyment of the movie for a short spell, and I wasn’t fully back onboard until the final act.  Despite that “blip” in my enjoyment in the middle, I thought the film started and finished strong, and was more effective overall for trying to be more than just a straightforward zombie survival film.

“…Alfie Williams’ debut performance was tremendous…”

The cast is great – especially newcomer Alfie Williams, and Jodie Comer, who arguably both get the most to do.  While I have some issues with the way in which Alfie Williams’ character was written, I thought his debut performance was tremendous, especially as he is effectively the lead of the movie.  Jodie Comer and Aaron Taylor-Johnson get roughly an equal amount of screentime, but Jodie Comer gets to do a bit more character work, while Aaron Taylor-Johnson is a bit more emotionally closed off as he deals with more immediate threats.

One of the highlights of the movie is Ralph Fiennes’ performance – although I don’t want to say much about his character, as almost anything said about him is potentially a spoiler.  What I can say is that Ralph Fiennes brought unexpected elements to his role and made a huge impact with a relatively small amount of screentime – although his character is one that will be explored further in next January’s sequel, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple.

“…part brutal horror movie, part coming-of-age drama, part evocative exploration of the inevitability of death…”

For those of you who don’t already know, Danny Boyle and Alex Garland have envisaged 28 Years Later as a trilogy – the second film has already been shot and is out next year, and it will explore further Ralph Fiennes’ character and the events from this film’s prologue, as well as (briefly) reintroducing Cillian Murphy as Jim from 28 Days Later.  The intended third film hasn’t yet been officially greenlit, but if it goes ahead, it will primarily focus on Jim’s storyline to conclude the trilogy.

Part brutal horror movie, part coming-of-age drama, part surprisingly evocative exploration of the inevitability of death, there is arguably something for everyone in 28 Years Later.  Although there were a couple of bumps along the way, the film left me eager to see what happens next in 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, and thankfully, we only have to wait another six months or so for that.