On June 19, the post-apocalyptic horror film «28 Years Later» — the third installment of the zombie series started by director Danny Boyle and screenwriter Alex Garland in «28 Days Later» (2002) and continued by Spaniard Juan Carlos Fresnadillo in «28 Weeks Later» (2007), debuted in cinemas. The creators of the original film returned to the franchise, however, the lead actor Cillian Murphy limited the functions of an executive producer. Why the threequel can be considered an outstanding film in certain aspects, but still evokes mixed emotions, we discuss in this review.
Pluses:
an attempt to look at zombie horror from a different angle; the first 40 minutes will definitely appeal to longtime fans of the genre, until the horror gives way to drama; in terms of form, this is an outstanding movie, in the recognizable style of Danny Boyle; a good cast and a good performance from young Alfie Williams;
Minuses:
the content in general and individual episodes in particular raise fair questions about the logic and adequacy of what is shown; the meanings laid down by the authors do not catch on; fans of the genre hardly need local drama; the three acts seem to exist in different films; the final cliffhanger scene is a kind of kringle;
«28 Years Later»
Genre post-apocalyptic drama, zombie horror
Director Danny Boyle
Starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Comer, Rafe Fines, Alfie Williams, Edwin Riding
Premiere movie theaters
Year of release 2025
Website IMDb, official website
It’s been 28 years since Jim, a skinny bike courier, woke up in a London hospital and, bewildered, went wandering the deserted streets of the English capital. Nowadays, humanity lives a normal, ordinary life because in continental Europe the rage virus has been overcome. This cannot be said about the russia United Kingdom, isolated from the civilized world, where zombified, mud-covered ragamuffins walk around and a harsh post-apocalypse reign.
In the midst of all this harshness is a remote island settlement, connected to the mainland by a single road across the water. A young, strong man, Jamie, and his 12-year-old son, Carl, sorry, Spike, plan to cross this path to perform a bizarre rite of passage for the youngster, which is supposed to kill several infected people in the field. Meanwhile, the boy’s mother, Ayla, is suffering from a mysterious illness and is bedridden. Spike sincerely believes that she can be cured, so he is willing to give the poor woman his last piece of bacon to make it happen.
In 2002, the British filmmakers Danny Boyle and Alex Garland contributed greatly to the rise of the long-rotten zombie horror genre from the dead. Along with the moderate success of the «Resident Evil» Paul W.S. Anderson, released the same year, it became clear that the patient was more likely to be alive than dead. Reanimated corpses hungry for human flesh were interesting to the mass audience.
A little later, zombie-themed films started to sprinkle like holiday confetti — we recall an excellent remake «Dawn of the Dead» (2004) by Zack Snyder, science fiction «Doom» (2005), the comedy «Shaun of the Dead» (2004) by the same British filmmakers Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg, «Zombieland» (2009), etc. Even the trendsetter George Romero himself went back to basics and released «Land of the Dead» (2005) — the fourth film in his cult dead saga. Needless to say, the sheriff’s deputy Rick Grimes, who woke up in the hospital at the height of the epidemic, just like Murphy’s Jim.
The sequel «28 Weeks Later» was made by completely different people, and it can’t be said that the result was a failure (and from a financial point of view, it was a success), but it was clearly not destined to stay in the audience’s memory for long. So the return to the franchise of Danny Boyle and Alex Garland, who over the years has managed to qualify as a director himself, and a very, very good one at that, looked encouraging.
And despite the fact that at the beginning «28 Years Later» looks extremely powerful, in the end the picture evokes extremely mixed feelings.
The story begins with the trope «a child and an adult walking around in the middle of a zombie apocalypse», which is familiar to many viewers, i.e., quite in the spirit of the first season «The Last of Us», not to mention that something similar happened in first season «Daryl Dixon» — now it looks like a new genre trend.
I have to say that this is the best part of the movie from a pure genre standpoint. The entire segment is imbued with the necessary degree of tension and suspense, which culminate in the incredible climax of the father and son’s walk, supported by an expressive audiovisual counterpoint (obviously, this is one of Boyle’s favorite techniques — for what it’s worth, the blood splattered on the TV screen where «Teletubbies» is shown).
For those viewers who were expecting an intense or at least adequate zombie survivalist, albeit in the trademark Boyle style, where the infected are not the main antagonist, it is better to end the viewing at this point. The fact that the scriptwriters have prescribed a blatantly stupid and illogical act for Spike is understandable, after all, he is only a child, who is inherently capable of such things. But then the realism and logic of what is happening on the screen do not stand up to any criticism.
The problem is that, along with the aforementioned author’s handwriting (filming on an iPhone, dynamic camera spans, dynamic editing, unusual angles, a bizarre soundtrack, etc.), there is an attempt to talk about all-consuming indifference (to the seriously ill Ayla, to the UK leaving the EU, to the viewer’s comfort?), multiplied by another sentimental story about growing up and the ability to accept the inevitable as a consequence. And these serious conversations, let’s be honest, don’t go well with the bodies hanging upside down, their spines torn out with a vengeance, as if the infected were not the ones doing the work here Yautja. The ubiquitous zombie penises «on steroids» that even the bald guy from Brazzers would envy.
Among other memorable scenes are the scene of an infected woman giving birth (hello again, Zack Snyder) and the introduction of Swedish NATO soldier Eric, who came here from the world we are used to — the creators allow themselves to play with humor.
In a good tradition, Boyle and Garland are trying to present the gory genre in their own way, if not rethink it, then at least present it in their own way, and they do so boldly and courageously. But whether it is possible to pull off such a trick with something that is difficult to look at from a different angle is an open question. For some, the movie may seem like a genre revelation. Others will be turned away from it, like Spike from the stench of rot. And both positions can be understood.
Boyle’s form still prevails over the content. Or rather, the ability to adequately convey it. If the eerie audio recording of Rudyard Kipling’s poem «Boots» (which was played in the trailer), the unexpected inserts «Henry V» (1944) by Laurence Olivier, or the terrifying infected against the backdrop of a sun-drenched infested, blooming meadow really make an impression. While the dubious walks of the protagonists or the improvised, surprisingly skillfully erected bone temple by a local doctor (this is the subtitle of the next part, which was filmed in parallel) do not work. By the ending, it’s easy to think that your brain has just been raped.
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