28 YEARS LATER
Starring: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Comer, Alfie Williams, Ralph Fiennes, and Edvin Ryding
Director: Danny Boyle
NICK
In spite of becoming our resident zombie fan, I've never loved the 28 films. They're good, but they never blew me away. This most recent entry, however, really impressed me with its ambition. Director Danny Boyle has fit what feels like four films into one, all with tonal shifts, and managed to make it work. Although it can certainly be messy, that almost adds to the chaos of the world these characters inhabit. Boyle and writer Alex Garland have taken a dormant franchise, reinvigorated the universe and brought it back to life. Fitting for a zombie film, if you ask me.
BODE
Even when looking back, Danny Boyle is always looking forward. This was first evident in T2 Trainspotting (underrated), and is evident once more in 28 Years Later, which finds the director and returning screenwriter Alex Garland expanding upon their post-apocalyptic vision with bold formal swings not often seen in mainstream filmmaking (courtesy of cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle and editor Jon Harris), humanism so sweeping you’ll be tearing up, great performances (Alfie Williams especially holds his own amongst a cast of veterans), and a chaotically beautiful score from first-time composers Young Fathers. It’s a major reinvigoration in nearly every way.
ADRIANO
I'm not going to pretend 28 Years Later isn't structurally wacky. Writer Alex Garland had plenty of ideas for a sequel, and threw all of them into one movie. Not to the point of feeling like several conflicting movies at once, but in the end, it felt a little messy. So, leave it to director Danny Boyle to make it coherent, while experimenting with wild cinematography and editing choices that simply rock, and yet, still find room for an effective emotional payoff. I'm conflicted about the ending, but I am hopeful for what's to come.
ROBERT
Everyone always credits The Walking Dead as being the reanimator of zombie media, but 28 Days Later had an eight-year head start that reminded the world of what we admire about pictures centered on the undead. The current iteration jumps us forward a few decades, emphasizing how mangled the UK is while the rest of the world is seemingly untouched. The first half is disorienting, like a mountain climber getting used to high altitude, logically mirroring what Alfie Williams’ Spike is feeling with his first venture to the infected mainland. The second half is more of a straightforward mission before the end pulls the rug out from under you, which would be jarring if it wasn’t so dang beautiful.
QUENTIN
While watching 28 Years Later, its random flourishes of archival footage, jarring tonal shifts, and a disjointed narrative — not to mention the dreaded “dumb kid making dumb decisions” trope — I wasn’t sure I’d walk away having enjoyed myself. However, after having a few hours to ruminate, I believe it ultimately works due to terrific direction, gorgeously experimental cinematography, and incredible sound design. Spike’s (Alfie Williams) coming-of-age throughline even ties the somewhat episodic presentation together in a way that provides emotional weight despite the disjointedness. The final sequence is hilariously bonkers, but I can’t say I’m not super excited to see more of it in the sequel.
AMARÚ
I rather dug the vibe director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland bring to 28 Years Later. Young Fathers’ music mixed with flashback intercuts, grainy texture, and skewed camera angles set a creepy and intense tone that establishes the weight of every day-in-the-life of Jamie (Aaron Taylor Johnson), Isla (Jodie Comer) and their son Spike (Alfie Williams), not just the one we are dropped into. That connection we feel allows the film’s wide range of tonal shifts to naturally progress into something quite emotional and unexpected. I’m now fully locked into how The Bone Temple will follow-up this hauntingly impactful tale.
KATIE
28 Years Later is chaotic, but undeniably intense and entertaining. The incredibly immersive, and sometimes discombobulating, experimental cinematography and stylistic choices by Anthony Dod Mantle and editor Jon Harris throw you headfirst into the frenzied, bloody insanity without being too dizzying. The cast is fantastic, especially Jodie Comer and the young Alfie Williams’ deeply moving performances. However, the tonally dissonant final scene, with its painfully obvious sequel set-up, did not work for me. I found it ruined the high that this emotionally grounding coming-of-age story could have potentially ended on.
