28 Years Later

Grade: B

I came very close to passing on 28 Years Later, but word of mouth drew me in, and I’m here to add to it. As much as I enjoyed 28 Days Later (2002), the release year was the one and only time I saw it. I missed 28 Weeks Later (2007). I did not feel adequately prepared for this one. However, these concerns were quickly squelched as the film began, and I never once felt like I needed to be caught up. Though there may be Easter eggs and other various references to the previous installments, you don’t need to have seen (or recently rewatched) them to appreciate this new one. The water feels great as is. Jump on in.

Though it is a continuation of sorts, a detail that marketing has been surprisingly tight-lipped about is that this is the first of a planned trilogy. 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is in post-production, and set for a January 16, 2026 release. That’s about 29 weeks from now. The current movie picks up 28 years after the events of the first one. The non-infected people are pretty well-barricaded on a remote island. The infected have their own island, which is connected to the non-infected community by a long, thin causeway that is only walkable when it’s low tide. We see Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson from Nosferatu, The Fall Guy, Bullet Train, and Nocturnal Animals) and Spike (Alfie Williams) travel over there to hunt some infected for sport. Very touching father/son bonding, huh?

It’s fascinating to see how the infected have evolved. There appear to be families, and even tribes with an “alpha,” who is the most difficult to kill, and usually doesn’t get involved in the fighting, but rather hangs back, well-protected. Living on the “infected” island, is Dr. Kelson, played by Ralph Fiennes. He isn’t infected, but has managed to safely live there for years, if not decades. He is a smart, resourceful medicine man. Spike’s mother Isla (Jodie Comer from The Bikeriders and Free Guy) is very ill, and they believe Dr. Kelson can help, so across the water they travel.

The writer/director team of Alex Garland and Danny Boyle, who did the original from 23 years ago, are back. Wandering through a war-torn barren wasteland seems to be a running motif from Garland in particular. He captured that essence so well with his Warfare and Civil War, and we get that here. There’s a recording of a very old recitation (from 1915) of a Rudyard Kipling poem called “Boots.” It featured heavily in the trailer, and it’s in the movie, too. It has an unsettling rhythm/structure. We hear it early on, and it sets a tone. This isn’t the all-out zombie killfest you might be expecting. It’s more of a thoughtful character study, or “society study.” There are some grisly kills, though. There’s an emaciated infected person who looks distractingly like Cillian Murphy, who appeared in the first film. He made it into the trailer, and speculation from fans went haywire. It’s not Murphy, or his character. It’s just a fluke. Murphy has expressed an interest in returning to the series, so we’ll see how or if they fit him in.

The movie ends with an obvious setup for a future chapter. I’m looking forward to seeing how the journey continues; the teaser we get is certainly interesting. Fiennes is so great, and the character’s so great. He doesn’t show up here until more than halfway through, but he is in the next one, and I hope he’s incorporated more. I am glad I didn’t skip 28 Years Later, and if this is your thing, I hope you find your way to it as well. If you’re hesitating because you haven’t seen the other ones or it’s been a while, don’t let that keep you away.

Grade: B