28 Days Later hit theatres in 2002 and has loomed large in the lexicon of horror fans everywhere. Even before I saw the full film, I knew the haunting image of Jim (played by now-Oscar winner Cillian Murphy) wandering the empty streets of London. To this day it remains one of the most striking and impactful sequences I’ve ever seen. Directed by Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours, Steve Jobs), the film also marked the debut of screenwriter Alex Garland (Ex Machina, Annihilation, Civil War, Warfare). 28 Years Later marks the return to the franchise for both Boyle and Garland and is the first of a planned trilogy of new movies.

This movie picks up, as the title suggests, 28 years after the initial outbreak of the “Rage” virus in the UK. Title cards at the beginning tell us that the virus has been eradicated from continental Europe, but the British Isles remain in indefinite quarantine. Alfie Williams plays Spike, a 12 year old living on a small tidal island with access to the mainland only possible during low tide. 

So was this franchise worth revisiting 23 years later or is it just another case of the legacy sequel virus?

My Thoughts

I have to say, this movie might be the biggest surprise of the year for me. I had a list of movies I wanted to see these last few weeks and going into them all, this is the movie I expected the least from. I knew very little details, but I did see the teaser trailer a few times. Nevertheless, I found myself rolling my eyes a bit at yet another legacy sequel. 28 Days Later is still an all time classic for me, but the sequel 28 Weeks Later, was decidedly inferior than the original movie and was criminally generic, especially when contrasted with the lo-fi visual style of the original. However, both Garland and Boyle were not involved in that sequel so that was at least an intriguing notion. 

But as an ardent film lover, despite my reservations, I capped off my week of movies with 28 Years Later and an open mind. And as the credits hit, it was clear to me that 28 Years Later is undoubtedly one of my favourite movies of the year so far. 

Why? Well first I have to start with the visual style. In today’s world of film, with flat grays, awkward lighting, and just a general boring visual style, it can be easy for a movie to stand out as long as it does even one small thing differently. 28 Years Later really remains true to its roots and is one of the most distinct and visually impressive movies I have seen in a while. I don’t want to give any of the specifics away, but even this behind the scenes shot of an infected shows you the kind of toys they were playing with. 

Trust me, Boyle is absolutely firing on all cylinders here. 

He’s not alone either because Alex Garland delivered (in my opinion, anyway) his best script since 2014’s Ex Machina. When I tell you that 28 Years Later is one of the most emotional and moving films I have seen all year, I promise you that I’m not lying. Garland’s script is so great at every level. On the surface, there is an amazing coming-of-age story and also a meditation on life, death, and love. That alone is worth the price of admission, but if you care to scratch a little bit deeper, there is more depth here than even I realized on my initial watch. This movie has sparked plenty of discussions about isolationism, Brexit, cultures stuck looking backwards instead of forwards, and so much more. None of these themes are essential to understand or to appreciate the film, but I think that’s what I find so brilliant about the script. The layers here are truly impressive and it’s able to deliver something for everyone that may wander into the theatre to see this movie. 

Of course, for a movie to be this good, it needs a rock solid cast and 28 Years Later has that, too. We definitely need to start with Alfie Williams. What an incredibly impressive feature film debut, especially for someone who was 13 years old at the time of filming. I only bring up his age because of how much more impressive it is. In some movies, I will often caveat performances from young actors by saying it was a great “child performance,” but I am making no such caveats here. This whole movie hinges on Alfie’s lead performance and it’s one of the best of the year so far. He’s not alone, though, in this movie. Even the supporting characters absolutely shine. Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Jodie Comer play his parents and both of them are incredible at every point. The biggest powerhouse performance though for me comes from Ralph Fiennes, who isn’t in much of the movie, but is critical for the story and evolution of these characters. Fiennes is incredible at balancing the duality of his character, and without Fiennes, the story just wouldn’t come together nearly as strongly. 

As a whole package, I was kind of floored by this movie. It starts off gritty and raw and I was thoroughly enjoying the experience which includes some very cool and gnarly gore and kills, too. As it progressed though, the emotional story sort of snuck up on me and absolutely cut me to the core. 

There has been much discussion about the ending, which I won’t talk about at all here (stay tuned for a spoiler-filled episode of The Screen Love Affair Podcast to hear about that), but as long as you keep an open mind, I think you’ll love the ending as much as I did. 

Verdict

I didn’t expect to love 28 Years Later, in fact, I was ready to write it off like so many other legacy sequels. But I couldn’t have been more wrong. What I got instead was bold, visceral, and emotionally grounded in a way that completely caught me off guard. Every choice felt purposeful and every scene landed.

In a time when legacy sequels so often feel hollow or forced, this one feels alive. Not just worthy of the original, but in many ways, even better.

28 Years Later is now playing in theatres and you don’t want to miss it. Grab some friends, hit up your local cinema, and experience it on the big screen where it was meant to be seen!