Boyle and Garland considered a story where Rage had consumed the world, but decided to use Brexit as an allegorical starting point, and instead focused on the quarantine of the UK as the only place to still have the virus active nearly 3 decades later. The rest of the world went on around them, while the technology and culture of the UK, non-infected, devolved to Elizabethan standards. The islanders hang on to fading remnants of technology, but primarily rely on farming, fishing, bow hunting, and scavenging. The low-tide causeway provides security and an opportunity to live with little fear of the infected. When Isla and Spike are with Dr. Kelson, the tone shifts radically. It could be from a different movie, and adds a deeper layer to the film.
As always, script and performances are symbiotically linked to a film’s quality, and the cast here delivers the vision powerfully. The film belongs to Williams and Comer, along with Fiennes, the three of whom form the beating heart of the film’s emotional core. Fiennes gives a standout performance, even for a celebrated veteran actor. He looks like a man who has lived hard and worked to survive. Having just finished playing Odysseus for Christopher Nolan’s The Return, he is still jacked in 28 Years Later, and nearly unrecognizable. Kelson represents pre-Rage England as an older, educated, compassionate man trying to survive apocalyptic times. Taylor-Johnson brings Jamie to life convincingly, but is underutilized, and his character is the least interesting of the leads.
Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and his son Spike (Alfie Williams) scout for threats on the mainland in Danny Boyle’s 28 Years Later.
“…full of heart that fully invests the audience in the characters…”
Following up on the handheld/camcorder aesthetic from the first film, Boyle chose to employ clever setups with iPhones for some sequences in 28 Years Later, which, in combination with stunning cinematography, done with regular cameras, makes for a powerful visual experience. On top of that, the soundtrack by Young Fathers and other artists infuses the film with energy.
Boyle took risks, experimenting in a variety of ways and swerving away from expectations. That pays off handsomely with a film full of heart that fully invests the audience in the characters while retaining the essence of the original. It ends on a cliffhanger. The plan is to complete this narrative in a trilogy if funding can be secured. While Cillian Murphy isn’t in this film, he is an executive producer, so there’s a chance he could reprise his role as Jim from the first film. Despite being a sequel to a story set up in 2002, as well as still grinding away at a tired Zombie genre, 28 Years Later is original and new. That said, we’ve now had enough Zombies, and Norman Reedus really needs to let Daryl Dixon die in peace. Boyle and Garland have refreshed the genre with a brilliant work of art, but perhaps this series of films should give it all a lovely coda and we can finally and forever be done with Zombies.
"…refreshes the genre with a brilliant work of art..."
