4 outta 5

28 Years Later is a different film than the original 28 Days Later and its sequel, 28 Weeks Later. First off, this is not as constantly intense as the first two films, this slows down a lot, but the Infected scenes are still gnarly, and somehow even more twisted than before. If the first two films showed a world that has just collapsed, this is a world that has been rotting for almost 30 years, and the stench is unbearable. But there is a story of family love in the not-quite-zombie rampages which is unexpectedly moving. But even with the emotional drama, there’s still Infected carnage, ripping off heads and more. This is not what one would expect from a decades later sequel to 28 Days Later, and that is why it is so effective.

28 years after the Rage virus ran through Great Britain, turning people into killer Infected monsters, some island dwelling survivors of the plague go to the mainland for supply runs. Spike (Alfie Williams) is the son of professional scavenger, Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and his sickly mother, Isla (Jodie Comer). Their island community only ventures into main Britain to gather supplies and Jamie is going to bring his son, much to the dismay of his mother. Over there, Jamie teaches his son how to kill Infected (telling him to do it once and every other time will be easier) but they find themselves on the run from rampaging Infected led by a huge and dangerous, Alpha. Spike hears about a strange and potentially deranged Doctor Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) still on the main British island. But Spike is desperate to get his mother real medical attention from an actual doctor, so he takes her to find Kelson, but the Infected are even more dangerous, especially the giant Alpha nicknamed Samson (Chi Lewis-Parry).

Writer Alex Garland has said he was inspired by the videogame Resident Evil in the first one, and he has also showered praise on The Last of Us, and this one seems much inspired by Last of Us. There are variants of the Infected here like the giant Alpha or huge fat ones, both which feel like the Bloaters in Last of Us. The Infected, the not-quite-zombies that run fast and can turn people in seconds with bites or drops of blood, are still freaky. They’re also all naked, which makes them seem more animalistic.

There is a domestic coming of age drama here. Jamie and his son accurately shooting arrows at Infected as they’re running, is the Last of Us influence showing. Also, a coming-of-age zombie drama with the young protagonist is from Last of Us. Taylor-Johnson as the father is a sturdy survivor as more is revealed about him he’s kind of an unlikable toolbag, even at one point running off from a celebratory party with another woman. Williams as the kid goes through a standard coming of age arc where he goes from timid to taking care of things on his own, but the relationship with his mother is heartfelt.

They run into a Swedish soldier who is helpful but also rightfully freaked out by the Infected. Comer as the mother spends a lot of time ill and sad which makes her sympathetic, and her brief moments of lucidity are dramatically impactful. When they finally find the doctor, he is building a temple made of bones and the skulls of people who have died, but not really in a morbid way but as a memorial to everyone who has passed away. Fiennes does an excellent job of someone who seems very nuts, he’s splattered in what looks like blood, but he is actually studying the Infected and trying to see how they work, and his medical and emotional advice to Spike and his mother is deep. And there is a finale scene with Spike that is both visually impressive, kind of twisted and oddly emotionally powerful.

The Infected scenes are top notch. The movie opens with a flashback to the Rage virus breakout featuring a young, terrified kid escaping the Infected rampaging his house (the visual of blood splatter all over a TV of Teletubbies is twisted). When he finds his priest/father, the dad is overjoyed that the Day of Judgement has arrived. Disturbingly, the father lets himself be consumed and turned by the Infected as he goes from joy to rage. The scene when Jamie and Spike are running to their island from a giant Alpha Infected is great as the guards pump the giant monster with flaming arrows, desperate to stop it. Lewis-Parry as Samson, a giant Alpha nicknamed by the doctor, is great at looking incredibly insanely angry, and there are some moments involving a pregnant Infected that are really twisted but Lewis-Parry also shows the anguish behind the monster’s eyes. The final scene of the movie twists again for a cool promise of what is to come in the next movie, The Bone Temple, which looks like it will also shift tones once again. 

28 Years Later is a unique sequel that doesn’t just recycle and remix bits from the original, it expands the world and delivers some real emotionally powerful wallops that go alongside the running Infected. There’s a lot going on here, and definitely not what one expects from a “zombie” movie, making this one of the most arty yet uncompromisingly weird entries into the zombie genre.