Director Danny Boyle is often credited with re-igniting the zombie genre when his surprisingly over-achieving “28 Days Later” became one of the top-grossing horror films of 2002. The film starred a then-relatively unknown Cillian Murphy who wakes up from a coma to find the whole of Britain run over by crazed hordes of the “Infected;” people exposed to a rage-inducing virus mistakenly released from a containment lab by animal rights activists. So technically, despite exhibiting the same blood-thirsty tendencies, the Infected are not zombies. They are living which makes them slightly easier to kill, but they are extremely fast (or so we thought) and, as we find out, evolving.
“28 Years Later” finds the rage virus eradicated from Europe and contained to Great Britain, which is now subject to a quarantine enforced by global military forces. A settlement of survivors takes hold on a small island connected to the mainland by a fortified causeway, which is only accessible during low tide. The film introduces the audience to a teenager in the settlement, Spike (played by Alfie Williams in his feature film debut), as he embarks upon a coming-of-age ritual where his father (played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson) takes him to the mainland for his first kill. As a result of the hunt, Spike learns of a mysteriously feared doctor, played by Ralph Fiennes.
Spike’s mother, played by the always fantastic Jodie Comer, is seriously ill with an undiagnosed illness and Spike immediately concocts a plan to sneak his mom across the causeway to see the doctor. Of course, the journey encounters various hordes of the Infected, led by a new, stronger and intelligent “Alpha” species.
A divisive ending sparks debate among the “28 Days Later” loyalists, as the film is uniquely positioned as both a bookend to the original trilogy and the first in a new trilogy, the final scene serving as a teaser for a more bombastic and kinetic gang narrative. The next installment, “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple,” was filmed concurrently and features more of Ralph Fiennes and the return of Cillian Murphy.
On my ski trail rating system, “28 Years Later” earns my intermediate BLUE ski trail rating. Director Danny Boyle successfully combines harrowing chase scenes with a slower, well-acted coming-of-age story. However, with a saturation of zombie movies and the re-emergence of “The Last of Us” series, there is little here that feels fresh. Uneven editing, CGI limited by iPhone camerawork, and a script that truncates personal relationships and asks the audience to ignore obvious contradictions like slow-moving, bloated Infected don’t help. Still, outstanding performances by Jodie Comer and new-comer Alfie Williams reward a trip to the theater.
“28 Years Later” is playing in theaters with a run-time of one hour and fifty-five minutes. The film is rated R for bloody violence, grisly images, graphic nudity, language and giving new meaning to “spinal tap.”
