Movie Review: 28 Years Later
New installment of influential franchise finds the human element in the "monsters."
By Angela Davis
FILM REVIEWER
Released in 2002, Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later was a massive influence on horror for its unique take on the zombie sub-genre. Its use of fast-moving zombies changed the game for fans, and on top of popularizing this new breed of zombie, its underlying story offered something as substantial as Romero’s classic Living Dead trilogy.
Now, nearly 25 years later, a new entry in the long-running franchise has arrived, and it raises the bar for Boyle’s long dormant franchise.
Taking place 28 years after the initial outbreak, the new film follows a boy named Spike as he encounters the world of the infected on the British mainland for the first time. When he discovers something that could help his ailing mother, he takes her there with the hope of saving her. This is a fairly simple premise on the surface. However, underneath it is one of the most hauntingly beautiful stories told in a long time.
One of the key themes that makes 28 Years Later work is empathy. The world today is undergoing an incredibly divisive climate with opposing sides dehumanizing one another. Director Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, Yesterday) and writer Alex Garland (Ex Machina, Civil War) have found a way to examine today’s divisive political climate—and the tendency of opposing sides to dehumanize one another—through the lens of the 28 Days Later series, which already thrived by cherishing small human moments in a larger crisis.
The result is a film that explores the human sides of both the survivors and the infected. There are moments that feature the “enemies” engaging in very human moments. It’s an interesting way to blur the lines in a sub-genre that consistently examines the evils of the supposed “good” side. Giving the infected a chance to shine as still being human underneath is a remarkable way of pushing the series forward.
On top of this, the story culminates in a way that beautifully ties the film together. Without delving into spoilers, the ending highlights just how similar everyone truly is deep down. At the end of the day, people are still people, regardless of differences such as skin color, sexual orientation, gender identity, and more.
Of course, being a 28 Days Later film, fans of the series will still find plenty of zombie fun throughout the runtime. The carnage in the opening scene takes the audience back into the series’ world beautifully, and there’s non-stop suspense and violence throughout. Still, 28 Years Later is a wonderful horror film because of how much it has to offer under the surface. It may not be for everyone, but it’s a story that is crucial to be shared in today’s heated political and social environment.
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