‘28 YEARS LATER’ Review: Danny Boyle & Alex Garland’s Gory Coming-of-Age Zombie Flick

Courtney Howard // Film Critic

28 YEARS LATER

Rated R, 1 hour and 55 minutes

Directed by: Danny Boyle

Starring: Alfie Williams, Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ralph Fiennes, Edvin Ryding, Jack O’Connell, Chi Lewis-Parry

28 YEARS LATER opens on a horrific sequence where a handful of TELETUBBIES-captivated youngsters are noshed on and infected by their blood-barfing, disease-riddled parents. It’s an absolutely psychotic scene unfolding that, for gore hounds, is as disturbing as it is uproarious. But that shocking level of horror isn’t properly sustained throughout the course of the picture. While director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland don’t shy away from capturing the gross carnage, complex realities and detrimental effects of post-pandemic struggles, the pair fumble their attempts crafting a sense of unrelenting mayhem whilst building out the terrifying world they first created decades ago with 28 DAYS LATER.

Our story takes place on a remote, heavily guarded island separated from the mainland by a causeway. In the years since the Rage Virus decimated the U.K. population, turning the territory into a contained quarantine zone, this insular community of survivors has taken shape and thriving thanks to concerted efforts to keep their colony safe from the infected. They’ve gone back to basics, in terms of their agriculture and education practices, valuing combat training and supply rationing. They look out for each other.

Kind-hearted tween Spike (Alfie Williams) is embarking on his rite-of-passage mission with his smart, caring dad Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), foraging the land for anything that can be of use in addition to hunting the infected. Lessons are learned on this father-son bonding adventure, primarily discovering that their deadly adversaries are mutating, growing stronger, faster and smarter. They rip spines outta their prey now. However, upon the duo’s return home, Spike sees his mother Isla’s (Jodie Comer) mysterious illness worsening and begs Jamie to seek out the help of Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes), a doctor who allegedly went mad, for a consultation. Jamie refuses, causing Spike to rebel and take his ailing mom to the mainland on their own. Havoc and hilarity ensue.

Boyle and Garland establish a heartfelt emotional throughline where we care about this family before they’re thrown into peril. It’s not just a survivalist story. It’s a coming-of-age journey for this young man, set against the backdrop of a post-apocalyptic landscape. It’s also a contemplative rumination on death, especially death with dignity. Cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle captures beauty in the face of ugly terrors with a tender touch. Boyle and editor Jon Harris flex their muscles, expressing a frenetic, bullet time-esque cinematic language during the kill sequences, pushing the boundaries of iPhones and infrared cameras.

Alpha mutant Samson’s (Chi Lewis-Parry) spine-rips are indeed gross and wince-inducing, terrifically highlighted in their full glory. Johnnie Burn’s sound design is resplendent. Squelching, screaming and slobbering has never audibly registered as disgustingly as it does here. The sounds of arrows hitting their targets, the mutants’ thudding footsteps as they sprint, and the sobering stillness of nature all hit with a sense of weight. Young Fathers’ compositions on the soundtrack edge towards experimental.

Rather than sprinkle tension relief humor throughout, it’s relegated to a specific segment with the appearance of obnoxious Erick (Edvin Ryding), a Swedish soldier marooned on the mainland after his military ship wrecked. He saves the day, not only for the Isla and Spike, firing off a machine gun in the nick of time, but also for us as his presence brings much needed laughter. The interloper exposes the kid to a whole other life outside of this time-forgotten zone – perhaps a worse-off world filled with technology, silicone and face-fillers.

Unfortunately, the picture suffers from some pacing issues, leading the proceedings to feel longer than the run time. Latter scenes delving into the human drama outstay their welcome, particularly when we get to Dr. Kelson’s turf and inevitably learn he’s just misunderstood. The inclusion of the infected Neanderthal-like mutants opens up the lore to new rules of this universe. There are some cool ideas posited, but in execution, it tends to leave us with more questions than answers. Plus, the filmmakers do the annoying thing of sequel baiting, leaving us on a cliffhanger with the (previously publicized) introduction of Jack O’Connell’s tracksuit-sporting Eurotrash character. Had he come in at the midway point, the film might’ve held more promise.

Still, most of the blights are forgivable, due to the feature’s crowd-pleasing elements and Williams’ sincere performance, carrying the picture on his slight shoulders.

Grade: 3.5 out of 5

28 YEARS LATER releases in theaters on June 20.