28 Years Later is the latest instalment in the iconic zombie film series. Getting here was not easy. Many complications surrounding the film rights plunged the film into development hell over the years. At one point, it was even going to be titled 28 Months Later as a logical extension from 28 Days Later and its sequel 28 Weeks Later. With Danny Boyle and Alex Garland back as the creative forces behind the project, 28 Years Later is finally in cinemas – some 23 years after the original.

The film opens with a sequence from the initial outbreak, setting the tone and catching the audience up immediately with the events of the franchise. The Rage Virus, which was shown to have spread into mainland Europe by the end of 28 Weeks Later, is now under control, and the infected are confined within the British Isles, which is under indefinite quarantine. There lives a pocket of survivors on an island off mainland England, which is connected by a fortified causeway. Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and his family live among the community, which has now regressed into a more traditional lifestyle, where boys learn to hunt and fight as soldiers and girls learn to weave and cook. When Jamie’s son, Spike (Alfie Williams), turns 12, he is taken onto a mission into the mainland as part of a coming-of-age ritual. There, Spike – and we, the audience – learn about the infected and how they have evolved over the years to survive alongside humankind.

Two decades ago, 28 Days Later sent a ripple through the horror film genre, particularly zombie films. Many tropes can be attributed to the film, including fast-moving zombies, a post-apocalyptic setting, themes of humanism, and more. It has since inspired many films and series that have put their own spin on the formula to great success, such as The Walking Dead and Train to Busan. As the film became part of the century’s zeitgeist – particularly after Covid-19, which famously drew people into the empty streets of London to recreate its opening – director Danny Boyle and screenwriter Alex Garland face the daunting task of following it up two decades later. In my opinion, they have succeeded.

While 28 Years Later may not be as trailblazing as the original film – nor should it be expected to be – the film finds a story worth telling within the context of the franchise. The film may initially lure the audience into thinking that it is another 28 Days Later-style horror survival film. It then shifts and metamorphoses into a coming-of-age story about a young boy navigating a dangerous – and perhaps even evil – adult world. This was completely unexpected when I first watched it, as I was expecting a grander, more expositional story about the virus, containment, world-building, and so on.

Boyle and Garland did not seem interested in those things – and for the better. Instead, the film focuses on Spike and his odyssey through the mainland as he has various mentors serving as guiding lights for him, teaching him about the dangers, the sadness, the beauty, and the hardship of growing up. Make no mistake, though. The film is still chock-full of tense chase sequences and intense, gory moments for horror fans. The focal point, however, was never on those elements. I am pleasantly surprised by it and delighted that Boyle and Garland do not repeat themselves by just making a 28 Days Later remake. To tell a story about a world affected by something so catastrophic 28 years later, it was right to focus on coming-of-age for the new generation, and healing and remembrance for the older one.

Apart from Boyle and Garland, cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle returns to the franchise for the first time since the original film. Boyle is never a stranger to experimenting with new technology. Dod Mantle and Boyle famously pioneered digital filmmaking with 28 Days Later, opting to use smaller, more manoeuvrable digital that allowed them to shoot the empty London sequences in shockingly short amounts of time. This time, shooting primarily on iPhones, the filmmakers are able to film on location for the most part, contributing to the film’s realism. By mounting dozens of phones on a circular rig, they are able to create the Matrix-style bullet-time effect on the zombies in the midst of action sequences, achieving a disorientating and dynamic POV.

The music and soundtrack are marvellous. The score by Young Fathers is a majestic blend of gospel, choral, electronic, and punk. Opening with gospel-infused “Promised Land”, the music shifts into pop punk with “Lowly”, successfully evoking early Danny Boyle (Shallow Grave and Trainspotting times). “Boots” is the single most brilliant soundtrack for a horror film in a while. Overlaying Taylor Holmes’s recitation of the 1903 poem “Boots” by Rudyard Kipling on a pulsing electronic beat, the track evokes terror. It helps that the poem captures the repetitive thoughts of a soldier marching during war, trying to keep himself from going insane. Appropriately, the track plays as Spike and Jamie first cross the causeway on their mission, intercut with archival footage of 1600s-era soldiers in battle. As the recitation becomes hysterical near the end of the track, I felt my heart rise to my throat while watching the sequence. It is my favourite sequence of the entire film. Other notable tracks from the soundtrack include “Sheku”, “Causeway” which features a swelling orchestral melody, and “Hum” which is a touching track that evokes warmth and melancholy at the same time.

Led by powerhouse actors like Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Comer and Ralph Fiennes, alongside the bizarrely talented newcomer Alfie Williams, the film boasts terrific performances. Alfie Williams, who is set to lead the planned sequel due next year, is already a tour de force in his feature debut and I cannot wait to see more of him.

28 Years Later is a triumphant return to form for Danny Boyle and the franchise, despite its small-scale story. The sequel cannot come soon enough as I eagerly want to see where Boyle and Garland will take the story next. My only reservation is that I am slightly annoyed that the sequel is subtitled The Bone Temple, which completely breaks the established title naming convention.

Author: Chia Jing Heng (andreusjh99)