Cinematic Point Of View

28 Years Later isn’t the movie I was expecting. Having had a few days to let it sit with me, I’m finding that I’m appreciating it’s big swings even if some of them were misses.

It’s a film that you’re going to either love or hate, based on your expectations and your ability to adapt and to let go. To me, 28 Years Later has very little to do with the original films, except that it lives in the world of the rage virus.

This movie has created its own world within the world. It’s a story set in the 28 Days Later universe, and it feels very much like a sort of medieval fantasy. Early on, director Danny Boyle intercuts scenes from an old castle siege film and tells the audience, “This is what you should expect.” And yet, he doesn’t really deliver that—but it gets you into the ballpark of the setting.

This is not a gritty, immersive escape from the city to the country zombie movie. It’s more of a bloody, post apocalyptic adventure quest. Imagine the group of survivors in The Road Warrior living in isolation on an island and creating a country village.

It’s a bit all over the place. It wants to be a family drama, a young knight’s quest, and a philosophical exploration of death. And it does deliver on all three—just not as seamlessly as you might expect. There are some obviously bad decisions made by characters that bothered me, along with some janky editing choices here and there.

Despite all it’s stumbles though, for me, the film works and that is mostly because of its actors.

The young, lead character, a boy named Spike is excellent. Spike is played by Alfie Williams and he knocks it out of the park. I imagine we’ll be seeing a ton from him in the future. Spike’s ailing mother is played by Jodie Comer, who is also fantastic, and his father, played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson, is surprisingly great as well. This family, and their situation, sets the story in motion. I’m trying to non-spoil here.

Ralph Fiennes also gives another stellar performance as Dr. Kelson, a quirky and fantastical character living on the fringe, deep in the wilderness. When he shows up, the film takes yet another thematic turn for the better and really elevates the story.

I was also super appreciative of the fantasy element. There are some beautiful and otherworldly shots of a star filled night sky as characters run for safety. A shrine and towers of skulls. Zombies that come off a bit more like fantasy orcs or the titans from Attack on Titan. I really came to appreciate all of these often beautiful and horrific new elements.

In the end, I enjoyed the 28 Years Later a lot and look forward to revisiting it at home without the expectations I had going in.

I also really appreciate what screenwriter Alex Garland and Danny Boyle were trying to do here. From it’s bright-red, blood soaked moments to it’s tender emotional pontification on death and dying, it’s art and entertainment all mixed up and messy. And with two sequels on the way, you could say this is a work of “art” in progress. Not everybody is gonna be happy with it.

Here’s to hoping the next one is another bloody mixed up mess. After so many sequels that play it safe and rehash the same exact story, it’s refreshing to watch something like this.

What say you? I’d love to hear your take. Lots to discuss with this one.