With “28 Years Later”, Danny Boyle Revives, And Expands Upon, His Infected Wasteland

The long-awaited sequel to “28 Days Later” and “28 Weeks Later” shows it isn’t afraid to take risks, most of which pay off, in a new, terrifying coming of age story

I still remember seeing the previews for 28 Days Later, having just turned 13 years old in the summer of 2002 when it was released, after finally being allowed by my parents to watch R-rated movies on a consistent basis. I remember how chaotic and rabid the trailer looked, notably with the then unknown Cillian Murphy shouting and losing his mind in the middle of an empty field at the end of the commercial.

Although I didn’t see it in the theaters, I do remember grabbing a copy of the DVD (I’m showing my age here) from Video Showplace, the local video store (ok, REALLY showing my age here), and being blown away by it. It has remained one of my go-to rewatchables throughout the years. If I had to guess, I’d say I’ve seen it somewhere between 25 and 30 times.

While nothing in this new addition to this series tops the haunting, nightmarish sequence featuring Murphy’s character stumbling through the empty streets of London after waking up in a hospital from a 28-day coma (get where the title comes from?), Years still contains some incredible jump cuts, shots, and cinematography. Notably set against the disturbing, ominous Rudyard Kipling 1903 poem “Boots”, where in this film a female voice coldly reads it’s out of order countdown that fits the tone of the film perfectly. Videos of the English War are spliced in while this is happening, which creatively captures the parallels between the wars of Britain’s past, and present.

At the heart of 28 Years Later is a coming-of-age story, where an island off the coast of the mainland holds a village of a couple hundred people or so. There is a pathway that leads to the mainland where many infected continue to run amok, but the village is heavily secured with a gate and armed guards, and the path covers up for many hours of the day due to the tides of the water that effectively protect them from the infected due to them not being able to swim. If you’re going to the mainland, you’re on your own, and there will be no rescue attempts should you find yourself in trouble. And you also must be aware of when the pathway will cover up with water when trying to return to the island.

One of the leaders of the village, Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), has decided it’s time to take his 12-year old son Spike (Alfie Williams), into the mainland. The town needs fuel and supplies, and Jamie has also decided it’s time for Spike to learn how to become a man and defend himself, which includes being taught how to kill the infected. Jamie’s wife and Spike’s mother, Isla (Jodie Comer), is suffering from some kind of brain rot (maybe slow-growing infection?) that makes her confused and largely incapacitated. Spike is deadset on finding a cure for his mother, while Jamie appears largely indifferent to trying to help her. There are rumors of a doctor in the mainland who could potentially aid her, something Spike begs his father to consider as time goes on.

Director Danny Boyle, who won an Oscar for Slumdog Millionaire, seems re-energized to be back to his roots with this film (between 28 Days Later and Trainspotting, Boyle seems totally comfortable painting an ugly, nihilistic British landscape involving sick people). While Boyle has been plenty busy making movies since 28 Days Later, such as 127 Hours, T2 Trainspotting, Yesterday, and the totally slept-on sci-fi film Sunshine, I feel like many have been hoping that he would one day return to this series, after turning down the opportunity to direct 28 Weeks Later, the first sequel to his beloved first film.

Made exclusively on an iPhone, one could argue that Boyle runs the risk as appearing pretentious with how he decided to not only film this movie but also change how the infected behave. While they are mostly still naked blood-soaked crackheads with Usain Bolt speed, one of the main themes of the film is how the infected have adapted and mutated all these years later. Some are overweight and crawl on the earth searching for worms to eat, while others are Samson-esque muscle freaks who strangely exhibit caution, in strategic, cerebral type fashion, before deciding to attack. These creative decisions ultimately give the story more dimension and help set up the next wave of sequels that will inevitably follow, especially given the film’s bizarro ending.

Ultimately, this movie is Spike’s story. We see a scared little boy gain more confidence over the course of the film and grow up on screen in a relatively short amount of time. Boyle and writer Alex Garland (a solid director in his own right), provide their core of characters with the necessary meat needed to make us care about them. We relate to Spike the most because God knows we’d probably feel and behave the same exact way Spike does in the first act of the story if we were ever tasked with trying to survive in an infected, apocalyptic wasteland.

While there are a few character decisions that don’t ring true, and an opening sequence that fails to connect to the rest of the movie (maybe that’ll be answered in the sequels), the way this film is shot and how naturally the story progresses make this a worthy, and often thrilling addition to the series. Boyle does a commendable job crafting an intriguing story with new characters and paving the way for expansion. For those looking for a similar retread of 28 Days Later, you’ll get some nostalgic doses, but this is largely new territory, and that’s what makes this film a success.

Although it doesn’t surpass the first film, I’d say it neatly falls in between that and 28 Weeks Later, in terms of order of best to worst. And that’s not a shot at Weeks, which I do like, but it does feel like it’s playing catchup the entire movie after its breathtaking, epic intro. Years offers a little more balance compared to Weeks, but Days remains the best mostly just because of how ferociously original it was when it came out.

For a universe full of death and destruction, Boyle has breathed new life into this series. If you have the chance to see Years in theaters, I highly recommend going. It’s great to see horror films like this still being made, and I’m really interested in seeing which direction Boyle takes this story.

Rating: *** out of ****