Shot completely on iPhones, 28 YEARS LATER is a true return to form for zombie movies, and a welcomed return to the genre and franchise for director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland. A visceral thrill ride, the film is a showcase of gorgeous cinematography, spine-tingling suspense (you will understand this choice of words more when you see the film), and elite performances from some of the best actors working today. But more than anything, it is an exploration of humanity—the lengths you will go to survive a dire situation and what you will risk to save the ones you love.
Taking place 28 years from the first infection (aka 28 DAYS LATER), the film drops you onto Holy Island, a refuge of survivors who have built a society protected from the mainland’s “infected” (aka zombies) by the ocean tides. Only for a few hours a day is the tide low enough for members of the community to get to the mainland, should they need to procure wood or other required items; a heavily-guarded wall defends the community from any rogue zombies that may decide to threaten the island. But now it’s time for 12-year-old Spike’s (Alfie Williams) rite of passage into manhood. At a certain age, young boys are taken to the mainland to learn how to hunt the infected. Despite his ailing mother Isla’s (Jodie Comer) objections, Spike’s dad (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) decides to take him across the small land bridge to get his first kills. But of course, nothing is ever that simple and Spike learns that growing up and learning how the world works is more difficult than he could have ever expected.
28 YEARS LATER is full of blood, guts, and gore… as any good zombie movie should be. But more than anything, despite some funny moments here and there, the film evokes a tremendous amount of sympathy, emotion, and heart. I wasn’t expecting to cry during the movie, but Garland’s script makes you immediately fall in love with the characters. This is an important element in a horror film that is so dependent on you caring about their survival. Jodie Comer absolutely kills it (pun intended), in the film’s most difficult role, vacillating between delusion and confusion. She is tormented by an unknown illness, but still finds moments of consciousness where she shows the love she has for her son and an especially fun bit of zombie-bashing ferocity. I’ve already been seeing early buzz for her getting a supporting actress nomination for the film, and I think it’s totally worth it.
Filming the movie completely on iPhones is not a gimmick. In fact, I highly doubt you would even know the film was shot on the device because the cinematography is so superb. Boyle’s choice of using this medium does a remarkable job of using dynamic, at times frenetic, camera movements to make you feel totally involved in the action of the movie. You feel like a fly on the wall, stuck in the British isolation zone and running away from zombies yourself. Many times I had to remind myself this was a big budget Hollywood movie, because it felt so rustic and contained—similar to the entire point of the film.
Believe it or not, Boyle and Garland already filmed a sequel to 28 YEARS LATER, which I am really excited about after the interesting characters that are introduced towards the end of the film. It’s clear that they understand what makes the genre work and what needs to happen to keep a franchise fresh. THE LAST OF US should take notes.
There is not an end credit scene.
My Review: B+/A-
