28 Years Later
28 Years Later is playing in theaters at the time of writing. Rated R. Common Sense says 16+.
A group of survivors of the rage virus live on a small island. When one of the group (Spike, played by Alfie Williams) leaves the island on a mission into the mainland, he discovers secrets, wonders, and horrors that have mutated not only the infected but other survivors.
STORY: A-
Simplicity. This movie’s superstrength is its simplicity.
Unlike the MCU, you won’t need to do hours of homework in order to know what’s going on in this movie. In fact, you don’t need to rewatch any of the previous films (although you most definitely should because they’re awesome).
Three simple sentences stretch across the screen at the start, and they provide all the backstory you’ll need.
That simplicity gives the film the space to be able to breathe, to stay true to itself, and to focus on being the best version of itself that it can be, and it shows.
PEOPLE: A
Alfie Williams wows in his first huge role.
This is Spike’s story. It doesn’t work without a standout performance from Williams.
He’s got to be able to go toe to toe with some of our finest actors. He’s got to be able to carry the lion’s share of the emotional load. He’s got to be able to grow up right in front of our eyes.
He’s got a bright, bright future ahead of him.
FILM NERD STUFF: A
Boyle goes full Boyle.
Killer soundtrack? Pure Boyle. Dizzying bird’s eye angles? Pure Boyle. Jarring Dutch angles? Pure Boyle. Frantic, slashing cuts? You guessed it:
Pure Boyle.
Boyle’s flashy, splashy style is his calling card, and he’s on fire here. Every ounce of it serves the story and every moment hits just right.
My favorite move occurs when Spike and his dad stumble upon Jimmy’s first victim. We see a repeated shot of an unremarkable drip. It acts a drop in the scene’s bucket full of tension before it pivots toward higher levels of tension than we could ever imagine.
ONE BIG LESSON: A-
It’s not the death that kills you.
In a land boiling over with zombies, a boy’s first kill marks the moment he becomes a man.
But real, actual growing up usually happens through a series of figurative deaths. The death of childish ideas. The death of childish beliefs. The death of childish attitudes.
When these things “die,” they leave space for new ideas, beliefs and attitudes to grow. They’re the first trailmarkers on the path to adulthood, a road where you’ll hopefully meet many more mentors than zombies.
FINAL COMMENTS:
I don’t want to diminish the zombies’ role in this film, but I wouldn’t call 28 Years Later a great zombie flick. I’d call it a flat out incredible film that just so happens to have zombies in it.
Like Coogler in Sinners, Boyle emphasizes story over monsters. 28 Years Later may not address a wide constellation of important ideas the way Sinners does, but it’s one of the best coming of age tales you’ll ever see.
To make a metaphor, the movie’s an iceberg. The rabid pile of raging zombies above the water is what grabs your attention, but it’s the massive, glorious story lying beneath the surface that gives it its true power.