28 Years Later movie review: Danny Boyle's horror zombie sequel is scary, tender & pulse-pounding

Star cast: Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jack O’Connell, Alfie Williams, Ralph Fiennes

Director: Danny Boyle

Director Danny Boyle and screenwriter Alex Garland took us on a terrifying ride in 2002 with 28 Days Later, which is still considered one of the best horror movies of the 21st century.

The third instalment of the trilogy, titled 28 Years Later, skips the events of Juan Carlos Fresnadillo’s 2007 sequel, 28 Weeks Later, by taking a dig at British isolationism.

The plot starts with a bunch of small and young kids watching a Teletubbies episode and trying to avoid the noise of adults from another room, who are becoming prey to flash-eating zombies.

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One of the kids, named Jimmy, who tries to see what’s happening through the door, manages to escape after her aunt, who is attacked by one of the zombies, tells him to run. He reaches one of the nearby churches, where Jimmy is revealed to be the son of a preacher man. He passes his crucifix to Jimmy and tells him to always keep it with him before calling the deathly mob to the “Day of Judgment.”

Now, 28 Years Later, we see a land mass off the northeast coast of England, which is separated from the mainland (residence of zombies) by a causeway, which can be accessed only during a low tide.

A kid named Spike lives there with his parents, Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and Isla (Jodie Comer), with the latter suffering from an illness, which gives her pain and lucidity. The land is untouched by modern civilisation and development due to its association with zombies, and hence, there are no doctors who can check up on Isla.

This land is home to a tight-knit community, where people are into designated professions like a farmer, hunter, fisherman, forager, baker and others.

Despite being quite young, Spike gets confidence from Jamie to be confident and skilled in archery to get his first kill of the infected on the mainland. As the father-son duo reach there, Spike gets the first blood of a ‘slow-low’ (slug-like ground-crawlers). While ‘slow-lows’ are easy to kill, they now encounter a hulking Berserker, also known as Alpha (a giant zombie who runs fast and has enough power to tear off the head of the victims). Virus has a steroidal effect on Alphas, which gives them that power.

While hiding, Spike discovers a fire in the bushes. When he questions Jamie about that, he ignores it. As they return home, they are chased by an alpha, but they just manage to escape in the end.

In the holy land, an old-timer family friend, Sam (Christopher Fulford), tells Spike that the fire he saw was probably lit by Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes). Spike, who is hurt by his father’s dishonesty as he saw him having sex with a young woman, takes his mother to the mainland and makes sure to reach Dr Kelson, who can treat Isla. Will Spike and Isla reach Dr. Kelson, or will they become victims of an Alpha?

28 Years Later goes beyond survival drama as it explores the tender emotions of family ties. The deadly combination of Boyle and Garland makes sure to weave a narrative with thrilling sequences, which are pacy and masterfully crafted with sheer technical brilliance.

Anthony Dod Mantle’s breathtaking camera work and Jon Harris’ razor-sharp editing take the storytelling to another level, with Johnnie Burn’s sound design enhancing the cinematic experience.

Talking about the performances, Comer, Williams and Fiennes deliver brilliant acts, but honestly, it’s Danny, Garland and the technical crew members who are real craftsmen of this post-apocalyptic horror movie.

Rating: 3.5 (out of 5 stars)

28 Years Later is playing in cinemas