Via IMDB
By Keith Walther
Except for the clothing optional memo the zombies must have received. “28 Years Later” is the third horror film of this franchise, which was actually made 18 years after the last sequel. The original filmmakers return and, despite loads of talent, they create a very dull, very naked sequel that has critics gushing over it, but will leave anyone expecting a horrific thrill ride sorely disappointed.
28 years have passed since the rage virus spread uncontrollably throughout England, leaving the country in an apocalyptic state. On a small island just outside of the mainland, a community of survivors are thriving, seeing as how these enraged zombies are unable to cross water. They have a custom, similar to an aboriginal walkabout, where boys venture to the mainland to get their first zombie kill and become a man.
Spike (Alfie Williams) is the lucky boy who gets to go on this rite of passage, accompanied by his father, Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson). Regardless of some close calls, the duo returns as successful heroes, but when Alfie learns that Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes), a renowned medical professional and skull enthusiast, still survives on the mainland, Alfie ventures off with his mother Isla (Jodie Comer) to save her from a serious illness. With a pack of zombies led by an alpha male, who hate clothing as much as they hate the uninfected, give chase, the mother and son cling to survival with death looming around every corner.
“28 Years Later” reunites director Danny Boyle with writer Alex Garland, who created the original film “28 Days Later” back in 2002. While that first movie may have been decent for an independent production, it was by no means great, but still successfully garnered a following of fans who have been anxiously anticipating this third installment. While Danny Boyle since won the Best Director Oscar in 2009 for “Slumdog Millionaire” and Alex Garland received a Best Screenplay Oscar nomination in 2016 for “Ex Machina,” their combined talents should have resulted in a tour de force, but pacing issues, oddly disjointed ideas that contradict the prior installments, and a complete lack of horror derail this production.
For starters, why the obsession with depicting all the zombies completely in the nude, with a particular emphasis on full frontal male nudity? Did the zombies infect a nudist colony? Did the rage virus make their skin allergic to clothing material? More than likely, the answer is Boyle is perpetuating shock value cinema that continues to creep into the movies to elicit controversy, because the nudity serves no purpose and is simply a gratuitous inclusion. To top it off, Boyle throws in a visceral live birth scene of a pregnant zombie, who has an inexplicable Kumbaya moment with an uninfected woman, holding hands as she births the baby. The whole scene practically mocks the prior films and defies rational thinking.
Boyle and Garland do deserve some credit for exploring the lore a little bit, having the infected form into tribes with mutated alpha males serving as the leaders, possibly evolving them into aggressive, nomadic cavemen of prehistoric times. In addition, Boyle films much of the production using iPhones to capture the independent spirit of the first film, becoming the first big budget Hollywood movie to do so. However, they also completely ignore elements introduced in the prior films, such as the genetic immunity uncovered in “28 Weeks Later,” that allowed people with heterochromia (different colored eyes) to be immune to the rage virus but still made them carriers. Then there’s the off-the-wall conclusion that plays out like a drug-induced hallucination, complete with blonde-wigged ninjas…not joking.
With frenetic imagery and a dysfunctional script, the acting can easily get lost in a film like this, but the young English actor Alfie Williams shines in the lead role. He successfully gains emotional attachment to his character, showing the youthful vulnerability of his character while bravely putting his life on the line to save his mother. Some of the more touching moments in the film arrive during his interactions with the highly talented Jodie Comer, who plays his gravely ill mother. Ralph Fiennes and Aaron Taylor-Johnson are nice additions to the cast but supply very little in the way of importance.
Do not let yourself be gaslit by the overly high Rotten Tomatoes score. This is not a good movie that is exceedingly boring while pretending to be intelligent and introspective. “28 Years Later” is a significant disappointment as a sequel and does not even meet the minimum requirements of a horror film to frighten and entertain. If you’re in the mood for a post-apocalyptic thriller, then wait for “40 Acres,” which is a satisfyingly exciting film that releases next week.
This movie earns
