I'm still reeling after watching the horror film everyone's talking about

Daily Mirror

9 hours ago

28 Years Later is a sequel to the popular 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later films, and has left viewers terrified, shocked and confused - all in equal measure.
When 28 Days Later first hit the screens in 2002, I was just six years old - far too young to appreciate the intense, psychological pseudo-zombie horror filled with sprinting infected spewing blood and driven by the Rage Virus.
However, as a teenager, I developed a fascination for the film and its less acclaimed sequel, 28 Weeks Later - which, in my view, boasts the best opening scene of any zombie film ever.
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So, you can imagine my thrill when I learnt that director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland were returning in 2025 with the third chapter of the franchise, 28 Years Later. This sequel deviates significantly from the previous films, and personally, I think this is a positive move.
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In the film, 28 years have elapsed since the Rage virus ravaged the UK. Mainland Britain has been quarantined, leaving those outside the island to grapple with the hordes of infected who range from the typical sprinting zombies made famous in the initial films to the swollen bloated infected who drag themselves across the forest floor surviving on worms.
The introduction of these infected is utterly terrifying - the foley sound effect of these corpse-like creatures slurping down worms will echo in my mind for weeks. There's also another new type of infected - an Alpha.
This monstrous zombie appears capable of critical thinking, making him a formidable foe for the main protagonists - father and son duo Jamie and Spike, portrayed by Aaron Taylor Johnson and Alfie Williams respectively, reports the Express.
When Jamie guides Spike from their fortified village on Lindisfarne, across the tidal causeway to the mainland, Spike gets a rapid initiation into zombie hunting and scavenging.
Echoing its predecessors, 28 Years Later is as much about family and society as it is about zombies. The plot thickens when Spike learns of a mysterious doctor on the mainland, portrayed by Ralph Fiennes, setting off an unparalleled hero's journey.
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In a desperate bid to find a cure for his mother Isla, brought to life by a brilliantly unhinged Jodie Comer, Spike leaves the safety of the village and his father's influence. He embarks on a perilous journey through the treacherous forest with his hallucinating mother, relentlessly chased by all three types of infected.
The emotional bond between Spike and Isla was hidden in the film's promotional material, making its revelation a surprise that adds another layer of terror to the movie.
Spike's commitment to finding a cure for his mother forms a central part of the storyline, ratcheting up the tension as the plot unfolds. In her lucid moments, Isla embodies the perfect mother - but she can also succumb to fits of rage and uncontrollable bleeding, eerily similar to the infected they are desperately trying to evade.
The entire film is a thrilling ride, with the suspense barely easing off for a moment, culminating in the most unexpected and outlandish ending I've ever witnessed. Boyle and Gardener have already shot the next chapter of the series.
28 Years Later Part II: The Bone Temple is slated for release in January next year, and I'll be there in the cinema on opening day.
In conclusion, 28 Years Later is a brilliant extension of the franchise, and it's one of those films that has you insisting all your mates see it too, just so you can collectively ask 'what on earth was that?'.