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Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
28 Years Later Review: Danny Boyle And Alex Garland's Legacyquel Proves Well-Worth The Bloody Wait
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. I have been obsessed with director Danny Boyle and Alex Garland's vision of the apocalypse ever since discovering 28 Days Later in the early days of internet film discourse. In a weird way, the 2002 movie become a sort of comfort watch for me, as it never fails to captivate whenever it's available to watch. For over two decades, this indie horror classic has seen a larger studio sequel, and a couple of tie-in comics, keeping the flame alive. But fans perpetually wondered if we'd actually get the long teased sequel that Boyle and Garland seemed to periodically drop hints for. 28 Years Later Release Date: June 20, 2025Directed By: Danny BoyleWritten By: Alex GarlandStarring: Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jack O'Connell, Alfie Williams, and Ralph FiennesRating: R for strong bloody violence, grisly images, graphic nudity, language and brief 115 minutes That sort of hype is what 28 Years Later has been up against since its announcement, and it's something that makes any legacyquel a daunting prospect to produce (or even watch out of fear of disappointment). Now that the wait is over, I'm pleased to say that 28 Years Later is the epitome of what these sorts of follow-ups should aspire to achieve, as it honors the time-tested adage that slow and steady wins the race... provided, of course, you're not racing against the Infected. Decades after the initial Rage Virus outbreak, the UK is officially quarantined from the rest of the world. 28 Years Later's first act wastes no time filling us in on how military patrols and an information blackout leave the country cut off from foreign populations. In this tale, our focus is on Spike (Alfie Williams), a child coming of age in the sequestered community of Holy Island. As his father Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) tries to teach him to hunt the Infected on the Mainland, mother Isla (Jodie Comer) is suffering from an unknown affliction. As a turn of events sees Spike fleeing the island with his sick mom, he ventures into the world abandoned, encountering obstacles that will shape him into the man he wants to become. A long wait between sequels is always intimidating, especially with a genre like horror. What was once fresh and frightening can feel dated and unnecessary without a proper hook. That was never a problem with the movie that started it all, and 28 Years Later doesn't succumb to that pitfall either. The Rage-plagued UK is a logical extension of what its predecessors (28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later) had done in the past, but remains timely as ever. Writer Alex Garland's potential trilogy of follow-ups is inspired by, among other things, the COVID-19 pandemic and Brexit, but it's never solely defined by those recent influences. As modern as 28 Years Later feels through its various upgrades, the poignant storytelling present in 28 Days Later isn't abandoned at all. Instead, it uses the advantages available to heighten some aspects of the original vision for the franchise's seminal title – as seen in an early sequence where Jamie and Spike make a star pre-dawn run for safety against a super starry sky. Director Danny Boyle's eclectic style is still sharply present, and isn't a mere nostalgic return to an aesthetic. Shooting on a fleet of iPhones with returning cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle, Boyle is still capturing the apocalypse through his prosumer tech lens, giving the film an intimate look with which the audience is well-familiar. It also allows the 127 Hours filmmaker to include some pretty amazing bullet time shots, capturing the deaths of some Infected with a new twist. Musical accompaniment by the hip hop outfit Young Fathers offers a non-traditional score that also bolsters Boyle's unique view on the end of the world with a special flare. Though 28 Years Later is a visually crisp and refined product, it retains the lo-fi charm that made its progenitor a classic. Though I'm a fan of the 2007 sequel 28 Weeks Later, one cannot deny that it's definitely a more traditional Hollywood offering. So when it came time to mentally prepare for 28 Years Later, I was naturally a bit worried we'd be getting a course correcting legacyquel that simply 'plays the hits' in order to recapture the magic of days gone by. I swear, if someone had said, 'Somehow, Christopher Eccleston's Major West has survived,' I would have been acting like an Infected myself. Fans can put that concern aside, as Alex Garland's new chapter in this ongoing story does adopt familiar beats but also offers a much deeper examination of themes embedded since day one of the plague. That specific note shines brightest with the employment of a more A-list cast including Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Comer, and Ralph Fiennes. The fact that such marquee names are present this time around isn't a distraction, as Danny Boyle's direction allows all to be easily immersed into the 28 cycle's existing world – which makes the story consistently tense, even outside of scenes where the running Infected pursue the leads. You're not watching familiar stars pretend to be terrified by the speedy or crawling masses that want to devour them; you're watching people in a horrific a slice of life. However, there is a young breakout star that needs to be highlighted, and it's young Alfie Williams. Playing Spike, Williams definitively holds his own among his veteran co-stars, looking poised to become one of their peers after 28 Years Later. The majority of the narrative rests on his shoulders, and it never loses its potency in his hands. Alex Garland's writing for this young innocent is as tight as it is for the seasoned adult cast, and Williams never takes that for granted. While he's clearly in good hands with top tier talent on both sides of the camera, the actor emerges as a name to watch out for by the time we arrive at this first chapter's exciting finale. Many may have forgotten the emotional and dramatic weight that 28 Days Later carried upon its release. In the wake of a decades-long wait for more, 28 Years Later still proves that it hasn't run out of things to say about the duality that is human nature facing the end of life on Earth. In its radically transformed world, Danny Boyle and Alex Garland's horror homecoming revisits the themes it's always held in its tender but frightening heart. One pivotal moment (that I won't spoil here) acts as a reminder of that bittersweet terror, which may surprise some in the audience who came purely for the horror show. But long time fans will recognize that decades after seeing Cillian Murphy wander around a deserted London, the drama is as well preserved as the scares. The screams, as well as the tears, are back in fine form. 28 Years Later is a captivating return to form that casts away cheap nostalgia and doubles down on the powerful nature the first movie was known for. Danny Boyle and Alex Garland recognized that the message of empathy versus conflict still carries a charge, and pick things up in a sweeping epic that doesn't miss a heartbeat. The six month wait for 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is now even more of an endurance test for fans who'll be hungry for more. But I think we should all take comfort in one last drop of happiness that could spread into something greater: 28 Years Later already feels as rewatchable as 28 Days Later; which in and of itself is an awe inspiring feat.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Jodie Comer confesses her childhood celebrity crush was this noughties pop icon
Jodie Comer confessed her childhood celebrity crush while promoting her post-apocalyptic zombie film 28 Years Later. The actress, 32, was quizzed on who in the public eye she fancied as a teenager during a recent live audience Q&A session at the Adelphi Theatre in London by Reign podcast host Josh Smith. Revealing the object of her affections was Lee Ryan, now 42, she said: 'Oh God, guys, it was Lee from Blue. Okay, no judgement, I appreciate that. 'Blue were big. I have like pictures from the Echo Arena - surely the Echo Arena was built then. 'But em, Blue T-shirt, bunches, blue hair, you know the lot. Yeah, obviously thinking that he's gonna look at me, and it's gonna be us forever. Yeah, Lee from Blue.' Blue, who formed in 2000, went on to become one of the biggest pop bands of the time with hits like One Love. Jodie put on a show-stopping display in a metallic silver gown at the London premiere of 28 Years Later earlier this month. The actress slipped into the eye-catching dress as she graced the red carpet at London's Odeon Luxe Leicester Square with co-star Aaron Taylor-Johnson, 35, on June 18. The release of 28 Years Later - the sequel to Danny Boyle's 2002 film 28 Days Later - has been long-awaited, with fans left waiting two decades to discover the next instalment in the film series. With the nation devastated by the Rage virus nearly three decades ago, the new film - released on June 19 - shows insight into the vastly different ways humanity has adapted to survive. For one such community, this means complete isolation from the outside world, and in a new clip ahead of the film's premiere, star Aaron shares insight into this new addition to the 28 Days Later universe for the first time. In this new land, known as The Holy Island, humans are entirely self-sufficient, and only leave the community to hunt on the mainland, when the tide is low. Aaron plays Jamie a scavenger who is tasked with training his Spike to survive in the wilderness before they embark on a deadly mission to the mainland. Jodie plays Jamie's wife Isla, a woman who is suffering from memory loss and sickness. While the flick is intended to petrify movie fans, Jodie has told how despite starring in the film, she was left startled herself as she insisted that one 'can't fake' the emotions she exhibited on screen. Speaking in a featurette ahead of the film's release later this month, Jodie explained: 'Being on a Danny Boyle set, I found it to be the most amazing experience. 'The relationship that the camera seemed to be having with the characters and the story and seeing how that comes to life. 'I was quite taken aback because I felt like I'd spent a lot of time outdoors in the beautiful locations and then all of a sudden, I'm being chased. 'I was scared - there is a kind of tension within it, you can't fake it. When you're in these high-intensity situations, it's exhilarating, it's thrilling, it's terrifying.'
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
28 Years Later: 17 Behind-The-Scenes Secrets You Probably Didn't Know
28 Years Later has been in cinemas for just over a week, but it's fast becoming one of the most talked-about cinematic events of the year. Landing rave reviews from critics and a great reception at the box office, the long-awaited latest instalment in Danny Boyle's iconic post-apocalyptic horror franchise has most definitely lived up to the hype. Starring Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ralph Fiennes and newcomer Alfie Williams, the third instalment in the series follows a survivor community living on an island, before some of the group leave to uncover the secrets and horrors that lie on the mainland. And this is only the first in a whole new trilogy continuing the story, with sequel 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple having already been shot and due for release early next year. To tide you over before then, though, here are 17 behind-the-scenes secrets about how the new movie was made… The Oscar-winning director famously shot 2002's 28 Days Later on digital cameras, giving the movie its distinctive grainy look and kinetic urgency. But for the new sequel 28 Years Later, the Trainspotting director went for something a little different. According to IGN, certain sequences were shot with iPhones, sometimes using as many as 20 at a time. Danny described that method of shooting with a rig as 'basically a poor man's bullet time', referencing the iconic slow-mo effect pioneered by The Matrix. 'Wherever, it gives you 180 degrees of vision of an action, and in the editing you can select any choice from it, either a conventional one-camera perspective or make your way instantly around reality, time-slicing the subject, jumping forward or backward for emphasis,' he said. 'As it's a horror movie, we use it for the violent scenes to emphasise their impact.' While the director outlined the technical reasoning for shooting on iPhones, there was also another important consideration that motivated his decision-making. 'Filming with iPhones allowed us to move without huge amounts of equipment,' Danny told Wired in an interview. 'A lot of Northumbria looks like it would have looked 1,000 years ago. So we were able to move quickly and lightly to areas of the countryside that we wanted to retain their lack of human imprint.' While this was seemingly partly a creative decision, it feels like a particularly significant choice from the director, whose 2000 movie The Beach infamously drove tourists to the picturesque Thai island where it was filmed and caused significant coral reef damage. View this post on Instagram A post shared by 28 Years Later (@28yearslatermovie) 28 Years Later's grim Bone Temple site featuring a towering pyre of human skulls took around six months to construct, with the design team using over 250,000 replica bones and 5,500 skulls, according to Time Out. This set was located in Redmire, a village and civil parish in North Yorkshire, with production designer Carson McColl claiming: 'There was something about that location that felt that it's remained unchanged for a long, long time'. It may have come as a bit of a surprise to cinemagoers to see Northumberland's famous Sycamore Gap tree briefly featured in one scene, given that it was felled in an act of vandalism in 2023, resulting in two men being found guilty of two counts of criminal damage. Standing for over 150 years, it was made internationally famous in 1991's Robin Hood: Prince in Thieves starring Kevin Costner. However, as 28 Years Later only began shooting in May of last year, The Beach director revealed how he recreated the tree with the help of some special effects. Speaking to Sky News, he explained: 'It had already been destroyed by the time we came to film, so we recreated it for the same reasons that you see the Queen in this… all the things that have happened to us in the last 28 years have not happened.' The tree stump still stands, which could take another 150 years to return to its former glory. 'So we've recreated it deliberately to say that it was still growing… which is a wonderful tribute,' Danny added. Speaking at a Newcastle gala screening in June, the director hailed the North East region of England as a 'magic' place to make movies. Not only did he describe the area's landscapes as 'spectacular', he revealed that one location in particular drew him up North for 28 Years Later. 'The first reason we're here is Holy Island,' he explained, according to Cultured North East, referring to the island also known as Lindisfarne. 'It's a wonderful premise for a story, and the idea of a tidal causeway island is captivating. People get that idea very quickly,' he continued. 'So in many ways it's the perfect setting for this kind of film and this kind of idea.' It goes without saying that Danny Boyle's movies are iconic for their music choices, from Underworld's Born Slippy in Trainspotting to A.R. Rahman's Jai Ho in Slumdog Millionaire. Of course, the music for 28 Years Later was never going to be an afterthought. Scottish hip-hop group Young Fathers were tasked with this mighty responsibility, with Danny describing them as 'sort of like the Beach Boys, but so hardcore' in an interview with Rolling Stone UK. 'It was a huge risk because they'd never done a movie before and it's that thing with any pop group, are you gonna trust the whole movie to them? But you go yeah! Yeah!' Can you remember the last time a movie trailer sent chills down your spine like this one did? The terrifying chant that you hear in the teaser – which also features briefly in the film – is a recitation of the poem Boots by Rudyard Kipling. Kipling's poem was first published in 1903 and was intended to capture the monotony of soldiers marching in war, while the recording used in 28 Years Later is more than 100 years old, recorded in 1915 by the actor Taylor Holmes. Holmes' recitation of the poem starts quite formulaic, but grows more frenzied by the end, and is considered so disturbing that it has even been used by the American military to train soldiers to resist psychological torture, used in what is called SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape) schools. Director Danny knew that they'd found the right vibe for the trailer as soon as he heard the chilling poem for himself. 'And then we watched the first trailer that Sony sent us – Alex [Garland] and I remember it vividly – and there was this [recording] on it, and we were like, 'Fucking hell!' It was startling in its power,' Danny told Variety. 'The trailer is a very good trailer, but there was something more than that about that [recording], about that tune, about that poem. We tried it in our archive sequence, and it was like it was made for it.' The recording made its way into the trailer on the suggestion of Megan Barbour, then director of music at the Buddha Jones agency, who knew the recording via someone who had actually been in the SERE training. 'We wanted to work off the strength of the visuals and didn't want a lot of dialogue,' David Fruchbom, Sony EVP of global creative advertising, told Variety. 'Buddha Jones [submitted] three different teaser trailers, and the one that had 'Boots' was clearly the way to go.' With more than 80% of the film being shot at North East locations including Holy Island, Hexham and Waskerley in County Durham, 28 Years Later provided an opportunity for locals to be in the movie. Among extras was Hexham town councillor Roger Higgin, who told the Hexham Courant: 'It was a great experience, and it's fabulous that so much of the region provided the locations and the cast. I'm confident it'll be an amazing film.' Another extra called Peter Thompson put himself forward for the opportunity because he heard casting was looking for runners and cyclists. 'I do a lot of cycling around South West Northumberland,' he shared, being chosen as one of the 'infected'. A supermarket worker called Laura Fulguzi was stacking shelves in Asda when she got the message that she'd been selected, according to the BBC. With the movie taking place nearly three decades after the rage virus infected society in his original story, Danny highlighted the logic behind one very key detail. 'I mean, if you're recently infected, you'd have some clothes, but if you've been infected for a long time, the clothes would just disintegrate with the way that you behave,' he told People. In other words, the infected are naked. However due to the presence of now 14-year-old Alfie Williams in the movie, fully naked actors were not allowed on set under the Child Sex Offences Act. 'We never knew that going in, it was a nightmare,' Danny added. 'Interestingly, because there was a 12-year-old boy on set, you're not allowed for anybody to be naked, not really naked, so they look naked, but it's all prosthetics,' he elaborated. That only came to light during a conversation with the intimacy coordinator on the set. 'So it's like, 'Oh my God,' so we had to make everybody prosthetic genitals.' When the trailer for 28 Years Later arrived, excited fans believed they had spotted an infected character who bore an uncanny resemblance to Cillian Murphy – who, of course, starred as bicycle courier Jim in 28 Days Later. Before this was debunked, the internet ran wild with fan theories, suggesting that his character had succumbed to the virus in the new version of the story. Speaking to Empire, Danny admitted that he waved away concerns that people might mistake the mystery character for Cillian. 'I showed my girlfriend the trailer and she said, 'People will think that's Cillian.' I said, 'Don't be silly,'' he said. 'I ignored her. So I've eaten a bit of humble pie since.' First there was 28 Days Later, then 28 Weeks Later (directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, while Danny stayed on as executive producer). Surely the logical sequel would be 28 Months Later? Well, that was definitely a possibility at one point. 'There was a time when Months was absolutely on the table,' writer Alex Garland told Polygon. He even wrote a script under that name, but his relationship with the director became rocky after they worked together on the 2007 movie Sunshine together, before they later patched things up again. Speaking to NME in a 2022 interview for the anniversary of 28 Days Later, Cillian himself noted that completing the trilogy could be tricky: 'I think there's a problem with that, in that I'm 20 years older…' However they seem to have solved that problem by going with Years, instead, but we don't know how much was carried over between scripts. It might be the last movie you'd expect to influence a zombie thriller in 2025, but Ken Loach's iconic 1969 coming-of-age drama Kes was a big inspiration to writer Alex Garland. 'I ripped off this film called Kes, a very unexpected thing to rip off in a zombie movie,' he explained in an interview with ScreenRant. 'The script I delivered and Kes, both focused on the experience of a young lad, and because I am ripping it off, I wanna direct people to the source material.' We know scouser Jodie Comer is a master of accents, but when it came to playing a Geordie in 28 Years Later, she turned to inspiration in a very unlikely place. Speaking in an interview with Elle last year, the Killing Eve star revealed that she'd been watching old clips of Cheryl Tweedy from ber X Factor days to prepare. Jimmy Savile and 28 Years Later are two things you would never expect to find in the same sentence. Yet, in the new movie there's a truly wild twist that references the disgraced media personality (yes, seriously). At the end of the film, 28 Years Later introduces Jack O'Connell as cult leader Sir Jimmy Crystal. Jimmy and his followers can be seen wearing white-blond wigs and tracksuits, bearing a striking resemblance to the late presenter who, after his death in 2011, was accused of sexually abusing hundreds of people, including children. According to Danny, that's completely intentional, explaining to Business Insider: 'He's as much to do with pop culture as he is to do with sportswear, to do with cricket, to do with the honours system. 'It's all kind of twisting in this partial remembrance, clinging onto things and then recreating them as an image for followers.' 'He's a kaleidoscope, isn't he?' writer Alex noted, referring to the movie character. 'A sort of trippy, fucked up kaleidoscope.' Early on in the film, we see a young Jimmy watching Teletubbies in a group of children before the 'infected' break in and wreak havoc. As he makes his escape, the boy contemplates bringing a Power Rangers toy with him, but ultimately leaves it behind. When we see Jimmy and his followers, many have pointed out that their fight sequences references both Teletubbies and Power Rangers in a crossover no one could have predicted. After years of speculation about whether the 28 Days Later franchise would be revived at all, Danny Boyle has since confirmed his plans for a brand new trilogy. The next film, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, was actually filmed back-to-back with the new movie, and is currently slated to come out 16 January 2026. The Marvels writer Nia DaCosta will be directing that one in place of Danny (who is staying on as a producer), with Alex Garland having once again written the script. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Danny explained that it would have been 'insane not to' shoot consecutively, due to practical and financial considerations. 28 Years Later is in cinemas now. 28 Years Later 'Alpha' Chi Lewis-Parry Answers Everyone's 1 Big Question About The Film 28 Years Later Director Explains Why New Film Reverses Major Plot Point From Previous Sequel 28 Years Later Viewers Are Still In Shock From That Teletubbies Callback In The Wild Final Scene
The Guardian
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Stephen Graham, Jodie Comer and Ariana Grande among new invited film Academy members
Stephen Graham, Jodie Comer and Ariana Grande are among the names invited to join the film Academy in this year's just announced list. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has extended the invite to 534 names this year, up from last year's total of 487. 'We are thrilled to invite this esteemed class of artists, technologists and professionals to join the Academy,' said Bill Kramer, the Academy CEO, and Janet Yang, the Academy president, in a statement. 'Through their commitment to filmmaking and to the greater movie industry, these exceptionally talented individuals have made indelible contributions to our global film-making community.' Graham is coming off the back of a career high with breakout Netflix drama Adolescence, Comer has just appeared in horror sequel 28 Years Later and Grande was nominated for a best supporting actress Oscar for the hit musical Wicked. The list also includes recent best actress winner Mikey Madison along with her Anora co-stars Yura Borisov and Karren Karagulian and the film's cinematographer, Drew Daniels. Other names from this year's Oscar race include acting nominees Jeremy Strong, Kieran Culkin and Fernanda Torres as well as directing nominees Brady Corbet and Coralie Fargeat. British stars featured include Gillian Anderson, Andrew Scott, Aml Ameen, Emma Corrin and Naomi Ackie ,while other notable names include Jason Momoa, Aubrey Plaza, Payal Kapadia, Dave Bautista, Danielle Deadwyler, Justice Smith and Adam Pearson. If all invites are accepted, total members will be up to 11,120 and the number of voting members will be 10,143. It would also make the Academy 35% women, 22% from underrepresented communities and 21% international. Next year's Oscars will feature a new Oscar for achievement in casting and this year's invite list features 13 casting directors. Earlier this month it was also announced that this year's honorary Oscars will go to Tom Cruise, Dolly Parton, Debbie Allen and production designer Wynn Thomas. Last year the Academy invited stars including Lily Gladstone, Jessica Alba, Fiona Shaw and Da'Vine Joy Randolph.
RNZ News
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- RNZ News
Review : 28 Years Later
28 Years Later sees the return of director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland to the zombie apocalypse they created 23 years ago. Now survivors settle on a small island, leaving the mainland to the rapidly mutating infected. Starring Ralph Fiennes, Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and newcomer Alfie Williams as the 12-year-old hero Spike.
