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Daily Mirror
13 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
I'm still reeling after watching the horror film everyone's talking about
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. 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. 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. 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?'.
New Straits Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- New Straits Times
#SHOWBIZ: '28 Years Later', the apocalypse gets grittier
THE zombie genre took a fresh turn back in 2002 with '28 Days Later'. After years of anticipation, the long-awaited third chapter in Danny Boyle and Alex Garland's iconic "Rage Virus" saga, '28 Years Later', has succeeded in presenting another fresh cinematic spectacle. It's a visceral, thought-provoking, and often stunning return to the ravaged British Isles. The film largely delivers a potent punch, cementing its place as a significant entry in the horror landscape and a worthy successor to its terrifying lineage. From the get-go, Boyle, back in the director's chair, along with screenwriter Garland, plunges us into a world that is both uncomfortably familiar and starkly new. Set nearly three decades after the initial outbreak, the film trades the urban desolation of London for the isolated, haunting beauty of the Scottish Highlands. This shift in scenery is immediately impactful, establishing a pervasive sense of dread and poetic isolation that's visually arresting. Cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle, who earned an Oscar for his work on Boyle's 'Slumdog Millionaire', once again crafts an apocalyptic world where "death is beautiful" and nature has reclaimed its pristine glory, all captured through a blend of traditional and experimental techniques, including astonishing multi-iPhone camera rigs that deliver surreal, bullet-time-like action sequences. At its core, '28 Years Later' pivots from broad survival horror to a more intimate, character-driven drama. The premise, focusing on an island boy, Spike (Alfie Williams), and his father, Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), as they navigate this perilous new existence, provides a compelling emotional anchor. Williams, in particular, emerges as the film's beating heart, delivering a quietly powerful and emotionally resonant performance that belies his feature debut. Possessing range and screen presence, he stands toe-to-toe with seasoned actors. Jodie Comer, as Isla, brings a raw vulnerability to her role, particularly in a memorable, intense sequence. Taylor-Johnson plays Jamie with a believable mix of control and buried desperation, portraying a father striving to prepare his son for a world he barely comprehends himself. In a brief but impactful appearance as the reclusive Dr Kelson, even Ralph Fiennes manages to mold his character into the film's unexpected emotional core, reflecting the cold practicality and underlying warmth born from isolation. However, this ambitious narrative approach sees the story, at times, struggling to maintain cohesion, evolving into what feels like "three distinct parts that could well be three different films" that shift tonally, with the past sometimes failing to inform the present seamlessly. The pacing, while initially taut and intriguing, can become scattered in the latter half, leading to a few moments where the narrative logic strains credulity. Some might feel that the movie "goes downhill" after a strong first hour, becoming "confusing" or not what is expected from the franchise. But when it comes to the horror, Boyle and Garland do not shy away from the gruesome. The "infected" are as fast and relentlessly terrifying as ever, but '28 Years Later' pushes the envelope further. The film introduces chilling evolutions of the Rage Virus, including the lumbering "Slow Lows" and the more intelligent, pack-leading "Alpha" infected. These new variations add fresh layers of visceral terror and unpredictable threats, which would keep audiences on edge. The action sequences are brutally effective, enhanced by Boyle's signature kinetic style and inventive camera work that ensures every moment of chaos is felt. The horror here is less about jump scares and more about pervasive dread, coupled with explicit, gut-churning gore. Beyond the scares, '28 Years Later' attempts to deepen the zombie genre by infusing it with philosophical undertones. The film explores profound themes of mortality, legacy, and the human response to inevitable death. The concept of "memento mori" (from Latin, meaning remember you must die) is woven into the narrative, prompting reflection on how we remember the fallen in a world forever changed by contagion. Overall, '28 Years Later' is an ambitious, visually stunning, and emotionally resonant horror film that takes bold risks while paying homage to the roots of its genre-defining predecessors. It undeniably succeeds in reinvigorating the post-apocalyptic landscape with fresh nightmares and compelling new stories. For fans of the franchise and newcomers alike, it's a gripping cinematic experience that promises much for the future of the "Rage" saga. NOW SHOWING '28 YEARS LATER' Directed by Danny Boyle Starring Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Alfie Williams, Ralph Fiennes Duration: 115 mins Classification: 18
Forbes
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
The Twist Ending Of ‘28 Years Later,' Explained
Alfie Williams and Ralph Fiennes in '28 Years Later' Sony Pictures 28 Years Later is an unusual sequel, showing the aftermath of the Rage Virus of 28 Days Later , telling a compelling, stand-alone story that sets up another sequel for the franchise. 28 Days Later is credited with popularizing the 'fast zombie' to cinemas, and like many iconic zombie films, concludes with a plot twist hinting that humans are the real monsters. 28 Years Later takes a different approach—it's a late sequel and standalone coming-of-age story that illustrates how life moves on, even after the apocalypse, while setting up an intriguing sequel, The Bone Temple . The film begins with a bungled attempt by Jamie (Aaron-Taylor Johnson) to induct his twelve-year-old son Spike (Alfie Williams) into manhood by taking him on a scavenging hunt to the mainland where he can see the remnants of British society, and make his first kill. Spike feels deeply disappointed by his father when Jamie later lies about his prowess, and cheats on his chronically ill mother, Isla (Jodie Comer)—Isla is suffering from a mysterious ailment that leaves her disoriented and in pain. When Spike finds out that there's a doctor living on the mainland, he sets off with his mother to try and cure her sickness, leaving his father behind. Spike and his mother struggle to survive in the formidable landscape of post-apocalypse Britain, and discover that the Rage Virus has evolved. '28 Years Later' Introduces New Zombie Lore The original 28 Days Later is credited with introducing the 'fast zombie,' but the infected of this world aren't technically zombies at all—they're living hosts to the Rage Virus, which keeps victims in a state of psychotic fury. Unlike traditional zombies, the infected can starve to death, and can be taken down by a shot to the heart, but can withstand terrible pain and injury, seemingly without noticing, as their body is constantly flooded with adrenaline. While the infected don't exactly look their best, they're not as ravaged as traditional zombies, and do not seem to decay if they maintain a heavy protein diet. 28 Years Later introduces crawling, bloated bottom-feeders known as 'Slow Lows,' and 'Alphas,' which are much taller and stronger than the average infected. Alphas all seem to share a fixation with tearing out the heads and spinal columns of their victims, wielding them as a kind of hunting trophy. The film hints that there's more to these infected than what we once knew, as a pregnant infected woman gives birth to a non-infected baby, and displays a touch of humanity during her delivery. The Alpha who impregnated her seems horrified by her murder, implying that the infected don't just have sex lives, but seemingly, affectionate relationships. It's just a glimpse of humanity, but it's an intriguing development that hints that the infected could eventually evolve beyond mindless hoards. What Happens At The End Of '28 Years Later'? Spike and Isla take the miracle baby to shelter, a temple made of bones constructed by Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes). While Spike's father was terrified of Kelson due to his fixation with the dead, Spike learns that the man is paying his respects to the deceased by maintaining a memorial tower of skulls. Kelson has learned to live in peace surrounded by violence, and chooses to subdue the infected with sedatives rather than slay them. Kelson tells Spike that his temple is an ode to the inevitability of death—he literally calls it a 'Memento Mori.' Kelson then diagnoses Isla with terminal cancer, underlining his point. Spike's mother informs him that she always felt that she was dying, but wanted someone else to tell him. Spike's father may have tried to harden him to the murderous life of a scavenger, but he never told him the bitter truth about his mother. Kelson teaches Spike how to grow beyond his parents, giving Isla a mercy killing and allowing Spike to place her skull on the top of the structure. Spike learns to accept death and suffering, but understands that he cannot lose hope. Hope, of course, is represented by the miracle baby, which Spike names after his mother. 28 Years Later draws a similar conclusion to the animated film The Boy and The Heron , proposing that the old ways are dying, and deservedly so, but something new is emerging from the embers. Spike leaves the newborn Isla with his community, then moves on, so he can travel the mainland in solitude. At the very end, Spike encounters the child we saw during the very first scene of the film, whose father abandoned him to religious delusion during the initial outbreak, a man known as 'Sir Jimmy Crystal' (Jack O'Connell). Sir Jimmy Crystal gives deeply unsettling vibes from the get-go, and while his bizarre gang of hoodlums do save Spike's life, it's implied that Spike may have wandered into a much worse situation. As 28 Days Later concludes, humans are the real monsters—we'll soon see what becomes of Spike when the upcoming sequel, The Bone Temple , is released. MORE FROM FORBES Forbes HBO's 'The Last Of Us' Season 2 Finale, Explained By Dani Di Placido Forbes Alex Garland Is A Great Choice To Direct The 'Elden Ring' Movie By Dani Di Placido Forbes The Dream Logic Of 'The Boy And The Heron,' Explained By Dani Di Placido Forbes The Bittersweet Ending Of 'Sinners,' Explained By Dani Di Placido
Straits Times
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
At The Movies: Food for thought in 28 Years Later, My Sunshine a heartfelt coming-of-age drama
At The Movies: Food for thought in 28 Years Later, My Sunshine a heartfelt coming-of-age drama 28 Years Later (M18) 115 minutes, showing in cinemas ★★★★☆ The story: British director Danny Boyle and screenwriter Alex Garland revisit the Rage Virus of 28 Days Later (2002) they created more than two decades earlier. Great Britain is now quarantined from the continent: who needs Brexit? A community, which survived the cannibalistic undead, has settled on a feudal fortress island connected to the mainland by a tidal causeway. Spike (Alfie Williams) is the boy hero of 28 Years Later, the third entry following 28 Weeks Later (2007) in the auteur zombie series. On his 12th birthday, his dad Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) takes him on a manly rite-of-passage hunt on the mainland. It is his introduction to the ghastly Infected roving the wilderness. The blubbery belly-crawling humanoids are easy targets for his arrows. Not the Alphas: they have evolved to be faster, smarter, feral and near-unkillable. Spike, however, has heard rumours of a physician, and he is soon sneaking back outside the safe zone, determined to save his long-ailing mother (Jodie Comer). That the mythical doctor is a kook played by Ralph Fiennes would be an encounter worth any danger, even, possibly, the Alphas chasing him down to rip his head off with spinal column attached. The movie in all its punk-rock helter-skelter viscera was filmed using iPhones and amplified by military footage. What is the Rage Virus if not Boyle's parable of humanity eating itself alive with its anger? And violence here becomes an entryway into a moving rumination on mortality for Spike, an innocent who has never known disease or death. Wherever Hollywood director Nia DaCosta (The Marvels, 2023) leads him next in 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, the second in a new trilogy due in 2026, Boyle has reaffirmed himself as a vital innovator of a seminal horror lore. Hot take: There is food for thought, not just flesh-chomping frights. My Sunshine (M18) 90 minutes, opens exclusively at The Projector on June 26 ★★★☆☆ (From left) Kiara Nakanishi and Keitatsu Koshiyama in My Sunshine. PHOTO: THE PROJECTOR The story: During one winter in a Japanese island town, two adolescents pair up for an upcoming skating competition. Taipei Film Festival's 2024 Special Jury Prize winner will not be the usual underdog sports drama. My Sunshine is an understated movie constructed of glances. Takuya (Keitatsu Koshiyama), a shy schoolboy with a stutter, is with his ice hockey team at the local recreation centre when he sights figure skater Sakura (Kiara Nakanishi) elegantly gliding on the rink. He is spellbound. The older girl has eyes only for her coach Arakawa (Sosuke Ikematsu), who later sees Takuya clumsily attempting Sakura's manoeuvres and is moved to mentor him. A former skating champion, he also sees something of himself in Takuya's passion. The lad is so endearing that haughty Sakura, a rising star from big-city Tokyo, needs little persuasion from Arakawa to begin training with him for a mixed duo contest. They become a family. An excursion to a frozen lake is a joyous high as the threesome cavort madly and embrace tightly against the magic hour light. But then comes another, unhappier glance: Sakura espies Arakawa with his male partner. The idyll is over even before the season's snow has melted. Japanese writer-director Hiroshi Okuyama's sophomore feature had seemed just a sweet, nostalgic coming-of-age confection, one that is suddenly very grown-up and deeply sad in confronting Japanese society's conservative gender norms and homophobia. The sensitive performances play the emotions for real because they are: Okuyama based the screenplay on his experiences as a junior skater. Hot take: This youthful romance, slender though it is, holds heartfelt feelings, tender and sorrowful. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Gizmodo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
Zombie Dong Will Return in '28 Years Later: The Bone Temple'
Two topics of conversation dominated the opening weekend of Danny Boyle's new film, 28 Years Later. One, that wild ending that introduced a seemingly out-of-place controversial new character. And two was the sheer amount, and size, of the penises seen in the film. Throughout 28 Years Later, the Rage virus-infected zombies that run around the mainland are all naked. As one would be if you'd been running around killing people as a zombie for 30 years. That means, yes, there's lots of nudity in the film, with one character, the Alpha zombie, Samson, standing out beyond the rest. Samson stood out because he's big, he's strong, he's scary, and, well, he has a massive dong that flops all over the screen throughout the film. And though our heroes have multiple chances to kill Samson in the film, they don't, leaving the door open for the return of everyone's favorite well-endowed Alpha. 'The character you saw at the end of the first film, Jack O'Connell, he's a major character in the second film, with Ralph Fiennes — and the big Samson guy,' Boyle told the Hollywood Reporter. So, yes, that unforgettable dick is coming back. The second film Boyle refers to is called 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, the second of three planned films in a 28 Years trilogy written by Alex Garland. Nia DaCosta, director of Candyman and The Marvels, directs, and everyone was so high on the series, the second movie was filmed before part one was released. It'll be out on January 16, 2026, just about 28 weeks after the first one. But what about the third film? Everyone involved with the series has been very clear that the planned conclusion to the trilogy would only happen if the first two were successful. And, if and when that happens, it will reunite Boyle, who'll return to direct, with original star Cillian Murphy. The recent Oscar winner became a household name after his turn in the first film, 28 Days Later, and returns as a producer on 28 Years. Boyle stated his character returns at the end of Bone Temple and would be a large part of the third film, if it happens. As large as Sampson's dong, though? Only time will tell. And speaking of one big piece… of news, the person who makes the decision if the third film happens or not, Sony Pictures' chairman Tom Rothman, is optimistic about it. 'I don't want to put a jinx on it. But, with such great reviews, and such a strong start globally, we hope so,' Rothman told the trade. Could Samson return for film three? Or will there be yet another Alpha? Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what's next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
