#REVIEW: “28 DAYS LATER”

Review by Nicholas Porteous for Mr. Will Wong

In 2002, Danny Boyle‘s 28 Days Later blew the lid off modern zombie movies. It popularized FAST zombies, established a young Cillian Murphy, and rode the wave of big studio movies shot on small digital video cameras with an ultra-grimy, downright disintegrating aesthetic. One sequel and a couple of decades since, 28 Years Later brings the Trilogy to a world where zombies have fully taken root, and a new generation lives in their shadow. We follow Spike, a child who’s never known a time before the apocalypse. In spite of the notable time gap, Boyle hasn’t forgotten the Series’ roots. Years is a welcome throwback, both as an old school zombie survival tale and a visual playground for Boyle, who doesn’t hold back for a moment when it comes to wielding his lens. The look is still dirty as hell, but now the cameras are even smaller. This time Boyle deploys a legion of iPhones, and he finds a way to shove them into every possible crevice and configuration. Years deserves attention if only as a powerful demonstration of iPhone tech and visual potential.

The Film’s free-wheeling and deeply chaotic style might be the star of the show, although Jodi Comer and Ralph Fiennes turn-in some fantastic supporting work—along with the incredibly brave cast of naked, festering undead. The Movie struggles to get out of its own way and cohere its many threads into a satisfying whole. As a package, it feels more like five episodes of a zombie show than a fully realized feature. Just when Boyle seems to be finding his way to a bold and surprising finale, he can’t help but keep going—utterly blunting what might have been a profound statement on the whole genre. Boyle falls over himself with excitement to build the bridge to another movie, ham-fistedly cramming-in a bunch of short scenes that could have easily functioned as mid and post-credit teasers. Instead of leaving the Film invigorated by the promise of more, I felt much more dizzy and confused by the unnecessary tonal whiplash.

Regardless of pacing and structural wrinkles, it’s hard to deny Years as a deeply watchable zombie adventure. And Boyle sure keeps things fresh, inventing new zombie species I won’t even attempt to capture in words, along with a zombified scenario or two I’ve certainly never witnessed in my time absorbing a good chunk of the nearly hundred-year-old genre. Zombie bullet-time is a thing now. For better and worse, Boyle never rests behind the camera. Although he shoots himself in the foot by refusing to let Years exist as a conclusive entry that could stand on its own like its predecessors, I am very curious about where he’s going with the Later series and I have no doubt he’ll continue to move at a pace that rivals the worst of his undead army.

Sony Pictures Canada release 28 YEARS LATER in theatres Friday, June 20, 2025.