Year of Release: 2026
Director: Nia DaCosta
Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Jack O'Connell, Alfie Williams, Erin Kellyman, Chi Lewis-Parry, Mirren Mack, Gordon Alexander, Louis Ashbourne Serkis, David Sterne, Elliot Benn, Connor Newall, Maura Bird, Ghazi Al Ruffai, Robert Rhodes, Emma Laird
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 7
Watch it on Netflix
Synopsis and Review
The "28 Days Later" series continues, this time around with a sequel to 2025's "28 Years Later" which reunited director Danny Boyle and screenwriter Alex Garland in the series which they started in 2002. Following the events of the prior film, Spike finds himself in the midst of the gang Fingers, led by the murderous Jimmy Crystal. In order to stay with the gang, he has to fight one of its members. He accidentally manages to do so, and gets access to the gang, getting a new name in the process (Jimmy). In the interim, Dr. Kelson continues his daily habits, building upon the ossuary, an homage for those who have died from the Rage Virus epidemic. The colossal alpha that is infected, and that he has named Samson, starts visiting him regularly as Dr. Kelson has shot morphine darts into him (to prevent Samson from killing him), and in the process has made him addicted to it. As Samson keeps coming back, his humanity starts shining through, demonstrating glimpses of memory and even regaining other normal functions. The gang in the meantime also continue their carnage, attacking a farm with survivors, killing them in a bloody and horrific sacrifice. Jimmy Crystal who is sensing a low morale amongst his dwindling hordes, decides to visit Dr. Kelson, as he assumes him to be someone else, and they come to an agreement to further convince his group of Crystal's "higher purpose". However not everything goes according to what Crystal had envisioned.
When "28 Days Later" premiered, it was a memorable take on what was the zombie genre, taking a different approach to the rules that still define that genre. It was also a very smart reflection on international politics, and even on the dismantling of society, all with succinctly defined characters, which made the film work on multiple levels (it also was a great showcase for Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, Christopher Eccleston, and Brendan Gleeson). If the first sequel took the film in a slightly different direction, the sadly maligned "28 Weeks Later" from director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, the take Alex Garland and Danny Boyle built with "28 Years Later" stripped much of the horror aspects of the series to focus on this post-apocalyptic scenario, one where people have learnt to survive with obstacles generated by a virus that won't go away. If this seems close to what we have experience with Covid 19, that's not very far off indeed. This additional sequel, veers even further off from the original premise, focusing on two characters and how they're coping with the aftermath of this virus. The young Spike, is confronted with the worst of humanity, represented by a gang where its leader uses rhetoric to persuade its members, who then torture and steal from survivors, in essence, stripping away everything that is humane. Dr. Kelson in the meantime, holds on to a semblance of what his life used to be, listening to music, looking through his books, trying to make sense of all the loss. At the same time, he's trying to comprehend what the virus is about, holding a glimmer of hope that even the creatures ravaged by the virus can still have a spark of humanity in them. These opposite experiences clash into each other with painful outcomes, but they solidify the fact & statement that humans are at their best when trying to care for each other, as opposed to exploiting each other. The film successfully brings all these topics together, in a visually compelling manner. The cast is impeccable, with highlights going to the superb Ralph Fiennes (quite possibly one of the best actors working these days), Jack O'Connell, Alfie Williams, Chi Lewis-Parry, and Erin Kellyman. The production team is equally solid, particularly Sean Bobbitt's cinematography and Carson McColl and Gareth Pugh's production design. While some of these characters could benefit from additional attention and detail, this is a solid (and brutal) film worth watching.
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