Displaying items by tag: Danny Boyle

28 YEARS LATER

UK, 2025, 117 minutes, Colour.

Alfie Williams, Ralph Fiennes, Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson.

Directed by Danny Boyle.

In 2002, 28 Days Later, the blend of drama and horror, made quite an impression. The screenplay was by Alex Garland who had collaborated with director, Danny Boyle, with The Beach. Boyle was to go on to win an Academy award for slum dog millionaire. Alex Garland continued writing that made a number of thoughtful and significant dramas including Civil War and its vision of America as well as the stark and challenging, Warfare.

They produced but were not so involved in a sequel, 22 Weeks Later, continuing the story, written in the grip of a plague, a virus of rage released, transforming humans into zombielike creatures, the threats to civilisation, the violent rampages…

Now, while this film does open in 2002, highlighting a young boy along with other children, protected from the rage, but then being attacked, his finding refuge with his clerical father praying in the church, a gift of a cross, but then the infected coming through the stained-glass windows in attack.

This film is the first of a trilogy set in the 2020s. The transition is to an island, protected from the mainland, survivors managing by the way of life cut off from the modern world (Europe not infected).

The central character here is a young boy, Spike (Alfie Williams in a persuasive performance), relying on his hunter father, Aaron Taylor Johnson, his mother, Jodi coma, mysteriously ill.

The first part of the action is the boys initiation, at age 14, venturing across the causeway with his father, running the risk of infection, with bows and arrows to shoot the infected. It is a demanding experience for Spike, not as confident a warrior as he might have thought, hearing news of a Dr surviving on the mainland. Concerned about his mother, and alienated from his father, he decides to return to the mainland, carrying his ill mother in order to find the Doctor.

While the central drama is enough to keep audience attention, there is always the stalking by the infected creatures, dangers, escapes, confrontations. A moment’s pause with the young Swede stranded and talking of modern Europe to the uncomprehending boy. They do find the doctor, played by Ralph Fiennes, and some personal drama with the mother and her illness, and the finding of a baby born from an infected mother.

To be continued, 28 Years Later, Temple of Bones (the temple and the bones we have already seen).

1. The impact in the 2000s of 28 Days Later, 28 Weeks Later? England, infection, the zombie transformations? The threats, the characters, the struggles?
2. This sequel almost 2 decades later? The beginning of the trilogy? The impact of zombie films over the decades and this British production taking its place with so many serious zombie films as well is the exploitation films?
3. The focus on 2002, the threats of the infected, the horror sequences, the threats to the community, Jim, the family, urging his escape, going to the church, his father, giving him the cross, his father’s apocalyptic martyr mentality, the infected coming through the stained glass, destroying him?
4. The transition to the present, the community on the island, the visuals of the village in the past, the rows of houses, the decay of the houses over the decades? The small community and survival, separated from the mainland, preserving their health? The various members of the community, their functions, lookouts, keeping the gate, the meetings and organisation?
5. The focus on Jamie, Spike, Isla? At home, Spike and his age, relationship with his father, his mother ill and her moods? The breakfast, Spike giving her the bacon?
6. The coming of age, going to the mainland, bows and arrows for defence and attack, the proud father, the village people seeing them off? Going to the mainland, the tides and the time? The dangers? The quest to kill the infected? The responsibility for return, no search parties for any who disappeared?
7. The experience on the mainland, the tension, the appearance of the various infected, Spike and his arrows, sometimes hitting, sometimes missing? His father protective? Seeing the vast land, Spike and his curiosity, to go inland, the mystery of the fire and smoke? The dangers, the pursuit, the visualisation of the infected, naked, running, zombielike, the taking refuge in the house, going to the upper storey, the deaths? The return, the achievement, the final pursuit, the infected so close, getting the gates?
8. The celebratory party for Spike, the crowd, the joy, the drinking, his father’s speech? His father going out with the girl, Spike observing them, his disillusionment with his father? Going home?
9. The news of the doctor, Spike and his decision to take his mother, his father’s reaction? Going on the causeway, on the mainland, searching for the doctor and the smoke? The various dangers and pursuit? Hiding? As mother going into the train carriage, the pregnant woman, infected, giving birth? Taking the baby, the encounter with Eric, his saving them? Carrying the mother, saving the baby?
10. The confrontation on the train, fleeing, Eric and the discussions, Europe not infected, Spike and his ignorance of the modern world? Eric and his phone, battery going, throwing it away, the photo of his girlfriend and Spike’s diagnosis of her illness? The attack, Eric and his death?
11. The doctor, finding mother and son, the baby, the iodine as a prophylactic, taking them to his house, the monument of bones and skulls? Spike, anxious, the doctor and his personality and story, surviving, his diagnosis of cancer, the mother understanding, handing over the baby, the doctor taking her away, her death, the processes of cleaning skulls, Eric’s skull, the mother’s skull, and Spike placing them on the monument, his mother on top?
12. The baby, Spike taking it back, leaving at the gate, to be named after his mother, and Spike going back out again – and the preparation for the sequel? And the flashing images of the story throughout the final credits?