Movies about apocalypses with survivors are usually fun to watch because they are mainly centered around how the survivors make it in a quarantined world or in this case, a quarantined country. The hassle, struggle, slight escapes from contacting a virus, survival, procreation and in some cases, conquering and becoming freemen once again are all fun to see. Let's talk about the post-apocalyptic movie “28 Years Later” which I just finished watching.
The movie “28 Years Later”” is an intense movie that captures the brief moments before the ‘rage virus’ infiltrates a country and how survivors live and thrive afterwards.
Directed by Danny Boyle, the movie diverts from a typical zombie apocalypse movie and focuses more on family, community and the regression of civilization in a post apocalyptic world. The movie was released on the 20th of June, 2025 and has a run time of 129 minutes.
The film centers around a boy named Spike who was born and raised in isolation after the outbreak. Spike is slowly becoming a man and his father takes it upon himself to carry Spike outside isolation(an island), to see what the real world(mainland) looks like. During the first sojourn with his father, Spike barely survives the angry and hungry “infected” but once they return, his father makes him the star of the show anyway.
Shortly after, Spike realizes his mom is gravely sick and needs the immediate attention of a medical doctor. The only medical doctor is on the main island and so Spike, alongside his mother, make the journey to the terrifying mainland without so much as informing his dad. Would he survive out there with little to no help from his weak mother? or would a search party be sent out in their favour?.
The movie was a blend of horror and the coming of age narrative with some moments of brutality and tenderness. I half expected this to be a jump-scare movie where everyone who came across an infected was not spared but on the contrary it wasn't.
The themes of survival, fear, anger, self-discovery, love and loss were all explored in this movie. Each character did their very best to properly poetry some or all of these characters but some more than others. I particularly found the portrayal of Spike's community endearing. These people lived with a threat surrounding them but they all still lived happily. Played their music, danced to the tunes, helped anyone who needed help and gave accolades to those who deserved some. I admired how bravely and boldly they lived, paying little heed to the virus.
The cinematography was distinctive and this greatly contributed to an unnerving atmosphere. The action sequences and the fighting scenes were all so vivid. The movie producers did this thing where he paused/ slowed down “kills” to give viewers a better image of where certain arrows or bullets passed through.
The end gave hints to a sequel because it's only in the end that a particular character I was interested in sufficed and very briefly at that. That was certainly not all this particular character had to offer and this act alone left some threads unresolved, intentionally.
This movie was a daring and fresh take within the horror movie genre. To be honest, I can barely call this movie a zombie horror movie because there were little to no gruesome scenes. Yes there were kills and yes there were some utterly disgusting scenes but nothing too much.
The movie was slow paced but okay to watch. I would give it a 6/10 rating because although it was a good watch, it doesn't fully meet my expectations of what a horror movie should be. I look forward to the sequel however. For some reasons, I believe that it would be a better watch.
