28 Years Later

This one will really divide the audience. Some will relish the stress inducing horror of the trip to the mainland, others will wonder if Alex Garland suffered a brain hemorrhage while he was writing the screenplay.

It looks pretty fantastic (strangely the colouring reminded me of Garland's Men) and, contrary to what a lot of reviews claim, the acting is solid, particularly from Jodie Comer and Alfie Williams. The mixing in of archive clips isn't a particularly groundbreaking move, but it's effective.

It's hard to define exactly what subgengre this film belongs to, but there are strong folk horror vibes throughout, and that plays well with the satirical edge to the film (what is it about zombie movies and satire?). As a political statement about 21st century British decline it isn't as over egged as I feared it might be- it's subtle to the point where I wonder whether it can be fully appreciated viewers who aren't familiar with our strange little island.

It's easily as tense and bloody as the other two films (although this one is rated 15 which shows you how times have changed). There are some genuinely tense moments throughout.

The ending. All I'll say is that however you imagine the last 5 minutes will go, you're wrong. If this is to be the first part of a trilogy, it's going to get batshit crazy (although again, anyone not familiar with British pop culture will not appreciate quite how bizarre the ending is).

Some cool moments, a lot of random choices. I would guess they were going for the experimental alternative factor buuut not quite successfully.

My biggest "why" is this movie being attached to the 28 series. Completely unnecessary and misleading. It was probably done to attract a wider audience; otherwise, it would have fallen into the unpopular indie horror film category with little financial success.

As a 28 fan, I was disappointed, however, in the first 15 minutes I realised I should forget I'm watching a 28 movie to have a chance of enjoying it.

The cinematography and art direction were out of the box in a good way. The cast and acting were good.

I truly don't think this is the story the writers wanted to tell. Something interfered or tampered, perhaps the studio executives forcing it to be a trilogy. I think this was originally intended to be one story but the writer and director were forced to change it. While the first act was strong, the second and third act just felt odd, both rushed and stretched out at the same time. The characters just make weird, fruitless decisions. A plot device happens in the third act that is completely pointless and adds nothing to the depth of the story, and for what the previous installments were there isn't really a climax. At some points I felt like I was watching the Walking Dead where the infected are secondary to the plot. Idk, I just hope Cillian can redeem the series in the next entry.

The film is truly a tale of two halves. The first act was definitely entertaining. The world design looked amazing. Sprawling scenery and some genuinely scary moments involving the infected. This part of the film was by far the closest to the previous instalments. The direction here stands out - with grainy close-ups, fast jump cuts, and jarring transitions reminiscent of the original film, it pulls you right into the chaos.

Unfortunately, the momentum doesn't last. As the film transitions into its second half, it shifts gears into a more melodramatic human drama. The focus moves away from the infected threat and toward a lackluster subplot involving a mother and a doctor. The characters at this point make some questionable decisions which really doesn't help the film's validity.

The final act unfortunately teetered on lacklustre and borderline comedic, completely changing the tone of the first act.

I stand by saying the directing, camera work, editing and cinematography were the highlight. The landscapes and post apocalyptic setting was beautiful to look at. These elements made the film worth watching. There were some plot elements that were interesting enough but were never explored to the full potential.

However a weak plot, even weaker characters and a lacklustre ending prevent this instalment from being memorable.

Great first half, full of tension, beautiful cinematography, although those zombie kill shots where scene pauses and camera angle rotates was annoying and looked like a video game scene.

Super boring second half where movie switches tone to comedy drama and predictable scenes were dragged too much.

Completely stupid ending, nothing like what you would expect from this movie series.

28 days later was such an amazing movie with constant tension throughout, great ending and awesome camera work showing aggressiveness of zombies that you felt through screen. This movie however is disappointing. Alphas just look like Jason Mamoa with makeup. Would have been nice if they kept rest of the movie similar to the first half with focus on horror and intense tension to keep viewers edge of their seat instead of making viewers fall asleep.