28 Years Later finally releases in cinemas this weekend, 23 years after the original aired in 2001 and instilled fear into the hearts of film lovers everywhere. Just as fear instilling for the makers, the reviews are also live.
The original introduced many to the now Oscar-winning actor Cillian Murphy and director Danny Boyle, with the latter returning this time around to direct the much-anticipated threequel.
The latest film in the series, which is set to kick off a fresh new trilogy, stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ralph Fiennes, and Jodie Comer and has come out swinging, currently clocking in at 95% on Rotten Tomatoes and 78 on Metacritic. The reviews leave it in a similar place to both 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later, which have come before it.
Keep reading for a glimpse of what some of the critics have to say about this summer's biggest zombie film.
The Guardian gave the film three stars, adding “Now we have 28 Years Later, an interesting, tonally uncertain development which takes a generational, even evolutionary leap into the future from the initial catastrophe, creating something that mixes folk horror, little-England satire and even a grieving process for all that has happened.”
Empire’s Ben Travis was hotter on it than The Guardian, giving it four out of five stars: “the second half doesn’t quite grip the throat as tightly. It never bores; every moment brings a discovery. But by design, this is a wild, unruly odyssey, a coming-of-age tale that zigs and zags. It won’t satisfy everyone.”
IGN’s Tom Jorgensen was very hot on the film, giving it a nine out of ten, saying: “The infected action is slick and well-staged, but it’s here that the hordes of imitators have most watered down Boyle’s brand of zombie violence. 28 Years Later introduces some new subspecies of infected that feel like they could’ve shambled right out of Left 4 Dead, some of which pose questions about the nature of the infection that beg to be answered in the already-shot sequel 28 Days Later: The Bone Temple.”
The Independent’s Clarisse Loughrey also gave the film three out of five star, “28 Years Later feels like being repeatedly bonked on the head by the metaphor hammer, Boyle’s still a largely compelling filmmaker, and the film separates itself from the first instalment by offering something distinctly more sentimental and mythic than before.”
28 Years Later seems to be a hit, maybe not capturing the subtlety of the original, but delivering enjoyable action and thrills in abundance. If you’re a fan of the series so far, it feels likely this will be a weekend treat to get the heart racing.
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