I have to admit, I didn’t rewatch the prior two installments before walking into 28 Years Later. In some ways, I think that helped – I was able to approach the film with a clear-eyed view, judging its merits as a standalone effort. 28 Years Later is a movie full of intriguing filmmaking choices and ideas, but it’s also uneven and ultimately incomplete (more on that later).
After 23 years since the original film, Danny Boyle returns to direct and clearly embraces experimentation – from shot composition to camera setups. The most successful of these is the juxtaposition of grainy, handheld footage with stunning extreme wide shots in full resolution. It captures both an aesthetic that honors the originals and a current, contemporary cinematic polish. Less successful is the use of a reported custom rig outfitted with twenty iPhones.
The intensity of the action sequences using this setup felt greatly diminished and pulled me out of the movie. The cinematography also left me with mixed feelings in certain sequences – you’ll know them when you see them. Though Alex Garland only serves as writer here, it’s easy to spot visual echoes of Ex Machina and Annihilation.
28 Years Later had a surprising amount of emotional depth, though maybe not as hard hitting as the filmmakers believe. Tonally, everything felt very erratic, which dulled any emotional heights the film was trying to reach. There wasn’t enough time given to the central relationship of the film before it resolves, despite Jodie Comer’s best efforts to overcome this in her performance. Ralph Fiennes performance and character, however, was bright spot.
28 Years Later also did not feel like a three-act film, in my opinion. The ending felt like it marked the beginning of a third act, meaning the story felt incomplete by the time the credits roll. Now knowing 28 Years Later is the start of a new trilogy, I see why this is, but still doesn’t excuse the film for ending on a thud.
On balance, 28 Years Later definitely has guts in terms of pure filmmaking, but everything else about it didn’t quite connect in the ways I was really hoping for. Cautiously optimistic of what’s to come.
