Nerdy Up North Podcast
The setup
Years after the original outbreak, the virus has evolved and a new generation must survive in a world that has become increasingly isolated and dangerous.
28 Years Later is probably going to annoy some people because it does not just give you another version of 28 Days Later. I actually respect that. If they were going to come back to this world after so long, I wanted it to feel like time had actually passed rather than everybody just doing the same thing again.
It feels more dystopian than I expected. The infected are obviously still important, and there are some horrible moments with them, but the film seems just as interested in what decades of living like this have done to people. There is grief all over the story. Relationships have changed, communities have changed and survival has become normal rather than something new and shocking.
The Northern locations were a massive plus for me. There is something strange about seeing landscapes that feel familiar being used this way. It gives the film a different identity straight away and stops it looking like another generic apocalypse movie.
I also liked how rough some of the footage feels. It is not always pretty in the traditional sense, but I think that suits it. Certain scenes feel immediate, almost like you are there rather than watching something that has been polished until every frame looks perfect.
The emotional side caught me off guard as well. I expected the infected and the survival stuff. I was not expecting the film to spend as much time as it does on loss and what people are actually living for after all this time.
I can completely understand somebody going in wanting the same feeling as the first film and coming out disappointed. This is doing something different. For me, that is more interesting than trying to recreate a film that already exists.
It is bleak and strange in places, and I am still not sure every choice worked for me, but I’d much rather a sequel take a swing like this than play everything safe.
Whatever you think of it, it gives this world somewhere new to go.
Positives
It captures a bleak, unsettling Britain where nature has reclaimed much of the landscape which makes a striking contrast between the gorgeous British countryside and the horror taking place within it. The cast gives the film an emotional centre, particularly in the quieter family moments.
Negatives
The pacing won't work for everyone. The film introduces intriguing ideas but doesn't necessarily explain everything, which is only followed by the frustration of some character choices.
Verdict
The biggest positive is that it feels like a genuine continuation rather than an attempt to recreate the nostalgia of 28 Days Later. It takes the world seriously and asks what happens when people have lived with the aftermath for almost three decades.
