Over two decades ago, a horror film called 28 Days Later premiered in theaters and garnered not only critical and audience acclaim but also huge box office success. It relayed the story of animal activists who freed a group of animals that were, unbeknownst to them, infected with "the Rage". The Rage turned out to be a virus that changed people into homicidal creatures that ate humans. Five years later, a sequel was released called 28 Weeks Later, and once again had positive critical feedback and healthy box office returns. This year, a third film, 28 Years Later, once again was successful with the highest critical Rotten Tomatoes score and box office returns in the franchise. While a fourth movie is set to be released next year, 28 Years Later has been made available for home entertainment purchase.
As the name implies, it has been 28 years since the infected began terrorizing Great Britain. On the island of Lindisfarne live a group of uninfected, including Spike (relative newcomer Alfie WIlliams) and his father, Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson; Kraven the Hunter). After Spike turns 12, Jamie takes him to the mainland as a "test" to hunt and kill the infected - or die trying. While stuck on the mainland overnight, Spike sees a fire in the distance and asks his father about it. The latter tells Spike that it is a crazy doctor named Kelson (Ralph Fiennes; Conclave) who is burning the dead.
Upon their return to Lindisfarne, Jamie embellishes Spike's accomplishments, and the community celebrates. Upset, Spike leaves the party, only to see his father having an affair, while Spike's mother, Isla (Jodie Comer; Killing Eve), lies ill in bed. Angry, Spike tells his father to leave while he takes his mother to see Dr. Kelson on the mainland to try and find out what's wrong with her, and hoping to finally cure her. Risking life and limb, Spike and his mother make it to the doctor, and after an examination, the doctor tells them he doesn't think Isla has long to live, devastating Spike, who then decides not to return to the community and instead fends for himself while trying to evade the infected.
I can say with confidence that the 1080p video quality is wonderful, even during the goriest scenes. As the Alpha infected uses his strength to rip off the head and pull out the spine of the enemy, the graphics are disgustingly realistic. The color palette includes lush greenery, deep and gory red hues of blood and flesh tones covered by the dirt of the infected. Dr. Kelson's iodine-treated skin has an orange tinge to it without looking like a fake spray tan.
The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 matches the technical excellence of the video. The ambient noise is abundant in the surround speakers along with the soundtrack, while the dialogue sits nicely front and center. The layered noises of the infected, along with the weapons used to kill them, offer a realistic experience to the viewer.
The combo pack includes the Blu-ray Disc, the Digital Download, and approximately 30 minutes of extras, including Days to Years, Capturing the Chaos, The Survivors, Becoming the Infected, Behind the Cameras, and Previews. The extras are decent but only seem to skim the surface rather than go in-depth. More substantive extras would have enhanced this combo pack, but perhaps Sony Pictures will save those for a special edition anniversary release.
This sequel sees the return of Director Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire) and writer Alex Garland (Ex Machina) giving the movie a more cohesive feel to 28 Days Later than 28 Weeks Later did. Boyle also has a unique vision for his films, which tends to be audience-pleasing while leaning a little bit on the bizarre side. Examples of this include the Bone Temple (which is the name of a sequel to premiere next year) and the infected woman giving birth to a child.
This franchise is definitely not for everyone, myself included. However, I can appreciate strong filmmaking, including the writing, directing, cinematography, etc., and recommend the home release to those who are fans.
Grade: B+
