The “28 Years Later” Reviews Are In

More than two decades after introducing the concept of ‘fast zombies’ in “28 Days Later,” Danny Boyle delivers the first of a new trilogy with “28 Years Later” and the results are very good it seems.

With 85 reviews counted, the film sits at a 95% on Rotten Tomatoes, ahead of the 87% of the original film and 72% of its sequel “28 Weeks Later”.

On Metacritic it sits at 78/100 from 31 reviews – putting it ahead of the original film at 73/100 and #5 on Boyle’s overall filmography (“Slumdog Millionaire” is #1 at 84/100).

Compared to other zombie works – its coming in behind the 84/100 and 81/100 the two seasons of HBO’s “The Last of Us” scored on Metacritic, and in between the 96% and 92% scores for the same on Rotten Tomatoes.

But it is going fairly in line with the film “Train to Busan” which also sits at 95% on RT and at slightly lower 73/100 on MC. Here’s a sampling of reviews:

“It never feels like a cynical attempt to revisit proven material merely for commercial reasons. Instead, the filmmakers appear to have returned to a story whose allegorical commentary on today’s grim political landscape seems more relevant than ever.” – David Rooney, THR

“Boyle and Garland’s return to the franchise seems deliberately set on reinventing as many cliches as it can, while also exploding our assumptions about what a zombie movie might be.” – Liz Shannon Miller, Consequence

“Typically, we look to adrenaline-fueled entertainment for catharsis. Boyle’s thrilling reboot offers enlightenment as well.” – Peter DeBruge, Variety

“Wildly unexpected for a film that’s been promised for so long, this tense and tender post-apocalyptic drama contends that to exist in denial of death is to corrupt the integrity of life itself.” – David Ehrlich, Indiewire

“The filmmakers haven’t redefined the zombie genre, but they’ve refocused their own culturally significant riff into a lush, fascinating epic that has way more to say about being human than it does about (re-)killing the dead.” – William Bibbiani, The Wrap

“28 Years Later is a post-Brexit, Covid-conscious take on this world, with ideas about nationalism, isolationism, and weaponised culture added to the mix. But it’s punchy and simple once again.” – Clarisse Loughrey, Independent

“This riveting blend of horror and heart reminds that death, horror’s favorite equalizer, can be as beautiful as it can be cruel.” – Megan Navarro, Bloody Disgusting

“28 Years Later is choppy, muddled, strange, and not always convincing. But I’m not sure I’ll ever forget it.” – Bilge Ebiri, Vulture

“28 Years Later tries hard to outpace the original film and keep up with the culture at large, but instead it lumbers slowly behind.” – Rafer Guzman, Newsday

The film is reportedly projected to have a $28-30 million domestic and $56 million global opening weekend this coming weekend.

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