Released in 2002, Danny Boyle and Alex Garland’s 28 Days Later injected new life (or death) into the zombie horror genre. Since then, it’s spawned some sequels, which means it’s a good time to rank all of the 28 Days Later movies from worst to best. Let’s get into it.
3. 28 Weeks Later
I want to clarify that 28 Weeks Later is by no means a bad movie, though it’s certainly the least popular of the bunch. Directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, 28 Weeks Later is much more action-oriented and probably more palatable for the mainstream audience just looking for a fun zombie flick to get into. It never quite achieves the same level of depth as 28 Days Later, but there are still plenty of redeeming qualities that make it worth watching.
For starters, the casting is excellent and Robert Carlyle was a great get for the film. Carlyle plans Don, a husband and a father who reunites with his children 28 weeks after the outbreak. As for his wife? Well, all that’s covered in the film’s iconic opening scene, which might also be the best one out of the trilogy. Carlyle’s performance is especially affecting as he does a stellar job of portraying a very flawed person who ultimately tries to do the right thing, but doesn’t have it in him to be brave when it comes down to it.
Carlyle is joined by Jeremy Renner, who plays Doyle, and Rose Byrne, who plays Scarlet. The performances are largely solid, though the rest of the movie is bogged down by your usual zombie flick cliches: unlikable kids and other adults doing dumb things, token survivor characters that are obviously just there as infected fodder, an over-explanation of the rage virus and weird attempts to explain how a vaccine might be engineered, and Complete. Global. Saturation. The most fascinating part of 28 Days Later was the fact that the virus had been contained entirely within Britain while the rest of the world continued to function normally. Even hinting at a worldwide spread made the movies feel a little less special and way more trite.
28 Weeks Later is at its best when it focuses on the human element rather than the science of it all. It’s just unfortunate that it felt the need to fall into these tiresome tropes.
2. 28 Years Later
28 Years Later saw the return of Boyle and Garland to their beloved series, and what a grand return it is. In an age where the zombie genre has been done to death, it was difficult to imagine how 28 Years Later might move the needle. The answer, as it turns out, is to not make a zombie genre film. Instead, Boyle and Garland decided to make a film about humans and loss, with the infected threat largely taking a backseat.
I can see this being a polarizing film for many. After all, the criticisms are justified. 28 Years Later is a very weird film. It’s tonally inconsistent, the iPhone kill cam shots (which I personally love) can feel too video game-y, and perhaps most egregiously, it ends on an insane cliffhanger that feels like we got thrown into a completely different movie.
Look past all the noise, though, and you’ll see that 28 Years Later is really about the death of childhood and innocence. It’s a recurring theme that pops up in all aspects of the film, even the weird bits. I appreciated that 28 Years Later took some swings in its vision, refusing to retread old ground, and daring to embrace its stranger parts.
1. 28 Days Later
At the end of the day, there’s just no beating the original. 28 Days Later represented a huge leap forward for the zombie horror genre, despite Boyle’s best attempts to steer it away from those labels. Portions of the film were shot with digital cameras, specifically in the early scenes with Jim (Cillian Murphy) waking from his coma and roaming the deserted streets of London. The ominous music, coupled with the shots of a desolated Piccadilly Circus and Oxford Street, created an oppressive atmosphere unlike anything we’ve seen in the genre.
It was also the first movie that allowed the infected to run, which certainly evened things out between humans and the infected. The result is a very gritty and kinetic movie filled with such fervor and tension that never let up.
Yet, it’s also remembered for its tender, human moments. Brief scenes of reprieve where the characters stop and admire the English countryside, or go on a shopping spree at an abandoned supermarket help to remind the audience that there’s still joy to be found in this collapsed society.
28 Days Later is part zombie horror, part humanist drama, and it’s the rare film that excels at being both.
