TAGGED AS: 28 Days Later, Film, Horror, movies
Academy Award nominee Alex Garland had forgotten about zombies when he wrote 28 Days Later. But playing the video game Resident Evil sparked a renewed interest, one that inspired him to write a script that was suspenseful and allegorically nuanced, which director Danny Boyle turned into a landmark, kinetic and terrifying zombie film (partly thanks to its revolutionary use of digital video cameras, a first for a mainstream movie at the time).
Critics praised the film for revitalizing the dormant zombie genre, often citing it as the reason we got such horror classics as Shaun of the Dead, Zombieland, Zack Snyder’s Dawn of the Dead, and, in what must’ve been a full circle moment for Garland, the film adaptation of Resident Evil.
Boyle would not return for the action-packed follow-up 28 Weeks Later, which traded the political commentary for explosions, but he did return for the third film, 28 Years Later, reuniting with Garland and bringing back his innovative digital video shooting style. And this week, we’re treated to the fourth installment of the franchise, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, which has Garland on writing duties once again but handing off the script to director Nia DaCosta. Critics are already calling it the best in the series, lauding Ralph Fiennes and Jack O’Connell’s towering performances.
Check out our guide ranking all of the films in the franchise by Tomatometer, and we’ll see you at the apocalypse! — Bryce Marrero
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