Post-apocalyptic fiction has a certain allure to it. We all have the ability to envisage the worst-case scenarios that could occur in our environment, and as Murphy’s Law suggests, anything that can go wrong will go wrong!
As a result, even though the terror is buried in our subconscious, it is frequently extremely real, and post-apocalyptic films allow us to see some of this terrifying material. There have been lots of post-apocalyptic dramas across every genre imaginable throughout the years, but horror films set in such a doomed world scenario have piqued our interest the most!
In this video, we will introduce you to a lesser-known horror franchise that produced two distinct post-apocalyptic horror films. 28 Days Later, directed by Danny Boyle, was the first picture to be released in 2002, and it immediately caught the attention of horror enthusiasts. After a long wait, a sequel was finally released in 2007, and it did a great job of wrapping up the plot.
Both films concentrate upon the terrible Rage virus, which turns people into bloodthirsty monsters and makes controlling the outbreak exceedingly difficult. So, without further ado, let us plunge you into these perilous worlds as we perform a thorough autopsy on these films! We believe the latest pandemic will provide you with a new perspective on how difficult it may be to deal with a deadly illness!
28 Days Later: 2002
The very first scene sets the tone of the film perfectly. Things begin at a research laboratory, where a group of British animal rights activists manages to break in. There are several chimpanzees in the facility that are being used for research purposes, and the activists free these apes without paying the slightest attention to the constant warnings of the lab staffer.
Unfortunately, the warnings weren’t for nothing! The chimpanzees were the subjects of a deadly experiment, involving the Rage virus, and once they are freed, they immediately attack and infect their saviors. The viewers watch in horror as the rapid infection turns these activists into uncontrollable monsters within a few seconds.
Twenty-eight days following the events of the first scene, a young bicycle courier, Jim awakens from a coma in a strangely deserted hospital. He is puzzled about the uneasy calm in his surroundings, and once he steps out, he witnesses a side of London that he hadn’t seen before!
The whole place looks like something terrible happened, and the gallant city lay in ruins. He stumbles across a Church, where a few people seem to have gathered. However, his hope for some perspective soon turns into shock as the people turn out to be the kind of raging monsters seen in the first scene.
Jim is chased by these people, and two other survivors Mark and Selena manage to rescue him just in time. Later, they reveal that during Jim’s comatose state, the Rage virus had destroyed life in the city. The infected people have turned into vicious murderers, and the societal structure has collapsed completely. Jim persuades Selena and Mark to accompany him to his parent’s house, but he is dejected to find that his parents have committed suicide.
We soon learn more about the Rage virus, when the three survivors are attacked by several infected people. When the fight is over, Mark seems to be bleeding, and Selena wastes no time in hacking him to death.
She explains that the infection spreads through any kind of contact with the contaminated blood, and the victims are transformed in a matter of seconds. Now, it is only Jim and Selena looking out for themselves, and they journey through the derelict city. Their next encounter with the infected also coincides with their encounter with another pair of survivors.
When Jim and Selena are attacked, they are saved by a man named Frank and his teenage daughter Hannah. Jim wants to stick around these survivors, but Selena is more practical and she believes that the father-daughter duo will only slow them down. However, they end up staying together for the time being. Frank shows him a prerecorded radio broadcast that assures the citizens about an answer to the infection.
They realize that they must find a way out of the city in order to be rescued. Frank has a cab, and they all hop on board to escape. They have a near-death experience when the tires get a flat just in a near collision with a group of approaching infected people. However, they manage to get away just in time.
With time, Jim grows into a hardened soul, while Selena starts showing chinks in her determination. In the course of time, Frank is infected as well, and he nearly kills Hannah after changing to a monstrous form. Luckily for them, there are some soldiers in hiding who shoot him dead, and they guide Selena, Jim, and Hannah to a secret fortified mansion commanded by Major Henry West.
Just when you think they may have been saved, Jim learns the actual answers to the infection that the Major has in mind. He plans to starve the infected to death, and the future community will prosper by implementing sexual servitude on the female survivors. Jim attempts a brave escape with Selena and Hannah, but he is captured by the soldiers.
Another dissenting soldier, Sergeant Farrell also disagrees with the ideas of Major West, and he is also imprisoned along with Jim. The Sergeant reveals that the infection couldn’t have been worldwide because the rapid process wouldn’t give anyone the time to escape the British Isles. Meanwhile, the girls are taken so that the soldiers can force themselves upon them. While Jim and Sergeant Farrell are taken to be executed, Jim manages to escape and hides in a pile of corpses.
He even watches a jet flying overhead, and this gives him hope that the outside world might still be functioning. He sneaks back into the soldier’s headquarters, and he unleashes an infected soldier who had been kept chained the whole time. It doesn’t take long before most of the other soldiers are infected, and Jim himself savagely kills the last uninfected soldier.
He is covered in blood by now, but Selena hesitates to kill him, and rightly so because we soon learn that he is functioning normally. They even share a brief romantic moment, but their joy is soon interrupted by the maniacal Major West, who shoots Jim in the stomach before they can escape with Hannah. They rush him to an abandoned hospital and Selena tries her best to patch him up.
It has been twenty-eight more days, and we see a glimmer of hope with Jim slowly recovering. Selena is seen sewing large fabrics to form a distress signal that they put out on the meadow as approaching jets to fly overhead. The infected are shown to be dying of starvation, and the three survivors wonder if the jets will ever see their signs for help!
A Dark and Creepy return to Bloody Zombies!
We all love an innovative take on a usual zombie flick, and this film performs that perfectly. There are no prizes for guessing that the infected individuals are uncannily zombie-like in their mannerisms. 28 Days Later, by all means, is a rather straightforward zombie flick, but the director Danny Boyle has added his creativity to add the freshness to the narrative.
The infected still attack as ferociously as George Romero’s creations, but the main characters are far deeper than what you see in an average zombie flick. We get some diverse personalities with the likes of Jim, Selena, and Hannah, and the acting performances from the cast do justice to these roles.
Danny Boyle doesn’t shy away from graphic violence, and the attacks of the infected areas bloody the shores of Normandy on D-Day! There are some disturbing flashes of spraying blood and chopped limbs, and even though the camera quickly cuts away, the viewer is bound to feel queasy at times. The narrative is atmospheric and full of suspense, and the action-packed events never let a dull moment creep in.
The abandoned cityscape is nicely done, and the infected people look quite intimidating. They can run very fast, and their energetic manner makes you fear for the protagonists. The action lovers will be delighted by the violent climactic fight, and once again, the director doesn’t hold back in these scenes. If there is one thing that we would have liked to be different, it could have been the lack of clichés.
There are certain moments that are almost predictable because of all the times you have seen similar things before. The clear inspiration from George Romero’s works is obvious, but that doesn’t make this any less of a movie. Our verdict would be to go and enjoy this fresh take on a zombie apocalypse, and you will be pleasantly surprised by what 28 Days Later has to offer!
28 Weeks Later (2007)
The story picks up from the events of the last movie, and we see another side of the previous infection. During the outbreak, Don and his wife Alice remained hidden in a country house with four other survivors. Their two children were away on a school trip to Spain, and they believed that the kids would be safe there. However, their life was interrupted when a number of infected people followed a young boy and broke into their house. Everyone was slaughtered, and Don abandoned Alice in order to survive and he escaped alive.
After twenty-eight weeks, the infected population has starved to death. NATO forces have secured various parts of London, and English citizens who were abroad during the outbreak are being allowed to return. Don and Alice’s children, Tammy and Andy, are among these returning people, and they all live in a demarcated, secured zone called the Green Zone. It is forbidden for anyone to leave the zone because the forces are still securing other areas and there are rotting corpses strewn around everywhere.
Don reunites with his children, but he lies to them about trying his best to save their mother. However, Tammy and Andy are determined to check out their old residence and they sneak out to look for personal items. They are shocked to find that Alice is alive and she has remained in the attic in a delirious state! With the help of NATO soldiers, Alice is taken to the Green Zone and a medical officer named Scarlet examines a bite wound on her body.
After performing a test she confirms that Alice is infected by the Rage virus, but she is somehow immune to its effects. But, she could still contaminate others with her blood or saliva. She is ordered to be executed, but Don manages to sneak into her confines.
He had been accused by their children of abandoning their mother, and he came to explain himself. The couple shares a fatal kiss in the passionate moment, and Don is immediately infected. He transforms into a murderous psycho and kills Alice instantly before breaking into the Green Zone infecting many others.
The army immediately moves in to contain the further spread of the infection, and the medical officer realizes that Andy and Alice share the same genetics that allows them to be immune to the virus. This can be instrumental in developing a potential cure, and Scarlet rescues Tammy and Andy in this chaos.
Tammy is put into a room with other residents, while Scarlet stays behind with Andy. Don, who was hiding in the safe room all along, attacks many of the survivors and the spreading of the virus continues. Absolute chaos ensues, and the snipers are ordered to shoot just about everyone on the streets because there is no telling between the infected from the non-infected.
One of the snipers, Doyle, abandons his post because he couldn’t bring himself to shoot innocent civilians. Together, they form a group of survivors, including Tammy, Andy, Scarlett, and a few others. Doyle even contacts a friendly helicopter pilot, Flynn, and he advises the group to get out of the Green Zone ASAP because it is about to be bombed! However, several of the infected, including Don, also manage to evade the explosions of the bomb. They break into London, and the infection worsens with every passing moment.
The only hope for the survivors is the brave helicopter pilot Flynn, who asks them to meet him at Wembley Stadium so that he can fly them across the English Channel. It is particularly important for Andy to survive more than anyone else because he is a potential cure for this nightmarish situation.
Doyle, Andy, Scarlet, and Tammy manage to get into a car, but they run the risk of being killed by the army which might mistake them for the infected. As they try to drive away, Doyle is killed, and Scarlet drives into a subway station. They follow the tracks, hoping that it would lead them to Wembley. In the dark tunnels, the three get separated, and all of a sudden Don appears out of nowhere.
He kills Scarlet and bites Andy before Tammy finally shoots him dead. However, Andy is immune just like his mother, and he accompanies Tammy to meet Flynn at the Wembley Stadium. True to his promise, he flies the children across the English Channel out of Britain. Unknowingly, this allows the Rage virus to be exposed to the outside world, and while Andy has not infected himself, he can still infect others.
The movie ends on an ominous note, and after twenty-eight days, we see the horrifying sight of Flynn’s wrecked helicopter. A French man is sending a distress message, and the viewers are greeted by the horror that has gripped entire Europe now. Infected people are seen running towards the Eiffel Tower, hinting at the possible end of all opportunities to contain the infection any longer!
A Brutal and Uncompromising Sequel – Worthy successor to 28 Days Later
It is no secret that it is extremely difficult to live up to the expectations following a successful horror movie. But, this promising horror flick offers a nice follow-up to Danny Boyle’s brilliance five years ago. The narrative uses the premise from the first film, and a fresh story is baked, caressed by Spanish director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo. He delivers with a bang, coming up with a pulse-pounding horror drama that deserves to be recognized on its own merit.
Things are set into action right from the word go, and the narrative wastes no time to bring you right in the middle of murderous mayhem! The spooky shots of the empty streets of London are back, but this time you have the assurance of the NATO forces all around. However, things change pretty quickly, and once the infection spreads uncontrollably, there is no safe place!
The director makes good use of the shaky cam, but at times this can be annoying visually, simply because of the lack of clarity. The stories have been branched into a series of spooky set-pieces, and there is lots of drama in store for the viewer. We must acknowledge the brilliant performance of the cast, and the likes of Jeremy Renner, Rose Byrne, and the others do a phenomenal job in their challenging roles.
There is a little more detailing in the characters than before, and the actors are certainly up to the task. The blood and gore continue from the first movie, and the make-up effects are simply perfect to make it a truly frightening experience for the viewer. If you have enjoyed 28 Days Later, there is no reason to dislike 28 Weeks Later because it retains the theme that made things so awesome the first time. Also, the open-ended climax leaves room for a possible third, which keeps us fans hopeful!
Will there be another sequel?
The fans of the franchise have been lying in wait for forever, and there haven’t seen signs of a possible third movie in the series. However, a movie titled 28 Months Later has been doing the rounds for the last few years. Calian Murphy has recently revealed that he would love to return for a role if there is a third movie.
Earlier, Danny Boyle had come out saying he has a wonderful plan for a third movie, but no such movie is in development as of now. The Oscar-winning filmmaker, however, sounded optimistic about a third movie, and the fans would love nothing better than him returning to finish what he started.
In short, we cannot offer you too much hope, but there is surely a chance of this project getting a green light! By now, the waiting period has been so long for us, that the makers might as well release the next movie a few years later and call it 28 Years Later!