QUICK HIT: 28 YEARS LATER

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Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and his son
Spike (Alfie Williams) in a scene from 28 YEARS
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28 YEARS LATER

 

"WTF was that?" 

Whether you're a fan of the series that began 23 years ago or new to the series, the preceding question may likely be your reaction to what is the first installment of a planned trilogy of films that will (likely) conclude the 28 ... horror movie franchise. 

In case you're unfamiliar, 28 YEARS LATER is the third film in the horror franchise that explores what happens once a virus that turns people into homicidal rage monsters thru blood infection (unless they are killed or die out from starvation.) Whereas the previous installment 28 WEEKS LATER seemed to advance the franchise, both in terms of its characters and the impact of its main protagonist, the rage virus, on the world, 28 YEARS LATER is much more of a character study. Unfortunately, in the wake of The Walking Dead, the potential fear of zombie fatigue has taken this franchise down some very weird roads (or, as the case may more fittingly be, causeways). 

Likewise, whereas the first two films seemed to focus on the humanity (or rather, how they try to maintain in the face of extreme adversity), 28 YEARS ... is more of a coming of age story focusing on what it means for a boy to become a man (in the face of extreme adversity). Then again, when you've got a mutated alpha zombie doing something unthinkable - and, even by the franchise's standards, implausible, it certainly warrants a bit of skepticism about what lies ahead. 

While reserving judgment might be best until 28 YEARS LATER: THE BONE TEMPLE – shot back-to-back with 28 YEARS – is released next January, this installment of the franchise might have better served with at least another year to make it better.

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