Parents' Guide to 28 Years Later

The gruesome third entry in this unlikely zombie series wildly surpasses its two predecessors in terms of quality, creativity, and craftsmanship, marred only by a few small flaws. Screenwriter Alex Garland and director Danny Boyle re-team after the original 28 Days Later (part two, 28 Weeks Later, was directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo) and, after more than two decades, the pair seem not only recharged but more experienced and mature. They have more on their minds than just re-creating the same mindless zombie attacks we've seen again and again. This time, we're in a community that's lived with death for more than a generation. It's a different perspective, and it's fascinating to see the movie's take on how humans have adapted over such a long time; the story is no longer just about the shock of a sudden outbreak. (Even the zombies have evolved into different forms, different classes.)

The widescreen visuals here—a sharp contrast to the grungy, muddy video of the original film—are astonishing, from a race across the causeway to escape a marauding Alpha to a sculpture garden made of human remains. The sound design and music are also deeply powerful, ranging from nerve-rattling to soul-stirring. A couple of moments do stand out as pedestrian, including an actual cat jump scare and some unlikely last-second rescues. The biggest downer is knowing that there's a built-in sequel (shot back-to-back with this one), which casts a cloud of greed and opportunism over an otherwise banger of an ending. But otherwise, 28 Years Later is a startling success, better than it has any right to be and possibly Boyle's best work since Trainspotting.