28 Days Later influenced the zombie genre without zombies! The film’s “infected” moved quickly, like ravenous beasts, which carried over to other films. The Walking Dead comic book came out a year later and also featured a main character who found himself in a coma during the beginning of an apocalyptic event. The Danny Boyle film’s influence can be felt far and wide, and that includes exposing Americans to the fantastic talents of Cillian Murphy. Boyle and Murphy are returning to the franchise over twenty years later, and the first trailer is about what you’d expect.
Unless you only saw the alternate endings, 28 Days Later ends on a hopeful note after Murphy and company deal with the real monsters: man! The sequel, 28 Weeks Later, ends on a mix of hope and dread. There is a tease that a cure for the “Rage Virus” may be possible, but the virus has also spread to France (hate it when that happens). That was in 2007, and the franchise has lain dormant since then. That didn’t stop zombie fiction from spreading like a… dammit I can’t think of a word. But it spread!
A television show based on The Walking Dead began in 2010, ran for 11 years and spawned numerous spinoffs. While the show wasn’t the be-all and end-all of zombie fiction, it certainly led the charge for quite a while. Its influence was also felt throughout the genre. Zombie stuff became immensely popular during the show’s run and thanks to that, a lot of ground has been covered. So, when a new trailer dropped for 28 Years Later, I was surprised to say that it felt… familiar.
Details about the sequel are still scarce. Even those presented in the trailer are scarce. What we do know is that the Rage Virus has not gone away. We see a group of survivors living on an island as a community. They celebrate, hunt, and survive against the infected together. There is a glimpse of the infected, with some looking emaciated, some looking vicious as ever, and even a peek at a big, strong one. It was a good trailer! But, is it too late to offer anything new?
Every movie doesn’t have to reinvent the wheel. Sometimes, competent filmmaking and a good story are enough to carry a picture forward. Still, with a franchise that basically helped kick off and influence a trend with its ingenuity, it was strange to see a trailer that felt old hat. Hell, there are moments in the trailer that could easily be about a new season of The Last Of Us. I trust Garland and Boyle to deliver the goods, but I’m starting to wonder if they have anything new to offer or are just happy to give us a little reunion tour. I’ll be tuned in regardless.