Sci-Fi Bulletin: Exploring the Universes of SF, Fantasy, Horror and Spy-fi!

The first trailer for Danny Boyle and Alex Garland’s long-awaited 28 Years Later arrived on Tuesday and did so in chilling fashion. The sequel to 28 Days and 28 Weeks Later, it follows a UK ravaged by a virus which turns anyone infected with it relentlessly homicidal. The first movie is a colossal, often alienating exercise in style with a unique voice and anchored by an early Cillian Murphy performance. The second is Alasdair Stuart’s favourite, exploring the relief effort through the eyes of a shattered family and a pair of US soldiers in the relief effort. 28 Years Later is planned as a trilogy and the first two films are already made. Here’s what he noticed:

To begin with, that narration here is a terrifying read of Rudyard Kipling’s poem, ‘Boots’, a stream of consciousness set of recollections from a soldier in the Second Boer War. This recording is by American actor Taylor Holmes and is so deeply disturbing that it’s been used in Survival, Evasion, Rescue, Escape or SERE schools by the US military. Holmes’ extraordinary delivery, and the repeated refrain ‘THERE’S NO DISCHARGE IN THE WAR!’ sets the tone and sets it hard.

0.15

That’s a lot of very frightened children, and a very frightened adult, watching TV. I’m guessing this is a flashback to the initial outbreak, given the house is remarkably undamaged (that changes) and there’s a TV signal.

The possibility of a flashback is especially intriguing for a couple of reasons, both tied to the fate of major characters. It’s very hard to see but that looks like Jodie Comer as one of the adults in this sequence. If so that suggests that she may not make it 28 years. None of the kids we see look male, or dark haired so while she could be Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s character’s mum, we don’t have proof of that. Yet.

The presence of a flashback also lends some credence to what may be an enormous spoiler hidden in plain sight, which we’ll get to in about a minute’s time.

0.35

Confirmation that the major settlement we see is on Holy Island in Northumberland. Lindisfarne, to give its other name, is also home to the infamous Viking raid in 793 which is regarded as the beginning of the Viking Age. Given some of the implications we’re about to hit, that seems symbolic. It also put me in mind of colossal social horror experiment The Third Day which was unfortunate enough to hit just as the Pandemic began. That was shot on Osea Island, in Essex, although the similarities are clear.

0.38

Pay close attention to this mask and the arrow through it, we’re going to see it again.

0.46

I love the combination of chipper, slightly folksy, old fashioned art and the Watch Tower. This is a community where safety is very shallow, and one clinging onto the side of the country for dear life.

0.53

That’s 1:7 from the Book of Revelations on the side of the building: ‘Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him— even those who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. So shall it be! Amen.’

Hold that thought.

Also ‘Jimmy’ and one of the main characters is called Jamie. Could be something. Could be nothing.

0.55

Our first good luck at Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s Jamie, still carrying that Fall Guy/Kraven physique. What interests me is the background. Those look a lot like stalls and if they are that suggests markets. And markets suggest trade. I wonder if the scattered communities left are communicating? There’s some late-run The Walking Dead atmosphere here which I’m very please by

0.59

Confirmed, it’s Holy Island. That’s the Causeway warning sign.

1.03

This terrifying shot of Infected loping down the hill gets even more frightening when you run it in slow motion. Because one of them isn’t moving at all. Almost like he’s directing the others.

1.14

The first noise we hear is what seems to be an Infected screaming. That hints, strongly, that this is a ‘Worse things than the Infected’ story.

1.16

There’s that mask again. On a woman? Look at the frame and note the arrow still seems to be in place. Could it be Jodie Comer’s character?

1.20

What the hell is that?! I’ve run that shot four times and it’s impossible to tell if the angle makes the person chasing Jamie down look enormous or if they are in fact just enormous. Inhumanly enormous. Also there’s something odd about their head and the shadows surrounding it. I wonder if this is a shot we’re carefully not being shown the finished version of.

1.22-Soldiers.

Our first good look at some very clean, well-fed looking soldiers. Are there large communities still in the UK or are they part of a relief effort? By the way engine number 31452 is currently active and in Great Yarmouth. It was put in service in 1961. Amazing what serial numbers will get you.

1.23

Something scarred, immense and very alive moves in the woods. I have no idea what this is but it looks angry. And possibly bipedal.

1.25

It goes by in a flash but that’s our second silhouetted figure on a hilltop of the trailer and they look like the same person. Also they seem to be standing near a chairn. It’s early days but imagery like this, and that Revelations quote, makes me wonder if the Infected are forming communities too. And choosing leaders.

1.30

The soldier turning around onto a large chest full of murder really has me thinking. There are three shots in this trailer that look a lot like they feature colossal humans. One of them would make me think it was just a stylistic choice. But three? I suspect the virus has done things to long-term hosts.

1.36

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple shot back to back with this 28 Years Later and we will clearly be spending a lot of time here, which maybe lends credence to the idea the Infected have developed a culture of their own. This set is incredible, just absolute nightmare fuel. Also, again, the scale is a little odd. The figure at the centre of the image looks slightly too large, which given some of the other shots in the trailer lends some credence to the idea the virus has evolved it’s hosts. It also looks a lot like Fiennes’ character so I could very well be off base.

1.38

We get a closer look at the Bone Temple and every single one of those columns is made of human bones. My God what an image.

1.48

That cannot be Cillian Murphy…. right?

Right?

I mean… it’s not just me is it? That looks a lot like Cillian Murphy as an emaciated Infected rising from the meadow. We know he’s shot scenes in The Bone Temple, so it probably (?) isn’t him but even then his role in both movies could be flashbacks and this is the reveal on what happened to Jim. If so that’s a serious downer and a massive spoiler. The first is absolutely on point for this franchise. The second doesn’t fit with the careful nature of this trailer at all so I’m not sure.

1.53

That’s Jodie Comer, cradling a child in a very post-apocalyptic looking beat in the hills. What’s interesting about this is that Comer is barely seen through the rest of the trailer. I think she’s in the opening scene but this is the only shot that’s definitely her. I wonder why.

28 Years Later is due for release on June 20th next year. 28 Days and 28 Weeks Later are both available on disc and streaming services now.