“Run, Jimmy! RUN!”

Story: On Lindisfarne Island, Northumberland, a group of survivors of the Rage Virus seem to live as regular an existence as anyone in post-apocalyptic Great Britain can. 12-year-old Spike is set to visit the mainland, in order to move to adulthood…even though that’s a rite typically saved for 14 and 15 year olds. His dad Jamie goes with him, understanding that if they’re not back in four hours, they’re stuck on the mainland until the next low tide. Well, let’s just say they’re stuck there. What’s that noise? And that smoke?

Genre I’d put it in: Post-apocalyptic Infected-NOT-ZOMBIES-YOU-GUUUUUYS [lighten up, Francis.] Sequels
Release Date: 2025
Remake, Sequel, Based-On, or Original: Third film in the 28 Days Later series.

Gotta say: I’ve been trying to keep my expectations low for this sequel. Which has been pretty tough, considering we’ve got Danny Boyle back in the director’s chair and Alex Garland on writing duties after sitting out Weeks (though Garland did do some rewrites on the second film.) I was wondering how these two would move out from the typical run-run-run storyline most zombie films stick to, and what themes they’d focus on in this third film. And Years not only finds it’s own message, but delivers one hell of a gut-punch.

Folks wondering about the rush of infected through the streets of Paris at the end of Weeks will have their question answered, albeit very briefly. In fact, Years glosses over a lot of the canon of the prior films, taking the basics and leaving offshoots by the wayside. Well, at least for now; we’ve got two more films in this series, so I’m guessing there will be many more questions, answers, and wrap-ups to come. Years tells it’s own tale, but sets up enough worldbuilding to easily fill the final two films. Add in some absolutely breathtaking cinematography (holy blip those lush green landscapes) and chilling sound editing (creepy, cool, and often just gross) to give Sinners‘ look a run for it’s money. Oh, Sinners cinematography is better – Boyle often sticks to the nitty-gritty vibe he had with Days here – but it’s still impressive as hell.

Years is also heavily Brexit coded – the UK is cut off from everyone. As with Weeks, there are other countries that help keep the infection contained, but unlike the second film, nobody by the quarantined are on infected soil. Well, not anyone who’s able to return to where they’ve come from, anyway. We get to see Swedish soldiers interact with infected, and hoo boy. To quote one of the soldiers? “…[S]houlda been a bike courier.” Years does not shy away from the red stuff. In fact, there a gamer-esque feel to the action here, with Boyle’s frenetic editing style jumping around pell-mell, getting viewers to really feel the chaos and confusion the characters must be facing.

There is an over-arching look at family throughout the series. Chosen family, estranged/distanced family, and the complications of parent/child connection. Here, Spike’s connection with his mother and father are at once emotionally deep, yet troubled for very different reasons. I’m sure the idea that Spike is a pre-teen was an important facet of his creation; most kids in this age range feel rudderless, as they begin to notice their parents aren’t exactly the people they’d innocently adored years before. In Years, the fact that adults aren’t exactly paragons hits especially hard, as trusting people can be literal life and death. Spike’s choices drive this film, and as he meets more characters, his worldview grows.

Alfie Williams does one hell of an amazing job as Spike. It’s a demanding role, yet Williams shifts emotional beats almost effortlessly. It often felt I was watching a real kid feel his way through each scene, rather than a plotted out story. The combination of Williams, Boyle, and Garland deliver one of the most poignant portrayals of being on the cusp of adolescence I’ve seen onscreen. And it’s always great to see Ralph Fiennes; his Dr. Kelson is both unhinged, and perhaps the sanest man on the mainland. Fiennes is at his best playing complex characters, and he sinks into this role beautifully. Special shout-out to Chi Lewis-Parry as “Samson”, aka That Huge Naked Dude We Saw In The Trailers. Lewis-Parry gives brief glimpses of emotional intelligence behind those red eyes, and after seeing his performance? I’m eager to learn more about him, and others like him, in the two future films.

These are characters who have had decades to adapt to this new world, or who have been born knowing nothing else. Yet it seems Boyle and Garland took the time to develop distinctive personalities for these characters, with even a few background villagers able to project their own worldview easily. That’s a feat in itself, and doubly so in a genre where, let’s face it, we fans will take just about anything as long as the story holds our interest. It’s a low bar, but Years sails over it, asking if that’s all we wanted. No, my dear. That’s all we thought we deserved. Now, with films like Years and Sinners, will be having us asking for more, at least for a bit. After these past few months – and with the incredible Nia DaCosta (Candyman 2010) helming Bone Temple? I’m thinking we just might get it. 

#Protip: The connection between Years and Sinners is closer than you’d think. Jack O’Connell, the nefarious Remmick in Sinners, is slated to appear in Bone Temple. And hoo-boy, judging from the final scene in Years, and the real-life individual it’s based on? This might be O’Connell’s creepiest turn yet.