Latest news with #JodieComer
BreakingNews.ie
2 hours ago
- Entertainment
- BreakingNews.ie
Jodie Comer says being led by Danny Boyle in 28 Years Later was a ‘proper dream'
Jodie Comer has said being led by director Danny Boyle on the set of 28 Years Later was a 'proper dream'. Comer, who is best known for playing the antagonist Villanelle in the hit BBC series Killing Eve, was speaking at the 28 Years Later world premiere in Leicester Square on Wednesday evening. Advertisement 28 Years Later is set in the same world as the 2002 apocalyptic horror 28 Days Later, which saw Cillian Murphy play a bicycle courier who awakes from a coma to discover the accidental release of a highly contagious, aggression-inducing virus has caused the breakdown of society. The new instalment follows on almost three decades since the virus escaped a biological weapons laboratory, where some have found a way to exist amid the infected despite an enforced quarantine. When one of the group leaves the gated island they are residing on for a mission to the mainland, they discover secrets and horrors that have mutated not only the infected but other survivors as well. Comer features in the film alongside Ralph Fiennes and Aaron Taylor-Johnson. Advertisement (left to right) Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Alfie Williams, Jodie Comer, Ralph Fiennes and Danny Boyle attended the 28 Years Later world premiere at the Odeon Luxe, Leicester Square (Ian West/PA) Comer said on Wednesday: 'I was honoured when I got this script through. 'And you know, with the opportunity to sit down with Danny, who's a filmmaker who I've admired for a very long time, and to be kind of led by him and be on one of his sets is a proper dream.' She added that Boyle leads a 'calm, playful, fun' set. 28 Years Later is now screening in Irish cinemas. Advertisement
Sky News
6 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Sky News
Director Danny Boyle on how 28 Years Later could be seen as an allegory for Brexit
Director Danny Boyle has said his latest film 28 Years Later could be seen as an allegory for Brexit. Boyle's original zombie horror, 28 Days Later, was a groundbreaking film which revitalised the genre. Now, his follow-up 28 Years Later gives an insight into how much of humanity is still standing almost three decades after the deadly Rage virus took hold. "It's a very ambitious picture of what's happened to the British mainland 28 years after the original infection," he tells Sky News. The film shows how mainland Europe has cut Britain off, the country is isolated, with the remaining population left to fend for itself, which Boyle says could be seen as an allegory for Brexit or the pandemic. "There is an element of that… horror is a wonderful genre because you can put transparencies against it, you can put COVID against it… you can put Brexit against it as well, and you read things into it like that and it's deliciously flexible," he says. Central to this new story is a new character, a young boy called Spike, played by newcomer Alfie Williams, whose character has been raised on a remote coastal Island with Jodie Comer starring as his mum. "To get to see how Danny and his team work on set and then see the final product, it's been a dream," Comer says. Fans won't have to wait quite so long for the follow-up to this, with a triptych of films planned this time around. While the second has already been shot and is due out next January, the really scary thing for Boyle currently is securing the financing to make the last instalment. "We're hoping we do well enough to get the third film financed... we want there to be three films ultimately," he says. 'A wonderful tribute' to Sycamore Gap Boyle's film also features a digital recreation of the Sycamore Gap tree, which the director says he hopes will be "a wonderful tribute" to Northumberland's iconic tree. Eagle-eyed viewers will spot the tree is still standing in scenes for Boyle's apocalyptic horror despite being felled in September 2023. Boyle explains: "It had already been destroyed by the time we came to film, so we recreated it for the same reasons that you see the Queen in this… all the things that have happened to us in the last 28 years have not happened." As well as forming a part of people's personal lives, as the scene of wedding proposals, ashes being scattered and countless photographs, it had already held a place in pop culture, featuring in the 1991 Kevin Costner film Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves. It is a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment in the film, but Boyle said given how much of what they shot is filmed in the beautiful Northumbria countryside, to resurrect "one of their most beautiful icons" was a "real privilege which we felt we couldn't ignore". "So we've recreated it deliberately to say that it was still growing… which is a wonderful tribute," he adds. 28 Years Later is out on 20 June.
The Sun
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
28 Years Later film review: This strangely beautiful film is electrifying and fizzing with adrenaline
28 YEARS LATER ★★★★★ 3 IT seems to be the season of the sequel, with a whopping 19 follow-ons being released this year. So it was with some trepidation that I watched another instalment from Danny Boyle's 2002 cult classic, 28 Days Later. My concerns quickly disappeared when this astonishing film started. Having dipped out of directing 2007's 28 Weeks Later, Boyle is back with writer Alex Garland to make a terrifying — and strangely beautiful — film. We meet the family of Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), his wife Isla (Jodie Comer) and their son Spike (Alfie Williams) in their threadbare house on an island off the coast of North-east England. It's 28 years since the deadly virus escaped a weapons lab, and while much of the rest of the world has carried on, Britain is in quarantine. That means if you're on it, you are never getting off. Zombie hunter Pockets of communities around the country have tried to survive, including this one. The island feels very The Wicker Man — an eerie hierarchy has been created and beliefs have a cult-like following. The men and women have traditional roles. One of those is the men go to the mainland, crossing the defended causeway, to hunt zombies. Jamie has been training 12-year-old Spike to become a zombie hunter and the pair leave the island with their bows and arrows to take some hits on the bloodthirsty undead. Meanwhile, Isla is bed bound, fighting another illness that's quickly making her lose her grip on reality. It makes for a fascinating juxtaposition between the family members, and Comer, as always, is spectacular. Jodie Comer looks striking in a metallic silver dress as she leads stars at 28 Years Later Boyle cuts back and forth to black-and-white war footage of young boys being trained, reminding us that Britain has a long history of sending our youth off to fight. It's only the enemy that changes. During his heart-racing expedition, Spike realises all is not as sold by his dad. There are other things happening on the mainland — and the infected are their own civilization now. The thumping soundtrack by Young Fathers is electrifying and fizzing with adrenaline. Very much like this film. Closing on a cliffhanger, and with two more films to come, it's good to know they're coming back for another bite. THE. LAST JOURNEY PG (95mins) ★★★☆☆ 3 THIS warm, funny and often deeply moving documentary charts Swedish TV presenter Filip Hammar's attempt to bring his 80-year-old father Lars back to life – figuratively, at least. Since retiring from his job as a French teacher, Lars has become increasingly withdrawn and frail. So, Filip decides to buy a battered old Renault 4, and whisks his dad off on a nostalgic road trip to the south of France, hoping to reignite a spark. They're joined by Filip's longtime TV partner Fredrik Wikingsson, and the pair's banter keeps the film fun, even as emotional undercurrents start to appear. The journey is nearly derailed early on by a nasty fall, and though Lars is slow to warm up, glimpses of his old self soon begin to reappear, particularly when surrounded by the culture and language he has loved for so many years. At times, the film veers close to manipulation. But what shines through is Filip's deep affection for his father, and a quietly powerful message about ageing, legacy and the bonds between parent and child. It's a bit uneven, but The Last Journey has heart to spare – and plenty of charm. ★★★☆☆ 3 SPACE and sentimentality are the linchpins of Disney and Pixar's latest animated adventure which encourages you to dream big. Sci-fi obsessed Elio Solis (voiced by Yonas Kibreab) is a cape-wearing cosmic obsessive adopted by his Aunt Olga after his parents pass away. When extraterrestrials make contact, Elio doesn't hesitate to respond, and before you can say 'Martian' he's beamed up to a kind of cosmic UN Committee from various galaxies, including Aunt Olga (Zoe Saldana). They believe he's the leader back on Earth and Elio doesn't correct them. He's soon tasked with negotiating an alien peace treaty with baddie Lord Grigon (Brad Garrett), but this quickly turns into a journey of self-discovery as, along with new wiggly best friend Glordon (a cutesy Remy Edgerly), our hero realises what really matters to him. Reminding us that there's no place like home, there's many Wizard Of Oz homages here, as we transport through solar systems and scary villains. Intergalactic, nourishing, family fun. There's a cameo from JLS singer Aston Merrygold too.
BBC News
12 hours ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Sam Locke did audition for Danny Boyle's 28 Years Later with nan
A 24-year-old Welsh actor says he recorded a self tape with his nan to land a role in a highly-anticipated post-apocalyptic horror Danny Boyle's new film 28 Years Later - the third in the series that began with 28 Days Later back in 2002 - was released in UK cinemas on new chapter of the story, starring Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ralph Fiennes, features 24-year-old Sam Locke from Merthyr Tydfil, making his feature film Locke said his casting journey for the project had humble beginnings in Wales. He said he was visiting his grandmother, Wendy, when the call came in for the self-tape."We had a good time filming that, she read in for the roles," he told Behnaz Akhgar on BBC Radio added he was back with his nan, "in the same living room", when he got the good news that he had secured the job, nearly three months later."I was sat with my grandfather and he was telling me 'if you don't get the role, don't be disheartened' and literally about 10 minutes after my agent rang with the confirmation," he said."There was a lot of excitement."He said he would be watching the film on release day with his mother and some family friends, but would be sure to take his grandparents for a trip to the cinema said he was proud of everything he had achieved, but equally of his Merthyr roots."I pinch myself every day." 28 Years Later picks the story up as survivors find a way to exist among the infected after the Rage virus escaped a medical research is set on Holy Island, or Lindisfarne, a real-life island off the coast of north-east England."That's where the survivors of our story live and then it takes us onto the mainland many times, and you see what's lying over there," said warned this film, like those that came before it in the trilogy, was "very gory", adding he did not want to give too much away, but could reveal he plays a "minimal" role in this film - but one which helps set the plot up "for films going forward"."We're very energetic, we're very physical, and it's a conversation starter," he said."Luckily I'm quite active anyway," added the keen skateboarder and Liverpool FC fan."But we had a week of stunt training and that pretty much trained our endurance."It helped us gel together, my immediate cast. We needed that week, and you'll see why." He said he loved working with "film-making royalty" Danny Boyle, adding: "It's bucket list, for almost any actor, so when I found out I got it I did more research on him and was excited to work with him."But being on set, he said, was "a different kettle of fish"."He's got authority, but he's calm with it. He makes you feel comfortable," he said the premier in London on Wednesday, which was the first viewing of the finished film for him and some of the other supporting cast members, was "brilliant"."We were all blown away," he previously starred in the BBC series The Way - directed by Michael Sheen - while he was still a student."To be part of that, with so much Welsh talent… Michael Sheen's passion towards the project rubbed off on everyone involved."
Graziadaily
15 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Graziadaily
The Verdict Is In On 28 Years Later - Here's What Film Critics Say
With heatwaves continuing around the country all week, it's not exactly horror film weather, yet the highly anticipated sequel, 28 Years Later, lands in cinemas on 20 June. The follow up to Danny Boyle's last post-apocalyptic films, 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later, the third instalment promises to be every bit as terrifying. The stellar cast features Jodie Comer, Ralph Fiennes, Edvin Ryding, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Jack O'Connell. The film will be closely followed by 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, which is out in January, and was shot back to back with the film out this month. The latter also stars Hollywood stalwart Cillian Murphy, famed for dedicating himself to his roles, who was rather unfortunately mistaken for the zombie on the film's poster. There's certainly a lot of hype around the movie – and an assumption that, despite the blazing sun, fans of the first two will flock to a cold, dark cinema to watch it in their droves. Is that something you should consider doing this weekend? And how do the critics think it fares against Boyle's first two horrors? Read below to find out. According to the synopsis, the third instalment picks up three decades since the rage virus escaped from a biological weapons laboratory. Still living in a ruthlessly enforced quarantine, some have found ways to exist amid the infected. One such group lives on a small island connected to the mainland by a single, heavily defended causeway. When one of them decides to venture into the dark heart of the mainland, he soon discovers a mutation that has spread to not only the infected, but other survivors as well. The review embargoes lifted 24 hours before the film hit cinemas and locked in an impressive 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Most critics seem to agree that 28 Years Later is well worth the wait and the story has benefitted from the lengthy gap between instalments. It has also received 7.4/10 on iMDb. One top critic summarised, 'A deeply earnest film, a picture whose sincerity is initially off putting until it's endearing.' Another wrote, ' 28 Years Later is a disorienting barrage of visuals and ideas that works more than it doesn't.' A third put, 'This one feels like a true and proper sequel that, like the original, goes in directions completely unexpected for the genre.' Robbie Collin at The Telegraph has awarded the film five stars and described it as 'transfixingly nasty' and 'a terrifying vision of Britain turning in on itself'. NME also gave the film five stars, with Jordan Bassett calling the film 'brilliantly bizarre' and says it 'turns the franchise on its (decapitated) head'. The Guardian 's chief film critic Peter Bradshaw was less gushing, however. 'This tonally uncertain revival mixes folk horror and little-England satire as an island lad seeks help for his sick mum on the undead-infested mainland,' he wrote. The same goes for Clarisse Loughrey at The Independent who also gave it three stars. Her headline captures her response: ' 28 Years Later feels like being repeatedly bonked on the head by the metaphor hammer.' Meanwhile, Ben Travis at Empire offered four stars. ' 28 Years Later brims with thematic resonances, a canvas on which to illustrate a national identity-crisis,' he writes. 'There is a clear Brexit analogy in a country experiencing isolationism — the rage-ravaged Britain secluded from the world; its people secluded from their own land.' Caryn James at the BBC described the film as a 'monster mash up' which is 'never dull', awarding four stars. 'Separated from the original in every way except its source story, for a long stretch the film lands as a more visually stunning, less emotionally rich variation on The Last of Us ,' the review reads. And it's five stars from the Evening Standard , describing the film as a 'freakshow slaughter fest' and a 'monstrous delight'. Nick Howells writes, 'They've stuffed this film full to the brim. There are even themes of toxic masculinity and assisted dying for those looking for zeitgeisty triggers.' With relatively mixed but overall positive reviews, an incredible cast and a lot of hype, it definitely sounds like 28 Years Later is worth your time. If you still need convincing, watch the trailer below. Nikki Peach is a writer at Grazia UK, working across entertainment, TV and news. She has also written for the i, i-D and the New Statesman Media Group and covers all things pop culture for Grazia (treating high and lowbrow with equal respect).
