Collectors

More than two decades after the release of 28 Days Later, director Danny Boyle and screenwriter Alex Garland have teamed up again for a new film beloved post-apocalyptic zombie franchise. 28 Years Later hit theaters on June 20, earning strong reviews from critics and fans. It’s the third entry in the series, though Boyle/Garland didn’t work on 28 Weeks Later, the 2007 standalone sequel. Fans may want to consider locking in a preorder for the 28 Years Later Steelbook Collector’s Edition, which is available for $45 and comes with 4K and 1080p Blu-ray discs as well as a digital copy.

At the time of writing, the Steelbook Collector’s Edition is the No. 1 best-selling movie on Amazon. It’s not uncommon for steelbook preorders that top Amazon’s charts to sell out. The 4K Blu-ray release date for 28 Years Later hasn’t been announced, but you won’t be charged until your order ships (likely two to three months from now).

If you need to refresh your memory before watching 28 Years Later, Prime Video has deals on the first two movies. You can buy 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later for $15 total.

$45

The official design of the steelbook case hasn’t been revealed yet. Placeholder art for all physical editions showcases the grisly Bone Temple from the movie. Typically, promotional materials like this are used for the standard editions, and steelbooks get their own unique exterior and interior art, so don’t be surprised if the Collector’s Edition’s case design is markedly different from this.

The Steelbook Collector’s Edition comes with 4K Blu-ray, 1080p Blu-ray, and digital copies of 28 Years Later.

Even if you don’t care about steelbook cases, it offers the best value at the moment. Both Amazon and Walmart have priced the Collector’s Edition at $45. Blu-ray pricing can be all over the place when preorders first open, and that’s reflected in the list below. The standard edition 4K Blu-ray is five bucks more at both retailers, and the 1080p version is $41. Amazon has the DVD of 28 Years Later for $35, which would be the most curious number here if it wasn’t for the $41 cost at Walmart.

Standard edition prices will likely drop in the coming weeks. You won’t be charged for your preorder until it ships, and you’ll get any deals offered before release. It’s also worth keeping in mind that steelbook preorders sometimes increase from their initial price.

• Preorder Steelbook Collector’s Edition (4K Blu-ray)
• Preorder 4K Blu-ray
• Preorder Blu-ray
• Preorder DVD

Special features haven’t been revealed yet, but we’re expecting the usual assortment of behind-the-scenes featurettes, interviews, and promotional materials.

As mentioned above, 28 Years Later is a sequel to 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later–there’s no 28 Months Later, much to our dismay–and it sees Boyle return to the director’s chair, armed with a script penned by Garland. The original film launched Garland’s Hollywood career and showcased Boyle’s impressive range as the director; it’s cool to see the pair team up again 23 years later on 28 Years Later (sorry).

Set almost three decades since the rage virus escaped a biological weapons laboratory, the UK is still cut off from the outside world, and this has given rise to new communities that survive amidst the chaos. One such outpost is located on a small island connected to the mainland by a single and heavily-defended causeway, and the film chronicles the journey of a group from that village who discover new secrets and horrors in the lands beyond their safe haven.

One of the interesting things about 28 years Later is that it was filmed with iPhone 15 smartphones–using custom-made lenses and specialized rigs–to create a unique look for the film. A sequel, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, has already been filmed and will be out next year, and if both films are a success, there’ll be a threequel to finish off this new horror trilogy.

The previous films in the series are still worth watching, but in the case of 28 Days Later, there is a catch here. Even on Blu-ray, the movie looks pretty bad, but not because of a poor transfer or shoddy remastering. Partly due to strict time constraints on UK filmmakers looking to shoot their movies on location, Boyle and his team decided to go with lightweight Canon digital camcorders for production so that shoots could be lean and fast.

28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later on DVD

This allowed them to film the eerily abandoned streets of London quickly, but the downside here is that these cameras could only offer low-resolution digital footage that was then saved to MiniDV cassettes. Unlike film, upscaling from these tapes is extremely difficult, and this is made very evident by the final scenes of 28 Days Later that were shot with an Arri camera in a higher resolution.

As for 28 Weeks Later, it isn’t as widely loved as 28 Days Later, but it’s still a rock-solid zombie movie with several incredible scenes, if you don’t mind the overreliance on shaky-cam techniques employed by director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo.

Watch 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later

Both films are technically available on Blu-ray, but since they’ve been out of print for years now, the prices are rather high. The out-of-print DVD editions can also be fairly expensive, but you can get a combo pack with both films for $50-$60. It’s worth mentioning the editions in the box set display in 4:3 aspect ratio and will look best on CRT TVs. Widescreen editions of both movies are available to purchase separately.

As mentioned, you can also grab digital versions of 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later for low prices on Amazon.

A 4K Blu-ray edition of 28 Days Later is in the works, but we’re not certain if it’ll look better or worse in ultra-high-definition. Considering the picture quality, it’s best to go with the DVD or cheap digital versions of 28 Days Later for now. Fans can preorder the 28 Days Later 4K Steelbook Edition for $45, though it’s not expected to ship until December at the earliest.

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