These 9 moments from 28 Years Later show how skilled Dr. Ian Kelson is at surviving

From introducing the nature of the Rage Virus to the Alpha, 28 Years Later brought back the apocalyptic universe to the screen after more than a decade. Danny Boyle’s third film in the 28 Days Later series narrates the story of Spike and his parents, who live in a quarantined village, Lindisfarne, in the British Isles.

Their survival and other struggles introduce them to Dr. Ian Kelson (Ralph Fiennes). A GP in the pre-apocalyptic world, an eccentric and bizarre figure in the post-apocalyptic world. However, as we get to know him more, we find out that he isn’t just an odd and crazy man living in isolation, but there’s more to him, as he has survived alone for more than two decades near the mainland, where the infected could have attacked him easily.

But how did he survive living alone for all these years? Here’s a list of 9 moments from 28 Years Later that proved how Dr. Kelson was able to survive alone all these years.

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9 moments from 28 Years Later show how skilled Dr. Ian Kelson is at surviving

9) His knowledge about the infected

Dr. Ian Kelson knew that to protect oneself, the best way is to gain knowledge about the threat. In 28 Years Later, Kelson might have spent his early years trying to understand the virus, which gave him enough knowledge to which he could ward off and even incapacitate the infected.

It might have taken several trial and error methods, but Kelson was able to gain knowledge about the infected that he isn’t even afraid of them anymore, and does not kill the living or the infected, but just collects the dead bodies and gives them a proper send off.

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8) Living isolated on a self-created structure

Another fact that resulted in his survival for so many years in 28 Years Later might be due to the fact that he lives alone. Although whether he has always lived alone or not is not specified in the film, his isolation from the living as well as the dead might be one of the most important reasons for his survival.

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7) Lives in an area protected by water

Kelson might be one of the most observant characters in 28 Years Later, who does not do anything without proper planning and explanation. This can be seen in the place of his dwelling. The terrain in which he lives is covered with water, deep enough to ensure that the infected don’t dare to pass through it.

His knowledge about the limitations of the infected resulted in him choosing a place where they would not follow him.

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6) His knowledge of the surroundings

Spike and his mother, Isla, would have been killed by the Alpha, just like Erik, if Kelson hadn’t arrived in 28 Years Later. Since he lives a life of a recluse but is not stuck to hiding, he knows about the forests and his surroundings. This might have helped him survive for a long time, and this knowledge also resulted in the survival of Isla and Spike.

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5) His reclusive nature scares the living

When Spike sees Kelson for the first time in 28 Years Later, he asks his grandfather about the man. Turns out they think he is a crazy person who kills and burns bodies like he is conducting a ritual. This made the people of the village afraid of Kelson.

They were terrified of him as they thought he was not a sane person, and it was best to avoid him. However, it turns out to be all untrue. But this fear of Kelson being a dangerous person might have helped him in surviving, as he didn’t have to deal with the living who are already scared of him.

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4) Uses Iodine to ward off the infected

His education and knowledge were among the reasons for his survival in 28 Years Later. Kelson figured out that iodine can be used to keep the Rage Virus-infected to stay away from him. Iodine, which has antibacterial properties and is naturally available prophylactic, can be seen slathered all over Kelson’s body.

This is a method that he discovered that keeps the Rage Virus away from him. Since he is opposed to killing the dead or the living, Kelson has found ways to not be in a position where he has to kill the infected and also protect himself from getting infected. Iodine is one of the many ways that he has survived in the apocalyptic world in 28 Years Later.

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3) Kelson used blowdarts laced with morphine to stun the Alpha/Samson

Apart from Iodine, Kelson found another way of protecting himself in 28 Years Later. When Spike, Isla, and Erik are attacked by the Alpha, whom Kelson named Samson, the doctor is able to save Isla and Spike by shooting a blowdart at the Alpha, which was covered with morphine.

Although these methods are introduced in 28 Years Later, more about these might be narrated in the next film, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple. The Alphas are described as the strongest and intellectually superior among the infected.

They cannot be killed easily like the other infected, making them a bigger threat. While not killing, Dr. Kelson has found a way to immobilize the Alphas by using morphine, giving them enough time to flee from its grasp, as seen during his protection of Isla and Spike.

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2) The Bone Temple

The biggest reveal of 28 Years Later was the introduction of the Bone Temple that Dr. Kelson created. The temple is made of the bones of the deceased, infected and living, whom Kelson provided a memorial for. He boils the bodies, shreds the skin off them, and makes the pillars while keeping the skulls in the middle.

The smell of iodine and dead bodies might have helped the place remain concealed from the infected, who couldn’t get the smell of the living from the place, resulting in Kelson’s survival.

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1) Embodying the concept of ‘Memento Mori’

While most zombie-apocalyptic films and shows depict the survival of the living, 28 Years Later spins the tale and depicts the acceptance of death. The mantra that Dr. Kelson follows in the film ‘Memento Mori’ is a Latin phrase meaning ‘You must remember to die’.

Through Kelson’s character, the film addresses the inevitability of death, as no one can escape death. Before the apocalypse, the world was still suffering, people were still dying, and now, in the apocalypse, the world is more gory. Amid all that violence, is Dr. Kelson, who has accepted death and is trying not to kill, but also not to differentiate between the dead infected and the dead humans. His memorial consists of both human and zombie bodies, as he tried to send them off properly.

This realisation might have made Kelson more resilient and helped him make difficult choices far more easily, as he suggested Isla of better ways to die than the painful one she would have to endure.

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