The following contains spoilers for 28 Years Later, now playing in theaters28 Years Later‘s Doctor Kelson is my favorite part of the film, but not for the reasons I was expecting. 28 Years Later had me excited from the get-go, because the original film is one of the best horror movies of the 21st century. The long-awaited return to the film series that revolutionized the zombie genre (even if the hordes infected with the Rage Virus aren’t actually zombies) does not disappoint, offering a visually stunning and hauntingly bittersweet exploration of a grim world decades after society collapses.

While I was excited when Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Jodie Comer joined the 28 Years Later cast, I was through the roof when Ralph Fiennes was revealed to be in the film. I couldn’t wait to see what kind of character he’d play, especially if it was the kind of villain character that Ralph Fiennes has brought to life wonderfully elsewhere. What I wasn’t prepared for was a more muted, charming, and ultimately moving performance from the actor. Doctor Kelson is the emotional key to 28 Years Later‘s thematic success, and I couldn’t be happier with the character.

28 Years Later’s Doctor Kelson, Explained

Doctor Kelson Is One Of The Most Important Characters In 28 Years Later

Ralph Fiennes’ Doctor Kelson is my favorite part of 28 Years Later, but not for the reasons I would have initially expected going into the film. From the few images of the character glimpsed across marketing ahead of release, Doctor Kelson’s painted body and serious demeanor suggested some sort of threatening character. Coupled with Fiennes’ iconic work as a villain, plenty of major films like Schindler’s List and the Harry Potter series, it was easy to infer that he would be one of the human antagonists in the film.

The reality is far different. Although many of the other characters in the film believe that the doctor has gone feral, living in the wilderness on his own, Kelson proves to be an intelligent, empathetic, and soft-spoken man when Spike and Isla encounter him. He calmly saves their lives from the rampaging Samson, tends to the bodies of the fallen, and uses the remains he finds to construct his bone temples. Instead of being a foreboding warning or horrifying pillar, these monuments are memorials to the ᴅᴇᴀᴅ that Kelson has been slowly constructing for years.

While his world at large seems to have descended into chaos, Kelson has remained steadfast in his dedication to memorializing everyone who has been lost. He calmly diagnoses Isla, helps end her life on her own terms, and then shows Spike a (relatively) healthy way to reflect on his loss and mourn her. It’s overall a meditative role, but one he seems to be fulfilled by. Kelson is no master manipulator or monstrous murderer, he’s just a good man living a quiet life. It’s not what I expected, but I couldn’t be happier with the result.

Doctor Kelson Is A Unique Addition To The Horror Canon

Doctor Kelson Brings A Moving And Bittersweet Core To 28 Years Later

Doctor Kelson isn’t the only unexpectedly kind character to appear in a horror story, but he’s one of the most effective in a long time. There’s a calmness to the character that doesn’t betray the stakes of their world. However, Kelson has found an odd form of peace with how life has evolved on the mainland in the years since the Rage Virus first spread. Like Spike’s village, he sees the Infected almost like animals. While the village treats them like threats, Kelson observes them, recognizes their dangerous potential, but bears them no particular ill will.

This doesn’t stem from some grim fascination or vile admiration of the Infected. Rather, Kelson simply respects life and death as the ultimate truths of the world, and pays heed to both. He doesn’t hunt the Infected and has found a way to keep himself safe through iodine, and simply lives his life. It’s a fascinating idea, someone who doesn’t see the otherwise monstrously presented Infected for their harsher qualities. Instead, he sees them just as another natural extension of life. He’s not a monster or a hero, Kelson is an observer who feels for the countless deaths in the franchise.

Doctor Kelson Turns 28 Years Later’s Advertising Into A Misdirect

The Bone Temples Aren’t As Scary As They Initially Appear

Much of the advertising surrounding 28 Years Later has focused on the undeniably creepy imagery ᴀssociated with Doctor Kelson. Billboards and posters depict his bone towers as foreboding structures in an overgrown environment, giving the landscape an even more unsettling quality. Pictures of Kelson standing, confronting Samson or leading Spike and Isla through his bone gardens gave the implication of a terrifying new location. However, as Kelson explains, the monuments are really just a testament to those who have been lost.

All the creepy advertising surrounding the bone temples hid their true purpose. They aren’t some monikers of a cult or tributes to the Infected, they are effectively this world’s version of a cemetery. That speaks to the slow-burn approach to 28 Years Later as a whole, which is a more reflective and introspective horror movie than most other entries in the genre. The scary imagery, sense of dread, and haunting tone baked into the advertising gives way to 28 Years Later‘s ending, where it’s not a life-or-death chase but a simple conversation about the nature of death.

Doctor Kelson Is Exactly Why I Love The 28 Days Later Series

Doctor Kelson’s Bittersweet But Moving Scenes Perfectly Sum Up What Makes The Film So Good

I love Doctor Kelson in 28 Years Later. He’s so human in his presentation, a man who has not let his kindness and empathy fade away just because of the horrors around the world. Kelson isn’t shown to be any special kind of fighter, just an intelligent man who used his knowledge of biology to protect himself and carve out as comfortable of a life as he could. He has a purpose in the narrative, both plot-wise and thematically, that makes him a compelling discovery. He is almost a Yoda figure in the narrative, which I didn’t see coming.

What I love about Kelson is how the moral core of the film revolves around his interactions with Spike. After Jamie persisted in his lies and proved to be a flawed father, Kelson is nothing but honest, blunt, and empathetic with Spike. He teaches Spike about the unavoidable nature of death, something Spike is already aware of. He also reinforces the belief that remembering life is just as important as confronting death. It gives the film a powerful emotional element that helps it stand out from other horror films, an empathic core amid the harsh realities of Spike’s world.

The thing I always loved the most about 28 Days Later (and to a lesser extent 28 Weeks Later) was the way the series approaches the fall of society from a grounded, human place. It can be harrowing and horrifying, but also funny, romantic, and even uplifting. That reflection of the human experience, rather than just the horror and the relief of escaping it, gave it a unique place in the genre. It’s a series that never forgets the human cost, trauma, and experience, and Kelson explores this from a uniquely philosophical level and proves how to find peace in it.

Doctor Kelson is a modern reflection of that same approach. He’s someone who sees the death surrounding him, and continues to believe in the importance of life. He’s a doctor who knows how to kill if need be, but will only do so to help others (especially if it’s by their own choice). He’s a surprisingly sweet flash of humanity in a world bereft of it, a reminder that life is more than just surviving. Doctor Kelson brings surprising humanity to 28 Years Later‘s climax in a way I can’t stop thinking about.