28 Years Later is not the movie you think it is. Yes, it’s the long-awaited return of director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland to the world they created with 2002’s game-changing “zombie” flick 28 Days Later. However, Boyle and Garland are not content to rehash what they’ve done before. Instead, they take the opportunity to make some bold swings with the series, resulting in a much more emotional journey than expected.
Set 28 years after the Rage virus was first unleashed, 28 Years Later opens by stating the virus has been successfully pushed back to a now-quarantined Great Britain—a semi-retcon of the events at the end of 2007’s 28 Weeks Later. A community of survivors lives in seclusion on an island accessible only by a causeway that appears during low tide. Within that community, we meet our protagonist: 12-year-old Spike (Alfie Williams). His father, Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), believes he’s ready for his first zombie hunt on the mainland, much to the concern of his increasingly ill mother, Isla (Jodie Comer). That’s about all I’ll say in terms of plot, as much of it is best experienced without spoilers.
What I will say about the story is that 28 Years Later is, in truth, a coming-of-age film—albeit a very bleak one. As Spike learns more about the constant brutality of the world around him, he begins to grow disillusioned, and his relationship with each parent changes significantly as a result. Both Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Jodie Comer are excellent, but newcomer Alfie Williams delivers one of my favourite performances of the year.
“28 Years Later is not the movie you think it is.”
Much of the 28 Years Later’s emotional weight rests on his shoulders, and he handles it with an incredible amount of depth. The few scenes he shares with Ralph Fiennes—who plays a somewhat eccentric mainland survivor—in the latter half of the film lead to some surprisingly beautiful moments, ones I wasn’t prepared to find as emotionally affecting as they were.
I was fascinated by Garland’s world-building and how drastically everything has changed over time. We’re shown that British society has essentially regressed to a near-medieval state. At the same time, the infected have both evolved and devolved into three different forms: the fast-running zombies we already know; slower, bloated zombies that crawl after their prey; and Alphas—the hulking, intelligent, berserker-type infected. It’s strongly reminiscent of Attack on Titan (down to their naked appearance and distinctive running style), but the sight of them rushing out of nowhere is still deeply unsettling. Those sequences are intense as hell.
Even though the story moves at a more deliberate pace, Boyle injects 28 Years Later with plenty of his trademark style and energy. I also absolutely loved returning cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle’s evolution of his iconic digital aesthetic from 28 Days Later. Nearly the entire film was shot using a series of iPhone 15 Pro Max devices. Not only do they make the British mainland look stunning through both super-wide shots and extreme close-ups—much like the first film—but there are also some truly inspired visuals during the bloody action set pieces.
“The final five minutes produce a tone shift so bizarre that I left the theatre more confused than anything.”
For instance, certain kill shots in 28 Years Later cause the camera to freeze before suddenly shifting angles. Boyle jokingly calls it a “poor man’s bullet time,” but I see it as a modernized version of a similar effect directors Neveldine and Taylor used in Crank: High Voltage. There are also POV shots from the infected, filmed in red-tinted night vision, that feature some deeply disturbing imagery. The whole film is a visual feast.
My main issue with the film stems from it being the first chapter in a planned trilogy. Throughout the story, several major elements are introduced but remain unresolved by the end. However, the final five minutes produce a tone shift so bizarre that I left the theatre more confused than anything. I know it’s meant to set up the next film—the already-completed, Nia DaCosta–directed 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, set for release in January 2026—but it feels jarringly out of place, especially considering the scenes that immediately precede it.
I genuinely have no idea how general audiences will respond to 28 Years Later, and not just because of that ending. It’s a very strange film—and not an especially scary one either. But it’s a movie I’m already fascinated by, thanks to the many things it gets right. It still delivers the thrills when it counts, and whatever direction the franchise decides to take, it’s one I’m very much willing to follow.
