Film Review – 28 Years Later

June 23rd, 2025 | POSTED BY Allen Almachar

In an age where just about every popular IP of the last thirty years is revisited – often in hopes of milking audience’s nostalgia for financial gain – 28 Years Later (2025) arrives with something interesting to say. Not only does the writing/directing team of Alex Garland and Danny Boyle return, they do so with a unique perspective. They expand the world they created in 28 Days Later (2002), taking the decades that have passed to enrich their material. Yes, this is the same universe that features a rage virus that turns its victims into flesh eating monsters, but it is not a direct continuation of the original. Nor is it linked to the less-than-successful 28 Weeks Later (2007). This – for the most part – is a standalone story that utilizes familiar aesthetics to create something entirely its own.

The terms “virus,” “infected,” and “quarantine” have taken on new connotations in 2025. We’re still seeing the effects of the deadly Covid-19 virus, which upended our way of life in March 2020 and beyond. The debates over masks, social distancing, testing, and immunizations caused rifts in society: in the way people do business, socialize, work, engage in sports, politics, art, etc. So, it’s with this context that Garland and Boyle structure their narrative. We get plenty of the same gory effects that we expect in a zombie-like apocalypse, but there is a deeper sense of reflection this time around. The high octane, blood-spilling viscera is accompanied with remembrance and tribute. This isn’t a film simply about characters trying to escape the claws of death, it is also about the acceptance of death. We understand that we are all headed toward the same destination, and that we should honor those that have gone before us.

This is also an engaging coming-of-age tale. We meet a young boy named Spike (Alfie Williams) who has spent his entire life quarantined on a small island village. The entirety of the British isles have been blocked by the rest of the world, yet the small community Spike belongs to has found a way to thrive. When we first encounter Spike, he is amid a rite of passage. Led by his father Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), Spike crosses a land bridge during low tide to the mainland, where the two will encounter the infected and Spike will go through the initiation of survival. This event rocks Spike to the core, in both positive and negative ways. He gets a taste of the danger that surrounds his village, but he also sees rays of hope. It is that optimism that causes Spike to journey with his ill mother Isla (Jodie Comer) to the mainland on their own, in hopes of finding a cure to whatever it is that is causing her pain.

Watching it, I was reminded of the classic sci-fi thriller Children of Men (2006). Both films depict a world that is in near ruins, in which all would be lost if not for a single glimmer of hope that characters hold onto with every ounce of their being. In Children of Men, it was a surprise pregnancy. Here, it is the possibility that aid and support lies somewhere on the mainland. In both, characters must traverse volatile ground to get to a destination. Of course, 28 Years Later has the added benefit of the horror genre. There are some gnarly sequences here. The makeup and special effects amplify the gore, showing how the infected have both mutated and evolved throughout the years. Some are so bloated that they can only crawl on the ground, others appear to have superpowers with their athleticism, intelligence, and relentless aggression.

Danny Boyle shows no signs of slowing down with his direction. His artistic choices are just as hyperactive and kinetic as they were two decades ago. He is more than willing to delve into the most graphic sequences imaginable (let’s just say several heads and spines are dislodged from their once adjoined bodies). Anthony Dod Mantle’s cinematography once again captures action/horror scenes with extreme energy. Jon Harris’s editing is a standout here, cutting with non-stop vigor. To heighten the realism, the editing will freeze the frame just as an arrow pierces through the head of an infected person, to make sure we get a good glimpse of them right before said head explodes. Other times, Boyle will include more abstract imagery, such as when he juxtaposes shots of villagers practicing their marksmanship with that of old British war movies. The significance of these images gets put on the backburner in the second half. However, they establish the connection Boyle and Garland are trying to make between fiction and reality.

Those that are expecting a full-on zombie movie might be disappointed in the latter stages. Most of the infected are pushed to the sidelines, in favor of Spike and Isla’s journey to seek help. We meet a few new characters along the way, including a Swedish soldier (Edvin Ryding) and – more importantly – a character named Kelson (Ralph Fiennes). Kelson’s first appearance is a startling one: surrounded by dead bodies as he slowly burns them one by one. At first, we suspect that Kelson has lost his marbles, but upon further inspection we realize that he represents the narrative’s central theme. He is a means for the dearly departed to have some dignity. He disposes of the bodies to let them know – at least in his own way – that they are not forgotten. Of course, this perspective might be a little disconcerting, especially with the piles of bones he has collected over the years. But the messaging remains intact: The story isn’t just about the living, but also about those that have left.

28 Years Later is a remarkable achievement for Boyle, Garland, and the rest of the production, but it is not perfect. One problematic theme involves religion. We see it among the villagers, who revere Spike’s initiation but fear the monsters that lurk beyond their walls. They celebrate with masks, drinking, song and dance. There is a cult-like quality to how the citizens have incorporated the virus into their daily culture. We see religion pop up again with a character named Jimmy. We meet Jimmy as a young kid who experiences the first days of the outbreak. He runs to a nearby church, where his pleas for help to his father (the local vicar) falls on deaf ears. These bits involving religion don’t go anywhere significant. There are hints that suggest the theme will reappear in future installments. To set up this specific avenue only to push it back is a lost opportunity, or – worse yet – a means to keep our interests piqued for upcoming sequels or spinoffs. Even good movies like this can’t entirely avoid the traps of modern day franchise building.

Just when we thought we’ve seen all there is to the zombie genre, 28 Years Later kicks the door in and shows us there is still more to explore. The craftsmanship, performances, and theming all work at a very high level. It balances ideas and thrills equally. This keeps us on the edge of our seats while watching it and then makes us think about it long after we leave the theater. In other words: I had a blast.

28 Days Later, 28 Weeks Later, 28 Years Later, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Alex Garland, Alfie Williams, Anthony Dod Mantle, Children of Men, Danny Boyle, Edvin Ryding, Featured, Jodie Comer, Jon Harris, Ralph Fiennes