28 Years Later review (2025)

28 Years Later is the latest chapter in the action horror franchise that helped usher in the zombie obsession for a solid decade. With the zombie craze ice cold, director Danny Boyle and screenwriter Alex Garland hope to create a new passion for the rage infected undead.

The title is somewhat misleading as 28 Weeks Later arrived in theaters back in 2007, but why quibble over a few years?

28 Years Later starts off oddly however as young Jimmy (Rocco Haynes) is with his cousins when the infected first emerge. While they devour his family, Jimmy manages to escape. It’s a wild opening act that helps serve as a reminder of the threat of the infected and their crazed attack style. This scene does get paid off albeit in a very unexpected manner.

It’s been two decades since the rage virus tore through the United Kingdom and life has more or less settled into a relatively calm state of normalcy. The British Isles remain in quarantine, but a group of survivors have established themselves in the holy island of Lindisfarne thanks to high tide keeping the infected away. In the chance that the infected decided to take the path to get to the island, castle style defense systems are in place with guards ever at the ready to take them down.

One of those residents is James (played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Bullet Train) who has a sick and delusional wife, Isla (Jodie Comer, Free Guy) and a 12-year-old son, Spike (Alfie Williams). James isn’t optimistic about whatever is happening with Isla. He’s mentally checked out from dealing with her outbursts and has started an affair with a teacher in the community, Rosey (Amy Cameron).

James is a good father and thrilled to be taking Spike on his first quest into the mainland. This is a rite of passage for teenagers, and the town excitedly sends him off. Town members have various tasks and Spike’s role might be to travel to the mainland for supplies so it’s vital James teaches him the ropes. Namely watching for evidence of infected and learning the most effective kill shots.

Over the last two decades the infected have both evolved and devolved. They were never dumb, plodding stiffs, but the higher form of infected are alphas, pack leaders who lead the others in hunts. The alphas are much harder to kill even if they take an arrow to the head or heart. Bullets are far too rare to be used on these types of trips.

Naturally, James and Spike encounter an Alpha-led pack prompting one of the best action sequences in 28 Years Later.

Boyle (Steve Jobs) helmed 28 Days Later and not its sequel, which skewed far heavier into brainless action. The original film was — ironically — a thinking viewer’s zombie action movie with far less emphasis on senseless violence and gore. Boyle opted to make a far bloodier outing this time, which can’t provide the same kinds of genuine twists and surprises.

The editing for 28 Years Later features a far more chaotic and frenetic style. The cuts are spastic and jarring as if to create a heightened sense of panic and fear. Instead, it just comes off as distractingly disorienting — and not in a good way. Paired with heavy nu-metal score and it feels too often like Boyle is trying to keep the audience on edge instead of just telling the story.

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Boyle dabbles in some weird imagery, particularly in the scenes focusing on the Alpha Samson (Chi Lewis-Parry), where he attempts to show some beauty or poetry in the infected and their actions. 28 Years Later undoubtedly sets the record for most zombie genitalia on display on the big screen. There’s no actual explanation why the zombies decide to make the mainland their personal nudist beach but who’s going to tell them to cover up?

28 Years Later does include a fairly unique infected that makes for a heck of a creepy scene and also creates an intriguing morale decision.

Back on the island, Jamie regales the community about Spike’s bravery, a serious exaggeration as Spike was so terrified he could barely aim his bow. The incident definitely rattled Spike, but he’s more interested in learning about Dr. Kelson (an always excellent Ralph Fiennes, The Menu), whose mainland home they spotted in the distance.

Maybe Dr. Kelson could help Isla? Jamie wants no part of it as Kelson is a known quack who had a slew of dead bodies sprawled out on his property the last time Jamie saw him. Any sanity Kelson once had is long gone and there’s no chance he could help Isla.

To know for sure, Spike stages a diversion so he can take Isla to find Kelson. Spike’s split from Jamie felt very abrupt especially considering Jamie is the parent taking care of him while Isla goes through her bouts of delirium.

This is all in service of Spike getting Kelson to cure Isla, but the hatred toward Jamie didn’t feel earned. Spike was paralyzed with fear at the prospect of taking out one of the infected. Now he’s going out with Isla with no backup somehow assuming he now can do what he wasn’t capable of just a few days ago?  Garland (Civil War) suggests Spike’s newfound courage stems from the desire to take care of his mother, but it’s a stretch to have a pre-teen suddenly become a man in this crazed hostile environment.

Garland teases a potentially fascinating spin on this journey as Isla snaps into action when an infected goes after a sleeping Spike. A disoriented Isla needing Spike to guide her only for her Momma Bear instincts to kick in when he’s harmed could have been fun. Instead, Garland gives them an extra coating of plot armor whenever a situation gets too disastrous and random help such as chatty NATO patrol officer Erik (Edvin Ryding).

For the issues with the flow and narrative, the cast delivers strong performances. Taylor-Johnson is a steady, reliable actor making his absence in the second half more noticeable. Comer handles the role of the addled mother with increasingly rarer moments of lucidity so smoothly.

28 Years Later is the classic coming of age story minus the raged-out zombies, so the focus has to be on Williams, who delivers an outstanding performance. Yet, it did feel like Garland and Boyle could have spent more time showing the family unit Spike was so intent on saving instead of showing them on the brink as the film begins.

The film doesn’t have a post-credit scene so much as a very weird final scene that does everything short of putting “To Be Continued” in the final shot. Spike encounters a group of infected killing thrill junkies that look like the branch of the Lannister family no one wants to talk about led by a charismatic figure (Jack O’Connell).

While 28 Years Later is a serviceable continuation of the 28 saga that should satisfy franchise fans, it’s hard to ignore the sense that it was an extended setup for the sequel, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple.

Rating: 6 out of 10

Photo Credit: Columbia Pictures

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