The Zombie Rage Virus Dream Team that brought you 28 Days Later (2002) return for another round in the apocalypse arena with 28 Years Later (2025). Director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland kick off a new trilogy of terrible timelines this summer with a stripped-down story about the perseverance of humanity and our inability to accept our own mortality, even in a bleak world surrounded by death. If you were expecting a rock-em-shock-em zombie death match, you may be a little disappointed but 28 Years Later still holds true to the character-driven focus of the property’s original film, and finds new adventurous ways of capturing the whole bloody affair using only iPhone cameras (and $100,000 in lenses).
Holding true to the title, 28 Years Later picks up nearly 3 decades after the UK has been absolutely decimated by a virus that turns people into feral killing machines. The country has been officially quarantined, the borders are patrolled by its neighbouring allies, and all living survivors have been left to fend for themselves. No one goes in, no one gets out, and there is absolutely no communication with the outside world. The living are plunged into a world that resembles Medieval England with little more than sticks and stones to fight the zombie horde. And these zombies have evolved! “Alphas” are the new big bad and they are faster, stronger, smarter, and much harder to kill.
“More than just a simple zombie movie […] a coming of age story in a cruel world where death holds all the cards“
More than just a simple zombie movie, 28 Years Later is a coming of age story set in the worst possible era. 12-year-old Spike (Alfie Williams)is ready to put away childish things, and embarks on a journey that will have him confront the darkness of adulthood that all children eventually face. What begins as a rite of passage with his father Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johson, Nosferatu) becomes a renegade mission to find medical help for his sick mother (played by Jodie Comer, The Bikeriders) and, ultimately, a journey a self-exploration in a cruel world where death holds all the cards.
The real tragedy of 28 Years Later is that it is the overture of a larger piece. I always sound like a grumpy old man complaining about this, but I hate when a movie is a 2 hour trailer for another movie that looks better than the one you just watched! It’s the sin of so many modern movies and beyond hooking audiences for another movie ticket down the road, it’s a decision that stretches the pacing of the story to a breaking point. Halfway through 28 Years Later you already get a sense that the story isn’t going to really wrap up. And a key character that is introduced in the cold open doesn’t return until the final moments. Ugh.
Beyond my gripes, 28 Years Later is full of good ole zombie action. The Alphas rip people apart with their bare hands and kill shots are captured in Matrix style bullet-time photography that gives you maximum carnage in multiple angles. And if the final moments are any indication of what’s to come, heads are going to roll in the upcoming sequel. The performances across the board are stellar, including Alfie Williams in his feature film debut and Ralph Fiennes (The Menu) who appears in the third act as the mysterious (and philosophically macabre) Dr. Kelson. Not to mention the zombie design which is (as always) an A+.
Ultimately more of a pilot episode than a stand-alone story, 28 Years Later is a promising new beginning but more of a slow-burn character piece than the Rumble-in-the-Quarantine-Zone that I had hoped it would be. Which really means one thing: The countdown to Nia DaCosta’s 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (2026) begins now 🧟
“Full of good ole zombie action […] captured in Matrix style bullet-time photography that gives you maximum carnage in multiple angles“
Danny Boyle & Alex Garland’s 28 Years Later (2025) is in theatres now! You can hear our full spoiler-filled thoughts on this new zombie outbreak HERE in the Nightmare on Film Street Fiend Club. But we want to hear from you! Share your review of 28 Years Later, and how it stacks up against the rest of the franchise, over in our official Discord server. Join ussssss
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