It would be no exaggeration to say 28 Days Later changed the zombie film subgenre as we know it. Directed by Danny Boyle and written by Alex Garland, the 2002 horror flick introduced us to the grimy, dystopian Britain overrun by terrifying, running zombies inflicted by the Rage Virus. Its unique, gritty take on zombies reinvigorated the stale subgenre, leading to many imitations in the decades since its release. 28 Days Later was followed by a sequel, 28 Weeks Later, with rumours of a third film flitting around for some time. Last year, Boyle and Garland made horror fans' dreams come true when they officially announced 28 Years Later was in production, and part of a brand new trilogy no less.
28 Years Later takes place almost 30 years after the events of the first film (as the title suggests), in which Britain has been placed under quarantine and survivors have been left to fend for themselves. On an idyllic island off the coast of Britain, a community has not just survived but thrived, creating their own ecosystem protected by a causeway that makes their home accessible only at low tide. Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) prepares his 12-year-old son Spike (Alfie Williams) for his first trip from the island onto the mainland to experience his first kill and learn the ways of the world outside of his protected commune.
While exploring the dense forest and coming face-to-face with an Alpha and its pack of zombies, Spike spots a fire in the distance and discovers it could be that of Dr Ian Kelson (Ralph Fiennes), who has presumably been driven to madness in isolation. Believing that he could be the key to diagnosing what is wrong with his ailing mother Isla (Jodie Comer), Spike journeys to the mainland with her in search of Dr Kelson.
Like many may come to expect from zombie media in the wake of The Walking Dead, itself inspired by 28 Days Later, 28 Years Later is less about survival against the infected, and more about the state of humanity in the face of the apocalypse. Unlike its peers, 28 Years Later offers a substantial amount of hope in the face of doom, exploring how life, joy, tradition, and happiness prosper despite everything, rather than casting a gaze on the evils of man. It's one of the many bold swings 28 Years Later takes, and of the few that land. It is a film that feels like a unique monster, but it doesn't know exactly what type of monster it is.
Muddled themes and plot threads that come to no satisfying conclusion, or nothing at all, detract from the moments of dread, robbing viewers of any real sense of tension or fear. The danger of the infected feels minimal in this installment, despite being introduced to some interesting evolutions of the virus, from bloated, crawling creatures feasting on worms, to the dreaded Alpha, said to be more intelligent, powerful, and violent than any other. This confusion also feels evident in the pacing of the film, which sags and feels rushed as it winds on, but introduces lore in a way that feels natural rather than forced which would have been an easy trap to fall into given the length of time between the events of the first film and 28 Years Later.
Visually, 28 Years Later is quite unlike any film you will have seen in 2025. With a dreamlike quality to many scenes harking back to 28 Weeks Later, Boyle creates a feast for the senses that will either grip the audience from the get-go or take them out of the action entirely. The film's surrealist qualities feel far from the gritty realism of its predecessors, yet feel at home with 28 Years Later's pitch-black sense of humour and commentary on the persistence of hope in such a bleak environment. Where we may feel shortchanged in terms of fright, the film certainly makes up for it in shock moments, particularly its final scene, which, while a clear set up for the events of Nia DaCosta's follow-up, is sure to induce gasps in theatres across the UK.
28 Years Later is a bold but mismatched return to the franchise, often feeling like it never quite ramps up to 11 in any of the elements it dabbles in throughout its runtime. Despite its shortcomings, the film offers a truly unique visual experience and a departure from the standard apocalypse narratives mired in doom and gloom, instead opting for devastating and poignant musings on the perseverance of humans and their desire for happiness.
28 Years Later is in cinemas now
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