Publication Date: 07-06-2025

28 Years Later (2025) review

Dir. Danny Boyle

By: Steve Pulaski

Rating: ★★★½

Early into 28 Years Later, there’s a feeling the gang is back together once again, to deliver a story that is true to the spirit of the original.

That gang is comprised of director Danny Boyle, screenwriter Alex Garland, and cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle. Even Cillian Murphy, the lead in 28 Days Later, serves as executive producer. All together again, they remind us why Boyle has rejected the original film’s billing as a “zombie movie” due to its emphasis on human interest and drama. 28 Weeks Later had a different crew in tow, and without as thoughtfully illustrated characters, and a more conventional filming approach (for it abandoned the gritty digital video look of its predecessor), it adopted the makeup of an action movie. 28 Years Later recalibrates the series not only for the present, but for the future; even as it seeks to set up a couple additional installments, it functions as a great standalone work as well.

Following a short prologue set back during the early days of the Rage Virus sweeping over London, we fast-forward to 2031, where the virus has been contained to the United Kingdom after strict quarantine measures are in place. Those quarantined have left to scrounge to survive, particularly on the small island of Lindisfarne, where a group of survivors have built a small community untouched by the infected. A large causeway stretches to the mainland, and can be accessed during low tide conditions when inhabitants need to scavenge.

In this small community lives Jamie (Aaron-Taylor Johnson), his sick wife, Isla (Jodie Comer), and his 12-year-old son, Spike (Alfie Williams). Jamie has all the makings of a good father, especially when it comes to teaching his son how to use his bow to kill zombies. Now, not only are there the traditionally infected, but there are also “Alphas” — stronger, smarter zombies — for whom to watch. After narrowly returning home with their lives, Spike usurps his father’s orders and takes his mother, whose grip on reality is rapidly loosening, to Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes), who lives in the wild. There are no doctors present on the island, so Dr. Kelson is the only hope.

28 Years Later is made the best in the series, thus far, thanks to the emotionally powerful relationship between mother and son at the forefront. Yes, I’m an unapologetic momma’s boy, as is Garland, evidently, but anyone who has a strong relationship with their mother will surely feel moved by the ways in which Spike tries to care for his ailing mother. The roles of guardian/child waffle between the two, depending on Isla’s present mental state. There are moments in which she refers to Spike as “dad” because his caretaking abilities are so strong they blur the lines between him and her husband. It’s a richly detailed relationship.

Things wouldn’t be so poignant if the performances weren’t up to snuff. In his feature film debut, 14-year-old Alfie Williams takes the metaphorical bull by the horns and gives a strong performance, one that is both independently great and further boosted by the chemistry he has with Comer (in a radically different, distant role from her turn in The Bikeriders) and Johnson. Ralph Fiennes pops up in the third act in similar fashion to the way Christopher Eccleston did in the original, and like a true veteran, makes his limited screentime impacting with both wisdom and black humor. Fiennes’ doctor is also the keeper of the skull monuments seen ubiquitously in the film’s paratext, including its theatrical poster and trailer, and the bait-and-switch Garland pulls on their significance is low-key profound.

Boyle returning to the director’s chair assures the emotional heft and paradoxically ugly beauty of the sometimes-bleak series is retained. There’s a moment, set at night, when Dod Mantle’s cinematography assumes a blood-red, night vision-esque sheen that recalls the scuzzy videography of the unlikely international hit that started this whole thing off on the right foot. Boyle has a lot of fun showing these heinous zombie creatures, and blessed so, some of them (namely the Alphas) slow for long enough stretches so we can marvel at their convincing makeup.

One last interesting note, on an external level. The next installment of this series, due to be released in January 2026, is directed by Nia DaCosta (2021’s Candyman); the second time in the franchise where the initial sequel is directed by someone new. It’s a risky gambit yet again turning over a crucial middle-part chapter to someone new, however Garland returns as screenwriter assuring some continuity. In an unlikely turn of events, this series is back with a vengeance, on a gripping new course that has the potential to solidify itself as one of the best contemporary horror series of all-time. Those are high stakes, but them’s the breaks when a movie like 28 Years Later comes out of nowhere to be the best installment yet.

My review of 28 Days Later
My review of 28 Weeks Later

Starring: Alfie Williams, Jodie Comer, Aaron-Taylor Johnson, Ralph Fiennes, and Jack O’Connell. Directed by: Danny Boyle.