28 Years Later (2025) – Took Long Enough!

Released: 19th June
Seen: 26th September

In 2002, 28 Days Later was released into the world and significantly changed the landscape of what a Zombie movie could look like. Its biggest contribution was really making the idea of the fast-moving zombie into something mainstream, signalling the change from the genre’s default of slow-moving moving stumbling beasts. Sure, other films had done fast-moving zombies before, but 28 Days Later really set the standard that all others would follow. It was an undeniable hit and would eventually get a sequel in 28 Weeks Later, which was just as impressive and epic in its tale of just how far the infection had spread and the true nightmare of what a second wave could be. That was in 2007 and ever since then people have been talking about a sequel but because of issues regarding rights and ownership, that’s just not been possible… until now when finally someone pulled the right strings and got everyone in the right places so that they would be able to make 28 Years Later, a post-pandemic zombie movie that we probably wished we didn’t need but we got and it is something else.

28 Years Later centres its story around Spike (Alfie Williams), a 12-year-old boy growing up on the little island of Lindisfarne, which has managed to keep itself well defended from the outside world, where the virus has been mostly eradicated except in the British Isles, where the infected run around freely and few humans remain. As part of a coming-of-age ritual, Spike and his father, Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) go over a bridge that is regularly hidden by high tide onto the island where the infected roam. The idea of the ritual is for Spike to get his first kill of an infected, which he does, but he isn’t really able to do much else as his fear takes hold. Young Spike has to learn how to be a hunter in this cruel world, not only for his own sense of pride but because he wants to find a doctor who is somewhere on the island so he can get his mother, Isla (Jodie Comer), some help for the illness that appears to be making her slowly lose her mind.

28 Years Later has a lot to live up to, being a sequel to two of the most beloved Zombie movies of the past 25 years. The burden of high expectations is going to weigh down upon it, but it’s a delight to say that 28 Years Later absolutely swings for the fences and does its best to meet those expectations. This franchise has always been known for its jaw-dropping imagery, from the empty streets of London in 28 Days Later to the chase through the field that opened up 28 Weeks Later… 28 Years Later seems to be trying to have those kinds of shots every couple of minutes and more often than not, they work. Everything about this film is bigger than before, pushing all the ideas to their limit and seeing how far it can go on a visual level. Some scenes are just downright beautiful, a true work of art brought together by a cinematographer who was clearly given everything they could’ve asked for. It also uses those beautiful visuals to set your teeth on edge, a beautiful landscape broken up by a single infected can be the most terrifying image imaginable.

Most of the plot is really just a coming of age story for Spike, a person who has never lived in a world without the virus as a constant part of his life and it’s handled wonderfully in no small part due to the brilliant performance of Alfie Williams who basically is the emotional lynchpin of 28 Years Later. While many of the visuals are epic in scope, the film’s power ultimately comes down to this one kid trying to prove that they can handle the harsh, cruel world that this virus has created. He’s a scared boy who must grow into a hunter to survive, and it’s captivating to witness him make the slow adjustment until he can take on any alpha he finds among the infected.

Speaking of Alphas, the addition of a new variant of the infected known as Alphas is a genius addition. Basically, a regular infected on steroids, the sight of an Alpha in this movie will send a chill up your spine because they’re not going down easily, and they revel in their carnage. It’s a change that the franchise needed to try and kick things up to a new level, since we’re now used to an overwhelming horde of sprinting zombies. They need to keep things fresh to really have an impact and boy does this film have an impact. The addition of the alphas, combined with 28 Years Later‘s willingness to go to some truly dark places (The opening scene will RUIN the Teletubbies for you) pushes this film even further than the ones before it, and that ability to keep things fresh is welcome.

Now, in the attempt to keep things fresh and shocking, 28 Years Later does have a bit of an issue in regards to pacing; in fact, the editing in general just seems to be a little lacklustre. It lingers on things for far too long and there’s a constant use of super quick random insert shots or slowing down that might be a stylistic choice but it doesn’t really elevate anything. It’s just annoying and gets in the way of the story and tone that’s being presented. If anything it feels like they’re padding the runtime with these elements which is wild to feel when a film is almost 2 hours long. Now, those weird little insert shots might work for some people, they are a stylistic choice after all but they really felt like a distraction from the main intense action that was going on.

Also, without spoiling anything, I have to admit the ending left me a little uneasy just because it has a pretty specific reference point that is either going to have to be very well explained in the sequel or it’s going to be a very bad choice (Let’s just say, referencing known predators is never a great plan unless you explain why you’re referencing them). It just left a tiny bit of a bad taste in my mouth right at the end of 28 Years Later, which is possibly the worst time to leave a bad taste in the mouth.

Even with that little bit of bad taste, it’s hard to deny that 28 Years Later is a genuinely great film that managed to meet the expectations that’ve been building for it since 2007. It’s intense, imaginative and full of bold new ideas that are really going to shape this franchise in a fascinating way. One can only hope that the sequel that’s due out early next year manages to match the energy that this one’s presented and maybe improve on the little things that keep this film from being absolutely brilliant.