Ronit J

28 Years Later (2025) Synopsis:

Twenty-eight years since the rage virus escaped a biological weapons laboratory, now, still in a ruthlessly enforced quarantine, some have found ways to exist amidst the infected. One such group lives on a small island connected to the mainland by a single, heavily-defended causeway. When one member departs on a mission into the dark heart of the mainland, he discovers secrets, wonders, and horrors that have mutated not only the infected but other survivors as well.

28 Years Later (2025) Review:

With all the hype around this one, I finally ended up watching 28 Days Later (2002) and 28 Weeks Later (2007) in preparation. While I liked the former, and hated the latter, there’s no denying the cultural impact this series has had on the horror genre. Particularly to zombie/infection films. With the original writer-director duo coming together for 28 Years Later, I was genuinely intrigued to see what they come up with.

And honestly, I was not disappointed.

Despite the many innovations in cinema, Danny Boyle and Anthony Dod Mantle have managed to create a unique experience that feels—for the most part—fresh. Yes, the story might be a tad generic, but it’s the treatment that really takes the cake.

We start off with a prologue set during the initial outbreak, where a minister’s son, Jimmy, witnesses infected slaughtering his family and friends. When he tries to find refuge with his father, his father proclaims that the end of days have come, proceeding to sacrifice himself to the infected. Cut to 28 years later…

Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson)—a survivor who’s now living on an isolated island where a community has made a safe haven—takes his son, Spike (Alfie Williams) on his first hunt to mainland UK. There, they encounter an Alpha, an evolved infected capable of controlling packs of infected, as well as a burning fire that Jamie suggests might be Dr Kelson (Ralph Fiennes). What follows is Spike’s journey into mainland UK in search of that doctor, hoping that he can cure his ailing mother (Jodie Comer).

Familiar Story, Fresh Treatment

The original 28 Days Later (2002) is iconic because it used its low budget as a tool to boost creativity. As a result, we got a fresh take on the infection post-apocalyptic genre. 28 Weeks Later (2007), however, couldn’t come close to that creativity. The original trio Danny Boyle, Alex Garland, and Anthony Dod Mantle bring us a story that’s predictable and familiar. But, they tell this story with a cinematic treatment that breaks rules in favour of aesthetics.

Immediately, it becomes clear that the shoddy editing is a feature, not a bug. The unsettling cuts that seemingly break continuity help establish the confusion that our characters feel when out in the wild. The sudden freeze frames serve as repulsive respites from those rapidly chopped sequences, reinforcing the film’s brutality in its goriest moments. To add to that, the culture and defensive strategies that these survivors have adopted might feel random. Except, the film shows us archival footage of medeival war films, documentaries, and more which indirectly establish the cultural foundation of this community.

Now, I have to admit, the treatment does lose its charm after a bit. Blame the progressively diminished attention span in our age of social media. However, the film manages to hold you with its predictable yet believable emotional crux: a barely of-age son who just wants to heal his mother.

In a post-pandemic world where societies are increasingly divided, a film about a post-infection world attempting to uphold their humanity does make some interesting points. Now, whether you want to focus on the isolationism, hyper-militarism, or delusional cultist aspect of this world, that’s up to you.

Absurdism, going the Mad Max Route?

As beautiful and unique as this franchise is, the genre has evolved so much now that it’s hard to innovate. And that brings me to my second point. 28 Years Later presents a very absurd dystopian future that’s familiarly terrifying. Yet, as the film progresses, you realise that the world isn’t the old-school bleak dystopia of the previous decades.

The oversaturated landscape visuals highlight the unnatural threats that loom behind nature’s beauty. The bone monuments, the Jimmy Crystal cult, you know this world has started to twist in unimaginable ways. I kept thinking of Mad Max, imagining a wild dystopia that’s brutal, but also colourful and imaginative. After all, a world that’s failed at traditional civilisation is bound to cling onto husks of its past and create something derived from those fragments, no?

Dr Kelson’s world is bleak, reflected by the thousands of bones and carcasses that decorate his abode. Contrasting that, Jimmy’s world seems colourful and playful, derived probably from his love for the Teletubbies and other TV shows. Now, we don’t get to see enough of Jimmy in this instalment. However, the hints of his cult’s carnage do tease a wild ride with the sequel, The Bone Temple.

If this franchise does take the Mad Max route, I’d be super happy. We need more such absurdist dystopias that a) play with fragments of our culture and 2) comment on our societies’ failures.

I haven’t yet watched the trailer for the Bone Temple, so don’t spoil it for me in the comments.

28 Years Later (2025) Ending Explained (SPOILERS)

Dr Kelson saves Alfie, Isla, and the infected’s newborn baby from an Alpha by hitting him with a tranquilliser. He reveals that he calls the Alpha, Samson, and has found a way to coexist with the infected.

Dr Kelson then leads the two to his refuge, where he’s constructed a ‘Bone Temple’ with the remains of the deceased. Later, Dr Kelson checks Isla, only to discover that she has cancer. Not wanting to suffer, she requests euthanasia. Dr Kelson obliges. After cremating her remains, he gives her skull to Spike so he can place it on top of the bone monument.

Samson breaks into the Bone Temple, probably to retrieve the baby that’s his daughter. Spike fends him off. Dr Kelson suggests Spike return home with the baby, but he isn’t ready to face his father yet. He leaves the baby along with a letter to his father. The letter reveals that Spike wants to spend some time on the mainland. Also, he has named the baby is named Isla. Jamie rushes out of the island, but the high tide prevents him to crossing over to the mainland.

28 days later, Spike is chased by a bunch of infected. He manages to kill a few, but is cornered at a deadend. That’s when a group of tracksuit-wearing acrobats intervenes and—with Spike’s permission—kills the rest of the infected. Their leader turns out to be Jimmy, the kid from the opening scene. He wears his father’s now-inverted cross necklace, and seems to have started a cult in his name.

Is 28 Years Later (2025) worth watching?

Yes. There were dull bits to the film, but for the most part I really enjoyed it. This is certainly a return to form for the franchise. A delight for fans despite their expectations, and a treat for newbies, 28 Years Later lives up to the hype.

In Conclusion:

28 Years Later (2025) tells a familiar story with a fresh and interesting treatment that’s as brutal and unsettling as you’d expect from this franchise. Genuinely stoked to see what’s in store for us in 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (2026).

Also check out:

• Clown in a Cornfield (2025) | Film Review
• Good Boy (2025) | Film Review
• The Fantastic Four: The First Steps (2025) | Film Review
• Before You Go Extinct | Manga Review
• Nobody 2 (2025) | Film Review
• Weapons (2025) | Film Review
• The Handmaiden (2016) | Film Review
• Island of the Dying Goddess

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