Review: 28 Years Later

Approximately, 25 years ago Alex Garland asked the question, ‘what if zombies, but fast?’ and revolutionised the zombie movie genre*. Since then, many creative types have asked their own version of the question, ‘what if zombies, but….?’

What if zombies, but funny? Shawn of the Dead.

What if zombies, but romantic? Warm Bodies.

What if zombies, but horny? Zombie Strippers!

At first glance it might appear that the mine has been depleted when it comes to the undead genre, yet Garland and director Danny Boyle have exhumed one more: zombie arthouse. 

While fast zombies seem obvious in hindsight, the highbrow sensibilities and ambiguous visuals of arthouse seem the antithesis of the blood-soaked grittiness of zombie horror. However, it mostly works.

28 Years Later is, not surprisingly, set 28 years after the original 28 Days Later. The vast majority of Britain is dead or infected and the rest of the world, after the shambles of 28 Weeks Later, has written us off and keep us under a strict quarantine. Which seems a fair shout all things considered. 

Despite this at least one isolated village of survivors lives their lives. Babies are born. People farm. It’s just that archery is no longer a kooky hobby and more of an essential.

In said village, it’s an important day for twelve-year-old Spike (Alfie Williams). As a rite of passage, he is to leave their village, for the first time, with his father Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and venture on to the mainland. 

So far, so 28 Days Later. Not perhaps due to the plot, but due to the feel of it. A small group of survivors. Large hordes of infected. A dangerous yet beautiful world (long-time Boyle collaborator Cinematographer, Anthony Mantle yet again bringing an almost aching beauty out of post-apoc Scotland).

However, this isn’t your daddy’s 28 Days Later, just like the infected, the franchise has evolved. Yes, you are going to get some intense action, you’re actually going to worry if a character is going to survive. You will almost certainly see some sick shit. You’re also going to see a nuanced family drama that will rip your heart out of your chest more than any infected.   

The family unit of Spike, Jamie and Isla (Jodie Comer), like all families, is a mesh of love, guilt and complications. Isla is battling an illness that affects her memory and her grasp on reality. Spike is at that age where he’s still a child, but he’s on the cusp of being more. The parents he worships, he’s starting to see are human and he’s starting to question the world around him. Father, Jamie, loves his family, but he struggles with caring for his bed-ridden wife and finding the best way to raise his son.

Family drama is complicated, but it's dialled up to 11 when you have a flesh-eating zombie horde outside your front gate. These relationships are the nucleus of the story perhaps even more so than the infected. Luckily, Boyle did well at the most important part of directing – finding good actors. All three have the chops to read the back of a cereal box and leave you wanting to hear more about the E-numbers. 

I’ll also give a little shout-out to Ralph Fiennes (Dr. Ian Kelson) who particularly shines as a kind of post-apoc David Attenborough. His performance is the kind of gift you didn’t even know you wanted until you received it.

There are some arthouse flourishes which are more of a mixed-bag for a philistine like myself. At one point, there are several shots of various survivors shooting bows and arrows and it’s interspersed with scenes from old movies of actors shooting bows and arrows. I couldn’t decide if Boyle was trying to say something about us devolving back to medieval times or the continuous march of war/conflict. Either-way it felt over done by the dozenth shot (no pun intended).

However, the use of Kipling’s poem ‘Boots’ as father and son enter the mainland for the first time (also used to great effect in the trailer) literally gave me a strong feeling of uneasy dread. In fact, the entire composition produced and performed by hip-hop group ‘Young Fathers’ is a masterful standout.

The film is the first part in a trilogy and due to this the ‘ending’ is rather abrupt. I can’t say I was personally a fan of it, nor the dramatic change of tone, but I’m willing to withhold judgement until we see part 2. 

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is expected to be released on Jan 6th, 2026.

*While some purists will point to 1980 Italian classic Nightmare City as the first movie to feature running zombies (also like 28 Days Later they weren’t technically undead) all but the sniffiest of critics will accept Garland popularised the concept.

28 Years Later is now showing at Broadway Cinema.