Movie Review: 28 Years Later (2025)
A sequel that captures the thrills and heart of the original.
After what I thought was a lackluster sequel in 28 Weeks Later, Danny Boyle is back in the director’s chair with 28 Years Later, a sequel that captures the essence of the original 28 Days Later while also expanding upon its world along with working as its own story that leaves you excited for what’s to come next.
First things first, I have to say that this is Alex Garland’s best screenplay in a while (I haven’t seen Warfare yet) and is almost on the same level of quality as the original film. This is a sequel that understands what made 28 Days Later work on a story & character level and fully capitalizes on it while adding more to the original’s world building and lore in a meaningful manner. Now I will say that during the first half of the movie, I was enjoying it quite a bit, but it did take a while to find its footing as far as the storytelling. It starts with a wonderful opening scene involving the infected breaking into the house of a family (much like 28 Weeks Later did, but even better) and our main character Spike (played by Alfie Williams) has some great moments with his father Jamie (played by Aaron Taylor- Johnson), but I was a bit worried that the movie was not going to have as much of the heart as the original film because of how much they leaned into the action scenes (all of which are spectacular, don’t get me wrong).
However, once Jamie starts to become less prominent during the second half and the focus shifts to Spike’s relationship with his mother Isla (played by Jodie Comer), that is when the movie started to win my heart over with how powerful and layered the story became as it went along. Plus, to that first half’s credit, that along with what comes afterwards allows for a ton of time to show off the movie’s true colors as a story that expands upon the importance of family & connections even in dark times that the original film showcased while serving as a dark coming of age tale of sorts as Spike learns to move on with his journey without his parents. If anything, the second half of the movie made me reflect upon the first half and made me view it in a more fond manner because of how well it was still able to thrust us back into this anarchic, virus-ridden cluster of a world from the first film while also building up the characters and developing them organically over the course of the story amidst all the mayhem that occurs, which is something that I felt was missing from 28 Weeks Later.
Along with Garland’s writing, Danny Boyle knocks it out of the park again in the directing department and incorporates his usually flashy style to create something that feels like a massive breath of fresh air compared to most of the blockbuster movies that have come out this year so far. Boyle is one of those directors who always loves to experiment with different methods of filmmaking and how he can use them in full force (the choice to shoot this movie with an iPhone was a bold one here that paid off immensely) while tackling multiple genres throughout his career and this movie is no exception to that rule. I can see people (especially general moviegoers) being turned off by his style because of how consistently showy it is (which I feel would come off as disorienting to some who go see this), but I always felt like it was purposeful here and in 28 Days Later to add an appropriate layer of ferocity and danger to this movie’s action, constantly elevating the tension as our characters fight off these zombies in brutally & delightfully bloody, gory fashion.
Speaking of which, the overall craft of this film is exquisite in each imaginable sense, with the cinematography by Anthony Dod Mantle still mixing with Boyle’s flashy style in ways that keep continuing to be fresh & alive with every collaboration they have together (this movie having particularly strong camerawork and a beautiful color palette), Jon Harris’s editing still feels as kinetic as ever while also using new techniques that work perfectly, the pulse-pounding score by Young Fathers that plays a huge part in the overall mood that the evokes regardless of how chaotic or wound down it is, and the sound work being effectively disgusting in many scenes while also being crisp work that helps out in building atmosphere for the entire runtime.
Lastly, I would like to go over the performances, because I found them all to be pitch-perfect in their own respect. Alfie Williams plays our main protagonist, Spike, and he makes for a rock solid lead who brings the right amount of heart to his character while also giving a believable portrayal of a kid who learns to grow and survive without his parents throughout the film. He also shares terrific chemistry between with Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Jodie Comer, both of which are also massive standouts in the cast. They give a ton of warmth and emotional potency to their characters and successfully create a genuine relationship between each other to a point where you buy them as a real family. Jodie Comer, in particular, carries a ton of pathos that leads up to the best scene in the movie and the one that emotionally affected me the most. Finally, Ralph Fiennes performance here is a flawless example of how you can make a character leave on lasting impression and a giant portion of it comes from him. Every minute he is on-screen, he brings a down-to-earth sense of gravitas to his character and delivers some of the most beautiful dialogue in film in a potent manner through his impeccable prowess as an actor.
In spite of the first half not really clicking with me as much as the second half did (though it could have a chance to click with me more on rewatch), 28 Years Laters is such a remarkable movie that works on various levels: being a respectful and worthy entry into this franchise while being a generally entertaining, strikingly crafted genre piece that has even more to offer other than brisk thrills.
28 Years Later is out in theaters now!
That is it for the review! I hope you all enjoyed reading it and please let me know if you plan on seeing this film! See you all next time! Later!
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