Film Review: 28 Years Later (28年後) (2025) - UK / USA
Reviewed by Andrew Chan (Film Critic Circle of Australia)
I rated it 7/10
Rating: ★ ★ ★ 1/2
Support my reviews by buying me a Coffee! https://buymeacoffee.com/neofilmblog
Support our reviews by buying from official DVDs / Blu Rays at NeoFilmShop.com
Digital Dread and Diminished Returns, But a Welcome Return - Danny Boyle and Alex Garland, the architects of the 2002 lightning bolt that was “28 Days Later”, reunite for “28 Years Later”. It’s a homecoming fraught with expectation and the heavy dust of nearly two decades. Does it recapture the raw, terrifying urgency that redefined the zombie (or rather, "Infected") genre for the digital age? In fits and starts, yes. It delivers potent jolts and a uniquely grimy atmosphere. But does it transcend its own legacy or the inevitable weight of sequelitis? Less so. This is a visceral, often thrilling, yet ultimately uneven resurrection.
The most immediate triumph is the look and feel. Boyle, reunited with cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle, makes a bold choice: ditching high-end digital cinema cameras for modified iPhone 15 Pro Max systems. The gamble pays off spectacularly. It’s not mere gimmickry; it’s a deliberate aesthetic callback and evolution. They recapture that "digital grit," the shaky, immediate, found-footage - adjacent dread of the original’s MiniDV origins, but rendered with a sharper, more hauntingly empty modern clarity. This Britain isn't just overrun; it's a necropolis permanently scarred by the "Rage." The virus has become the landscape itself – decaying, overgrown, and claustrophobic even in vast, abandoned spaces. The dread isn't just in the sprinting Infected; it's baked into the crumbling bricks and the silent skyline.
The human element rests heavily, and effectively, on Jodie Comer's shoulders. As Isla, a mother hardened by nearly three decades of survival, Comer is the film’s bruised but unbreakable spine. Her performance is grounded, fierce, and radiating a desperate, protective love that provides the essential human anchor. When the plot mechanics occasionally whir too loudly, it’s Comer’s raw, believable exhaustion and resolve that keep us invested. Ralph Fiennes, as the chillingly detached Dr. Ian Kelson, offers a fascinating counterpoint. He embodies the remnants of science that have stared too long into the abyss, his clinical gravitas hinting at horrors beyond the sprinting hordes. Aaron Taylor-Johnson, while physically capable and engaging enough, suffers from a character that feels underwritten, often relegated to exposition duty and action beats rather than genuine depth.
For its first act, “28 Years Later”
is a masterclass in tension. The opening 40 minutes are breathless, plunging us into the horrifyingly plausible ways society has both adapted and utterly regressed over 28 years. The rules of survival, the makeshift communities, the constant, gnawing fear – it’s rendered with terrifying immediacy. Boyle hasn't lost his touch for orchestrating chaos that feels terrifyingly real. And the sound design, punctuated by the judicious, spine-tingling return of John Murphy's iconic "In the House – In a Heartbeat," is masterful, amplifying every creak, whisper, and inevitable outbreak of violence.
Yet, the film stumbles in its middle passage. After that electrifying start, the pace slackens noticeably as the narrative navigates the internal politics of survivor factions. While world-building is necessary, the script by Garland gets bogged down in exposition and maneuvering that lacks the visceral punch of the opening. Furthermore, despite introducing intriguing evolved threats, the film occasionally leans too heavily on well-worn genre tropes. Certain sequences, especially involving the Infected, feel predictable for veterans of the undead apocalypse, lacking the shocking novelty that made the original's sprinting monsters so revolutionary.
So, what are we left with? “28 Years Later” is a strong, often stylish, and undeniably effective re-entry into this bleak universe. It successfully resurrects the franchise’s distinctive aesthetic dread and delivers potent moments of terror and human drama, chiefly through Comer's outstanding performance. It is leagues more thoughtful and ambitious than the bombastic “28 Weeks Later”. However, it doesn't quite scale the revolutionary heights of the original masterpiece. It feels, perhaps inevitably, like a setup – a robust "Part 1" establishing a new status quo and introducing compelling threads. The promise (or threat) of the recently released sequel, “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple”, hangs heavily over the final frames, making this chapter feel less like a complete meal and more like a substantial, flavorful appetizer. It’s good to be back in this terrifying world, but the revolution feels slightly recycled. (Neo, 2026)