28 Years Later is finally here, and it only took 22 years. Without a doubt, a missed opportunity to have it come out 28 actual years later. Regardless, this film marks not only a return to the legendary horror franchise but also the start of a new full-on trilogy. Don’t get too excited, however, because what’s the point in getting excited for a whole cake if a single slice is rancid to the stomach?

They Skipped 28 Months Later

The most important thing to keep in mind when going into the film is that it is completely separate from the prior two films. Naturally, it still takes place within England, and there are even brief throwbacks to the previous film, 28 Weeks Later, with footage taken from that film. That’s where it ends, however, as the film is essentially a clean slate with an entirely new cast (28 Weeks Later did the same thing by changing out the cast from 28 Days Later). It centers around a young boy named Spike (Alfie Williams). He lives in one of the safest places in England, in a Village secluded from the mainland, along with his mother (Jodie Comer) and father (Aaron Taylor-Johnson). For various reasons, Spike must leave the safety of his village and trek into the wild danger of the mainland.  Civilization isn’t the only thing to have changed over these last 28 years, as the infected have also started to go through their own terrifying changes. 

So, first things first: the general plot is predictable. From the minute characters are introduced, it’s clear what is going to happen in the next scene. It isn’t bad enough that viewers will be able to predict the ending (no one on Earth could possibly predict this film’s ending), but most of the plot points won’t exactly shock the audience. The characters are definitely likable but obviously have their own roles to play. Spike’s father is tough and grizzled from constantly traveling out into the harsh danger of the mainland and often gives Spike a dose of tough love. Their dynamic actually works and is almost reminiscent of Kratos and Atreus from the newer God of War games. Then there is Spike’s mother, who is the complete opposite and predictably spoils Spike. Seeing the dichotomy of how these two treat Spike works well, but this dynamic is dropped by the second half of the film, with Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s character taking a back seat. Clearly, the film explores themes of fatherhood and motherhood and the idea of growing up. 

Zombie Synergy

The cast and crew work flawlessly together, and not a single actor is miscast. The actors match their characters and remain believable. This is in stark contrast to the previous film, which had English actor Idris Elba and Australian actress Rose Byrne playing American troops. Unsurprisingly, Danny Boyle does a great job with this entry, and his style of filming is clearly present. On a side note, the follow-up to this film will not be directed by Boyle but instead by Nia DaCosta, who directed Candyman(2021) and The Marvels(2023).

One particularly odd issue that may irk a large portion of the audience is the humor. Obviously, there’s nothing wrong with a few light-hearted moments in a film where people are constantly dying and there’s nonstop blood and violence. In fact, 28 Days Later did this masterfully with the supermarket scene.