In the realm of Horror, the story or premise can sometimes get a bit overdone after too many common-themed sequels. Fortunately, quite the opposite is true for Sony Pictures’ theatrical release of 28 Years Later on June 20, 2025, which is a much-welcomed sequel stemming from the 2002 original film 28 Days Later and 2007’s 28 Weeks Later. Directed by Danny Boyle (Trainspotting 1996, Slumdog Millionaire 2008) and written by Alex Garland (Ex Machina 2014, Civil War 2024), this apocalyptic zombie film franchise has seen great success, as it tells a “not so typically done” virus outbreak storyline.
The first film, set in the UK, 28 Days Later, begins with the outbreak of Rage, which led to the global infection and transformation of humans into zombie-like creatures. The aftermath started with the main character, Jim, played by Cillian Murphy, being a bike messenger who wound up in a coma, managing to escape the worst outcome. Waking up 28 days later, he struggles to survive the apocalypse.
For this third film, 28 Years Later, the setting is on a ‘zombie-free’ island off the mainland where children are taught to fight off the infected with archery as their main attack. This new sequel sets up the audience with some new characters who can breathe new life into the story quite brilliantly for yet another future follow-up sequel, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, set for a 2026 release.
The mystery behind the title of 28 Days Later remains intriguingly unsolved until the film’s surprise ending. There is a very intrusive, yet intriguing, running theme of merging the past with the present that can be tracked relatively well. The quality special effects in 28 Years Later, along with the ability to successfully keep an overused theme of zombies ‘alive and kicking,’ really set the bar high for this one.
For example, in a series such as The Walking Dead, there was a struggle to find ways to keep the audience interested in the “killing zombies for survival” theme after ten seasons. Most people got disgusted by the addition of some shocking, brutal gore and dropped the series as a whole. In 28 Years Later, there are some significant zombie mutations along with plenty of unexpected gore that keeps the audience’s eyes peeled to the screen and wanting more.
With all of this in mind, for those who expected 28 Years Later to pick up exactly where it left off with 28 Weeks Later, that would have been a bad expectation. Regardless, this new release is heartfelt, very plot-driven, and does not stray or lack the wild, gory moments throughout.
The main protagonist is twelve-year-old Spike (Alfie Williams: His Dark Materials series, A New Breed of Criminal 2023) in this coming-of-age story, where his adventure from a boy to a man is quite an unusual path. Some stellar acting work from Spike’s mother, Isla (Jodie Comer: My Mad Fat Diary series, Killing Eve series), gives the audience a special reason to care about the character’s well-being. The visual effects are astounding, specifically with the creative use of the bones.
As alluded to, 28 Years Later is the first of a trilogy that will be released in the next year or so. Additionally, if seeing 28 Days Later did not influence seeing 28 Years Later, there is no need to worry, as it is not necessary. Also, if memories of 28 Weeks Later are hazy, no harm done, as this new trilogy skips right over that movie altogether.
Worth a watch, 28 Years Later should be on everyone’s list for viewing in the theater. The sound, special effects, and unique filming style are responsible for this movie’s success on the big screen. Thus, Cryptic Rock gives this new branch of the 28 Days Later franchise 5 out of 5 stars. Stay tuned for the subsequent two upcoming 28 Years Later sequels, as they are also bound to be compelling.
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