28 Years Later
Sony Pictures Releasing
Danny Boyle and Alex Garland have a partnership that extends back several decades. It begins with Boyle’s own adaptation of Garland’s novel The Beach, and extends through the first of the their attempts at horror, 28 Days Later, a massively influential work in the canon of zombie films, continues through Sunshine, an incredibly underappreciated science fiction thriller, and finally lands on the newest collaboration between the two of them 28 Years Later. The supposed first in a brand new trilogy that will be continued in January with Nia Decosta's 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple. So, the question on audiences’ minds is nothing but a simple one: does this live up to the wait? The answer, unfortunately, isn't as simple as a resounding yes.
28 Years Later opens with a flashback to the beginning of the rage virus’s grip on many European countries and shows the audience exactly what happens to lead us to the year 2030, where the rest of this film takes place. We follow a boy and his father as they embark on a new ritual for their survivor town, one where Spike, the child played exceptionally by Alfie Williams, must exit his town of survivors and learn some hard truths about the outside world. His father, played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson, takes him out on this excursion and shows him the way to kill infected when necessary, when to run, and what exactly an Alpha is. There's just enough exposition to catch the audience up and keep us, and Spike, in the dark.
The rest of the plot goes off into some fascinating directions that could have massive repercussions for what is happening in this universe and how exactly the outside world is handling the shutdown and quarantine of one of its largest global powers for 28 years. Garland has done a fairly nice job at bringing the audience back into this Rage Virus-fueled world with believable characters, fun lore, and decent dialogue.
Boyle, on the other hand, has some very fun tricks up his sleeve for making it a visual feast from start to finish. The usage of multiple iPhone cameras to collect different angles of action makes for some heart-pounding kills of all varieties throughout the many action sequences. This is nothing to say of the absolute emotional rollercoaster of a climax, mixed with the bonkers, adrenaline-fueled final shot of the film.
28 Years Later is by no means an action-packed extravaganza of a film, and even begins to slowly evolve into an emotional minefield dealing with themes of loss, regret, and facing darkness head-on. For those that may be turned off by what seems to be a very dour film, it should be noted that Years is a film that understands the importance of hope in a world such as this. These characters exist and thrive on the idea that things will get better, and it won't be easy. It can be a breathtaking look into the damaged minds of all those still surviving in these harsh climates.
For fans of Boyle, Garland, or any of the swaths of talent behind, and in front of, the camera, this is a must-see. There are plenty of reasons this will ultimately be divisive, especially for the general audience member looking for something a bit more heavy on the action side, but this very weird, very emotional film is one of the biggest swings to come out of Hollywood in 2025 and should ultimately be celebrated as such. 28 Years Later is the weird blank check film that Boyle and Garland deserved.