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Release Date (Theatrical): June 20, 2025 (UK, US, Canada)

Runtime: 115 minutes (1h 55m)

Rating: R (US: strong bloody violence, grisly images, brief nudity, language)

Production Companies: Columbia Pictures, DNA Films, Decibel Films

Producers: Danny Boyle, Alex Garland, Andrew Macdonald, Peter Rice, Bernie Bellew

Cinematography: Anthony Dod Mantle

Music: Young Fathers

28 Years Later (2025)

Director: Danny Boyle

Writer: Alex Garland

Starring: Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor‑Johnson, Jack O’Connell, Alfie Williams, Ralph Fiennes, Edvin Ryding

A thrilling, emotionally searing journey packed with powerhouse performances, experimental cinematography, and haunting imagery, 28 Years Later is a bold return to the world of rage and ruin. Boyle and Garland serve up a brutal, genre-bending coming-of-age tale layered with themes of isolation, betrayal, familial duty — and, of course, zombies and gore aplenty.

Surprisingly, the film rests on the shoulders of its most “inexperienced” lead: Alfie Williams, playing 12-year-old Spike. But Williams doesn’t just hold his own — he steals the film. Opposite veterans like Fiennes, Comer, and Taylor-Johnson, Williams delivers an emotionally textured performance that grounds the film in humanity. Through Spike, we witness a brutal two-day odyssey that forces a child to become an adult far too soon.

A Legacy of Violence: The Prologue

We open in 2002: a group of children watch Teletubbies, their screen-lit innocence clashing with chaos outside the room. A boy named Jimmy escapes an attack, leaving behind a trail of blood and memories. Fleeing to a nearby church, he’s given a crucifix by his father — a priest — and vanishes into the collapsing world.

Smash cut to: 28 Years Later.

Holy Island and False Foundations

On a tide-locked island, Jamie (Taylor-Johnson), a hardened scavenger, lives with his ailing wife Isla (Comer) and their son, Spike. He initiates Spike into adulthood by taking him to the mainland to hunt the infected — an excursion that nearly gets them killed. There, Spike encounters a terrifying new evolution of the infected: the faster, more agile Alphas.

When they return home, Spike begins to question everything — his father’s embellished stories, his loyalty to Isla, and whether Jamie is hiding more than he’s letting on. After witnessing Jamie flirt with another woman, Spike’s disillusionment deepens. He begins to ask questions about a once-renowned doctor named Kelson (Fiennes), now rumored to be mad, last seen arranging corpses on the mainland.

Convinced Kelson might hold the key to saving Isla, Spike rebels — escaping the island with his mother, crossing the causeway in search of something more: a cure, a truth, or maybe just closure.

Mother and Son, Protector and Protected

Their journey flips the dynamic between child and parent in fascinating ways. At one point, while Spike sleeps, a bloated infected nearly attacks — but is mysteriously found dead the next morning. In a quiet flashback, we learn Isla killed it, allowing her son to believe he’s the one protecting her. It’s a poignant twist: Isla, possibly losing her mind, chooses to maintain her son’s illusion of control — a quiet act of maternal love and grace.

Later, they’re saved from a horde by Erik (Edvin Ryding), a lone Swedish NATO soldier. But even this fleeting safety is ripped away when they stumble upon a pregnant infected woman giving birth. The child appears uninfected — a miracle? A trap? The scene unravels quickly as Erik demands they abandon the baby. When Isla refuses, an Alpha descends and tears Erik apart, pursuing the newborn in a stunning, surreal chase.

The Bone Collector

Enter Dr. Kelson, who tranquilizes the Alpha just in time. He brings them to his lair — a catacomb of bones and skulls, including Erik’s. Kelson’s twisted philosophy is revealed: he preserves skulls as memorials to the lives lost. Is it noble? Is it grotesque? The film offers no easy answer.

Isla’s condition is confirmed: cancer, and no cure in sight. In one of the film’s most heart-wrenching sequences, she walks willingly to her death — Kelson by her side — leaving Spike behind to bury her skull atop a tower of the dead. It’s a visually devastating image: a child saying goodbye not with flowers, but bones.

Their parting isn’t even the end. As Spike prepares to return the newborn to his father, the Alpha returns, attacking Kelson. Spike fights it off with tranquilizers, saving them both. He returns the baby to Jamie — and makes a fateful decision: to stay behind.

The Ending – Cults, Color, and Controversy

Then comes the twist that has divided audiences. As Spike begins life on the mainland, he’s attacked by more infected — only to be rescued by none other than Jimmy, now an adult (played by Jack O’Connell) leading a flamboyantly dressed group of cultists who fight with parkour and brutality. They wear mismatched costumes — some resembling Power Rangers, others evoking UK pop culture. And Jimmy? His vibe is unmistakable: styled and performed as a warped echo of Jimmy Savile.

It’s a sharp, jarring shift from the emotional climax just scenes before. The tone tilts into absurdity — purposefully, provocatively. And it raises a disquieting question: in this decaying world, is this what “legacy” looks like? A cult leader stylized like one of Britain’s darkest figures, repackaged as a folk hero?

The closing line — Jimmy offering Spike a place in his group — leaves us with dread, curiosity, and unease.

What Comes Next

Director Nia DaCosta (Candyman, The Marvels) is set to helm the sequel, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, and if this ending is any clue, we’re heading into stranger, bolder territory. Expect commentary on nationalism, trauma, and the mythology of fallen idols to deepen.

Final Thoughts

28 Years Later is more than a zombie film. It’s a harsh, emotional fable of a boy forced into adulthood, a nation isolated by its own past, and a world haunted by what it chooses to remember — and what it refuses to bury.

Shot largely on the iPhone 15 Pro Max, the film’s intimate, kinetic visuals bring us closer to the horror than ever. With striking cinematography, grounded performances, and experimental storytelling, Boyle and Garland deliver a film that feels deeply personal and unapologetically political.

Some will argue the marketing misled them. Others will struggle with the tonal whiplash of the ending. But isn’t that the point? In a world this fragmented — politically, emotionally, morally — maybe the only honest response is chaos.

Either way, 28 Years Later leaves a mark — bloodied, bruised, but unmistakably alive.