28 Years Later Review: A Bleak, Uneven Return to Danny Boyle’s Apocalypse

Nearly three decades after 28 Days Later redefined modern horror with its feral intensity and bleak social commentary, 28 Years Later arrives with no shortage of ambition. Directed once again by Danny Boyle and penned by Alex Garland, this third installment wants to be more than a horror film. It wants to be an elegy, a provocation, and a character drama wrapped in infected chaos. Unfortunately, it buckles under the weight of those intentions.

– “28 Years Later,” directed by Danny Boyle and written by Alex Garland, breaks from the standard franchise-building norms of contemporary cinema with surprising storytelling and stylistic choices.
– The film innovatively focuses on themes of isolation, community, and coming of age, with the horror elements of zombies taking a backstage.
– Despite potential weaknesses in not fully diving into certain thematic elements, the effective performances, beautiful cinematography, and a keen consideration of death make “28 Years Later” a somewhat engaging viewing experience.

Let’s start with what works. Ralph Fiennes brings his usual gravitas to a role that seems written with his particular kind of controlled menace in mind. His performance is layered, restrained, and ultimately the most human element in a film that often feels detached from itself. Alfie Williams, playing a key survivor with something to prove, is another bright spot. He adds a twitchy vulnerability that gives his scenes urgency. Sadly, these performances exist in a movie that constantly undercuts them.

One of the most jarring elements of 28 Years Later is its tone. Boyle has never shied away from stylistic flourishes, but here the editing swings so wildly between meditative stillness and abrasive chaos that it becomes distracting. Scenes will linger on silent stares or slow camera crawls, only to be followed by rapid-fire montages of infected carnage, political unrest, or family turmoil. Rather than creating tension, this contrast feels disjointed and dizzying.

The film also struggles thematically. While 28 Days Later focused on the breakdown of society and 28 Weeks Later explored the militarization of containment, 28 Years Later wants to probe personal trauma, generational guilt, and the ethics of survival. It touches on all of these topics without meaningfully developing any of them. Characters deliver monologues about loss and humanity, but they’re surrounded by plot turns that feel mechanical or, worse, absurd.

Jodie Comer, playing a key survivor with a medical issue, is given plenty of screen time but saddled with a role that oscillates between lucid and nonsensical. Her portrayal is intense, to be sure, but the script often pushes her into strange territory. Her descent into what might be described as medically induced madness plays a bit off. Comer is a strong actor, but here, she is stranded in a performance that feels disconnected from the film around her.

The ending, much like the rest of the film, aims for tragedy and scale, but lands flat. What should have been a moment of catharsis or devastating finality ends in a muddled sequence involving infected attacks and backflipping cultists that barely makes sense in the context of what came before. The emotional payoff is missing, and what lingers instead is a sense of wasted potential.

There are moments when 28 Years Later stirs something resembling the terror and resonance of its predecessors. Haunting wide shots of empty cities, bursts of violence that erupt without warning, and glimpses of moral ambiguity in the face of survival. But these moments are fleeting. The rest is a film at war with itself, ambitious, yes, but poorly stitched together and far less coherent than the rage-infected world it seeks to depict.

28 Years Later tries to be a profound and devastating coda to one of horror’s most inventive franchises, but instead delivers a muddled and often frustrating experience. Despite strong performances from Ralph Fiennes and Alfie Williams, its jarring tone, muddled themes, and sensationalist choices leave it feeling like a misstep. Fans of the original may find moments of interest, but for most, this is a sequel that should have stayed buried.

RATING: 2.5 out of 5 stars.

The movie “28 Years Later” was released on June 20th, 2025.

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