28 Years Later: A gory, nostalgic return with slow-burn zombie thrills

It's been almost three decades since the Rage virus escaped a biological weapons laboratory, and now, still living in a ruthlessly enforced quarantine, some have found ways to exist amid the infected. One such group of survivors lives on a small island connected to the mainland by a single, heavily defended causeway. When one of the group leaves the island on a mission into the dark heart of the mainland, he discovers secrets, wonders, and horrors that have mutated not only the infected but other survivors as well.
Resurrecting the undead film franchise from an 18-year hiatus, 28 Years Later aims to breathe new life into the series by offering up a younger and initially timid protagonist – Spike, played by Alfie Williams. Spike is set to be the leading figure trailing a new path forward in the three new films of the franchise, with 28 Years Later kicking off the trio.
Set in the rolling green hills of Scotland's Highlands, 28 Years Later shows us what life is like 28 years after the outbreak of the initial 'Rage' virus infection in the UK and the spread to neighbouring countries. Isolated from the rest of the world, we're welcomed into an enclosed island community of uninfected people just off the coast of the mainland.
From the onset, the film visually has a very home-movie and nostalgic feel to the cinematography, which may work for some while seem out of place for others more accustomed to new high-res film equipment. This is likely due to the creative directorial choice to film the movie entirely using iPhone 15s and lens enhancers accordingly. The visual feel does, however, fit into the look and feel of the original 2002 film, which, at the time, used a Canon XL-1 camera to intentionally give it a low-fi look. This may be a nod to the original before releasing the new trio of films with new leading cast members, but the film does feel a bit chaotic during more intense battle scenes between humans and zombies – leaving some precision and pacing to be desired by this creative choice.
The movie opens 28 years earlier on the Scottish mainland as we briefly follow the outbreak journey and how it impacts the family of a young boy, a platinum-haired survivor named Jimmy. After the opening scene, we're pushed into the future and into the island community, where we meet our protagonists, Spike and his parents, Isla and Jamie, played by Jodie Comer and Aaron Taylor-Johnson, respectively.
Jamie decides it's high time for his 12-year-old son to learn the ropes of zombie slaying and join him for a journey on the mainland to do just that – kill zombies with hand-crafted bows and arrows. The pair leave Isla behind, who is ill with an undisclosed disease and embark on their journey. The pair kick off their journey by walking across the sea on a singular road that tethers the island to the mainland, like the last thread of hope and salvation in the quarantined and cut-off nation. We learn that the road is only walkable during low tide, as it gets submerged during high tide.
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During their trek, we are informed that the mainland is often used to forage and collect wood for fuel by members of the island community, but that no rescue missions are guaranteed if one ventures too far or remains on the mainland longer than expected. The father and son duo embark on a coming-of-age journey akin to older hunting traditions and, in the process, encounter the different types of zombies that have evolved and developed over the 28 years since the outbreak.
We are first greeted by a slower variation of zombie, who drag their enlarged and decaying bodies on the ground with slug-like grace as they grunt and growl their way to an attack – or to a fresh batch of worms to slurp up. Later, the duo encounters a different type of zombie – a faster, leaner, and upright grouping – led by a stronger and smarter 'alpha' of the pack. Out of their depth and ability to fight them off, young Spike is overcome with fear, and they run to a hiding spot until it is safe to walk back to their island with the tide low enough to cross the ocean road. However, they have a final call with death as an alpha follows their tracks before getting shot down at the island fortress's gates.
While the cinematography opted for a low-fi look, the costume makeup on the zombies did not – as the decrepit flesh looked as though you might catch a waft of it through the screen was uncomfortably realistic looking – even captured on the iPhone 15.
The father-and-son journey happens in the film's first hour – leading one to anticipate what may come next. One may even assume the island community will be attacked by the alpha's pack, but that zombie fight never comes. Instead, Spike feels emboldened by his journey and a slap in the face of his father and leads his ill mother to the mainland after finding out that there is a doctor still alive and well on the mainland – but Jamie warns him that the doctor has strange methods. Despite this warning, Spike is determined and convinced this doctor will be able to diagnose and help his dying mother.
The mother-and-son journey is slower paced, with emotional and philosophical twists, turns, and reflections along the way compared to the trip with Jamie, which aimed to toughen Spike up. On the mother and son journey, we meet Eric (played by Edvin Ryding), a washed-up patrol officer whose boat had sunk and whose team members were torn apart by zombies in earlier scenes. He joins Spike and Isla on their quest to find the doctor after saving them from a horde of infected that chased them into an abandoned and fumed-up petrol station store. During the trek of this newfound trio, we're treated to comedic relief by Eric, who cracks jokes every few seconds, and we discover that the world outside of this quarantined nation operates as usual and remains unaffected by the infected as Eric tells us about the life he's now left behind.
Before reaching the doctor, Isla follows the screeching sounds of an infected woman in labour to an abandoned train and helps her give birth – where we discover that an infected person can carry and deliver an uninfected baby. The scene jumps into action as the alpha from this zombie's pack kills Eric and chases Isla and Spike once he discovers the zombie mom has been slain.
At Kelson's compound, we're met with structured monuments compiled by bones of the deceased – human and infected, implying that we're all the same at our core. This, Kelson assures, is his way of honouring the deceased. From this point on, the movie takes on a much more philosophical and reflective tone – posing questions about who the monsters are and how different we are from the infected at all. This is a theme that has been done in the previous films from the franchise – by showing us characters who have made monstrous decisions in dire circumstances – whether it was only 28 days or 28 weeks after the outbreak. It pays homage to the philosophy of the earlier films by incorporating this element that likens humans to the zombies through Kelson's efforts and memorial.
We also discover what ails Isla, which, for most of the film, one may believe to be a variant of the 'Rage' virus as seen in the second film, which affected our protagonist mother and son differently than the rest. During this discovery, Kelson helps Spike come to terms with the idea that death will come for us all and that we all are destined to die eventually. The movie's pace for this latter journey is significantly slower than the journey that sped by in that opening hour – leaving some zombie action to be desired, with an edging of fast-paced attacks here and there.
The finale scenes see Spike return to the mainland on his own after delivering the uninfected baby to the island gates, as he is now determined to explore more of the mainland with the confidence of his two visits here already and experience in zombie killing. The film ends on a cliffhanger as adult Jimmy, played by Jack O'Connell, returns with a group of similarly dressed and platinum-haired team members to help Spike fight off some zombies – implying that Spike will join forces with them in the coming films.
Overall, the film will surely please long-standing fans of the franchise with a similar feel and philosophical, reflective notes questioning how different we are from the infected through our decision-making. But new fans can also enjoy it as the film launches a new storyline for the series with a new group of leads to carry it on 28 years later. However, for those more accustomed to faster-paced, non-stop zombie-slaying action films, this film will seem a bit slower-paced at times and more reflective than a full thriller. But the gore does not skimp on making you gag from time to time.
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