Twenty some years is a hell of a long time to wait for another movie in this franchise, honestly I wasn't even sure if we'd ever see Danny Boyle come back to direct another one considering how 28 Weeks Later turned out without him, but here we are in 2025 and we finally got our hands on what everyone's been calling one of the most divisive horror movies of the year, well if thats what you are looking for the most likely will be disapointed but in the horror department only tbh, some people are absolutely loving it while others are walking out feeling completely disappointed. The whole thing was shot on iPhones which sounds weird as hell but actually creates this raw gritty look that fits perfectly with the world they have built, reminds me of how the original used those early digital cameras that looked pretty rough but worked for the story. This time around we are dealing with a completely different situation, Britain has been quarantined for nearly three decades and the survivors have been left to fight for themselves while the rest of the world moved on, there is even internet and everything back up and running. The infected have evolved too, they are not just mindless rage monsters anymore, there are these alpha variants that can actually think and plan, plus some slower ones that conserve energy by crawling around eating worms, they even reproduce and have babies, that last one was a big wtf moment.
Rottentomatoes Rating
[Source](https://screenrant.com)
The story develops around this family living on Holy Island, Aaron Taylor Johnson plays Jaime who takes his young son Spike on what is supposed to be a coming of age hunt on the mainland. Jodie Comer plays Isa, the mother who is dying from cancer and basically losing her mind, she is incredible in this role even though her character goes through some really dark stuff. The kid Alfie Williams who plays Spike carries a lot of the movie on his shoulders and does a surprisingly good job for such a young actor, he is dealing with his mother illness while his father is emotionally distant and having an affair, something that I think should have develop way more, the movie lacks a lot of character development and after the ending I hope thats something for a sequel or even a tv series but Im going off road here. Things get spicy when they go to the mainland for this ritual hunt, things go sideways fast and they encounter these new types of infected that are way more dangerous than anything the franchise have seen before. The alpha infected are basically roided out versions of the original rage zombies, they are bigger, stronger and can actually coordinate attacks with other infected, plus they have got some seriously disturbing anatomical differences that the movie doesn't shy away from showing lol. Spike ends up taking his dying mother across the causeway to find this mysterious doctor played by Ralph Fiennes, who has been living among the infected and creating these bone monuments to honor the dead.
[Source](https://screenrant.com)
[Source](https://screenrant.com)
What really struck about this movie is how it splits into two completely different experiences, the first half feels like classic 28 Days Later with all the tension and horror you would expect from Danny Boyle returning to this world. The infected scenes are terrifying as they can be, especially when that alpha comes stalking the Spike and his father through the forest, the sound design alone will make you want to hide but everything happens so fast and goes away so easy, thats my biggest complain. Then somewhere around the middle the whole thing shifts gears and becomes this heavy drama about grief and family dysfunction, which isn't necessarily bad but it feels like you are watching a totally different movie, are we zombie focus or at least hunting or are we family drama during apocalypse that if fact is not anymore with the rest of the world functioning very well. The pacing gets weird too, there are long stretches where not much happens followed by these intense action sequences that feel almost disconnected from each other. Ralph Fiennes shows up as this doctor character who has gone a bit crazy living in the wasteland, he has created this whole philosophy about death and remembrance that sounds deep but doesn't really add much to the overall story, one thing is for sure he is here to kill anyone without a cure but keeping the Infected alive and around, second wtf moment. The bone temple stuff looks visually striking but it comes across as pretentious rather than meaningful, its not because he is crazy just because he want to show others he remembers, like they wanted to say something profound about mortality but couldn't figure out what exactly.
[Source](https://screenrant.com)
[Source](https://screenrant.com)
The technical aspects of this movie are honestly pretty impressive, shooting the whole thing on iPhones creates this unique visual style that somehow works even though it sounds like a gimmick, the colors are vibrant, there are scenes that are very beautiful even with infected in it. Danny Boyle knows how to use handheld cameras to create chaos and tension, there are these 360 degree shots during action scenes that put you right in the middle of the violence. The production design is fantastic too, the island community feels authentic and lived in while the mainland looks properly post apocalyptic without being too over the top. The infected makeup and practical effects are very good, considering the hunt scenes and hwo infected dramatically died while alerting others, they have clearly evolved the look from the original movies while keeping that 28 series aesthetic style. But all these technical achievements can't really save the story from its problems, there are too many plot threads that don't get resolved and character motivations that don't make much sense, its like they started creating this awesome looking movie and then forgot to create a good story for it. The ending is probably the most confusing part of the whole thing, it introduces these new characters that look like they wandered in from a completely different movie, almost like a weird cross between Power Rangers and some kind of cult. It's so out of left field that I think 90% of the people who watch this movie hate it for being completely insane.
Couple of movies had this effect recently and is one that sux tbh, I found myself feeling pretty conflicted about the whole experience, there was definitely stuff to appreciate here but it doesn't live up to the legacy of the original movie. The first part of the movie delivers everything you want from a 28 series movie, genuine scares, great atmosphere and that feeling of dread that made the original so effective. Aaron Taylor Johnson and Jodie Comer both give solid performances even when the script doesn't always serve them well and the kid actor holds his own against some heavy material. The world building is interesting too, showing how society might actually develop after decades of isolation and constant threat from infected, but the second half just loses momentum, it gets bogged down in family drama that feels forced and philosophical musings that don't really go anywhere meaningful. The violence is brutal when it shows up but it feels disconnected from the emotional side of the story, like they added gore just because people expect it from these movies. Danny Boyle is clearly trying to do something different here rather than just a refresh of the original formula, which I can respect even if it doesn't always work. But at the same time this just cause a couple of interesting questions about survival, humanity and what we are willing to sacrifice to stay alive but it doesn't explore any these themes deeply enough to make them sound to the story so we end up on this void of story with just beautiful scenary and a couple of good action scenes. I mean if you are a hardcore fan of the series you would probably find things and particular scenes to enjoy but don't expect it to recapture the magic of 28 Days Later, this feels more like an ambitious experiment that didn't work out.
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