28 Years Later 2025 Movie Review
In the lead up to the release of his long-gestating return to the “zombie” franchise that reignited his career with 2002’s 28 Days Later, director Danny Boyle has been quoted multiple times as saying that 28 Years Later is “not what you’ll expect at all” and having now unleashed his newest venture with screenwriting partner Alex Garland into the wild, it’s safe to say he wasn’t lying.
Without delving into spoiler territory, with Later’s distributor Sony doing a fine job at keeping much of the films content and structure hidden before release with some carefully curated trailers and very late critic screenings, Later is easily going to become the most divisive of the series so far with general cinemagoers in particular likely to be both passionate fans and disappointed naysayers in equal measure upon viewing the final product.
Centred around what appears to be a relatively predictable set-up of a small family living on a remote island community years after the initial aftermath of the rage virus’s ravenous destruction of England and its neighbours, the tale that Boyle and Garland weave around Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s committed father Jamie, Jodie Comer’s under duress mother/wife Isla and Alfie Williams as their young boy Spike who is coming of age in a world that demands he be older and wiser than his years, is a tale that’s anything but a stereotypical one and it’s something I would say in confidence when I claim that you’ve never seen a zombie film quite like Later.
Filmed largely via iPhone’s , Boyle alongside frequent D. O. P collaborator Anthony Dod Mantle ensure that from a visual point of view also Later looks and feels different to anything we’ve consumed from a content aspect and when combined with an unapologetically weird undertone and story beats, there’s an off-kilter nature to Later that will enthral some and annoy others with audiences being asked on more than one occasion to go along for the ride that Boyle and Garland have designed for us.
Managing to keep the same amount of energy and frenzied nature of the classic original entry and its fun if unsubstantial sequel, those seeking an endless barrage of zombie attacks and set pieces may find themselves underwhelmed by Later, as while they’re to be found here, an early segment involving a causeway crossing is one of the years most thrilling segments, there’s equal amounts of quiet and contemplative elements to this new series addition that includes a sure to be divisive final act that continues to prove both Boyle and Garland are never content to take the easy routes.
Front and centre throughout Boyle’s unapologetically unhinged big budget experiment are some notable performances with the proven commodities of Comer and Taylor-Johnson doing the type of work you’d expect with the small but significant role of Dr. Kelson that falls to Ralph Fiennes allowing the beloved screen veteran to once more flex his acting muscles with a scene-stealing turn that creates some of Later’s most memorable moments.
What’s perhaps most surprising about the film and the ensemble as a whole is how much weight of the film is put on William’s Spike throughout with Later putting him in the thick of it from start to finish with the young performer impressing in a major way with his first lead role, launching what should be a noteworthy career in the industry should he continue to ply his trade.
Full of more zombie appendage’s, archery carnage, Mortal Kombat like finishes, haunting reciting’s of Rudyard Kipling poems and Power Ranger inspired zombie kill squads than one might expect, there’s a lot going on within Later’s runtime and not every idea and element feels fully thought out or explored but one can’t accuse Boyle and Garland of taking the easy route with their high-profile return as far from cookie-cutter as you’ll get from a Hollywood release this year.
Ending on what’s likely to be one of the most talked about footnotes of the 2025 period, one suspects a lot more of the concepts and elements of Later will be delved into further with next January’s Bone Temple, the second part to this planned trilogy that has started out with a wild and almost indescribable first entry.
Final Say –
28 Years Later is going to spark feelings of equal amounts of outrage and love from audiences around the globe with no one likely to be adequately prepared for just what type of film this long in the making follow-on has ended up being.
In an age where many known properties are accused of taking the easy option, Boyle and Garland have ensured they can’t be placed into that overarching statement.
