28 Years Later (Netflix) 2025

2002’s 28 DAYS LATER was a small but surprisingly visceral horror movie with a strong cult following and often credited with reinventing the zombie movie genre for the new millennium. Its following was strong enough to spawn a sequel 28 WEEKS LATER in 2007, a graphic novel, and a well regarded comic book series that lasted 24 issues till 2011. And after that, complete silence. Nothing was moving in the franchise other than false starts over rights issues and rumors.

 And then in 2024, the third installment 28 YEARS LATER was announced, eventually debuting in 2025. After a frightful opening sequence recapping the start of the rage virus (the infection that turns people into screeching savages) 28 YEARS LATER follows a boy named Spike who lives in a community on a small tidal island off the Scottish coast. 

Britain is quarantined from the rest of the world and The community has reverted to a type of post apocalyptic medieval villager society with a strict isolationist stand. Spike goes on to the mainland for a coming-of-age hunting ritual. 

Slowly, Spike comes to learn that what he was taught about the world was not entirely truthful. Even his deeds during his hunt became exaggerated like those of a mythic hero of old. Exposing more lies, Spike decides to escape with his ailing mother, hoping to find a cure for her sickness. 

Together they encounter a fearsome new threat in an “Alpha” named Samson, An infected that has mutated into a hulking giant of a man, and a sole surviving soldier from an ill fated task force.

 I for one love this movie. As a distant sequel It does not bank solely on nostalgia, as much such sequels do. Instead it carves its own identity through Spike’s development journey. Spike, masterfully played by child actor Alfie Williams is such a refreshing protagonist. He is not some chosen one, nor does he bear any special ability or hidden power or special training or any of these kid protagonist tropes. He’s not special, he’s just a kid with the same kinds of fears, uncertainties, and the extreme mix of emotions that all kids go through.  

The zombies act as just the backdrop to the human story being told. It is a story that leans hard into deconstruction and I love this approach. It deconstructs the idyllic commune, the fatherly hero figure, and even the zombies themselves. By the third act, Spike and his mother come across a massive field of structures created from human bones. Within this Bone Temple to the dead, they encounter an individual who serves as a deconstruction of the typical wasteland psychos so common in post apocalyptic fiction. 

 Much has been said about the themes of isolationism, dehumanization of the “other”, nationalism and generational trauma all wrapped in brexit and post covid sensibilities. This is merely the icing on the cake of a generally well made and well written movie. The cinematography is stunning, showcasing the lush Scottish landscapes and creating this dissonance between its beauty and the grungy rot ridden horrors that lie in wait. 

 Accompanying the movie is a splendid score by the progressive hip hop group Young Fathers featuring a mix of original tunes and remixed songs. All of them fit perfectly, combining raw primal beats with a surreal and haunting melodies, further heightening that feel of dissonance.

 The tone of the movie combines equal parts tension and melancholy. It is action packed where it counts, dramatic where it needs to be, and all underpinned by this sense of tragedy. When the dangers have passed, and the cruel truths revealed, what remains is a sense of coming to terms with all that has happened. And a sense that, like Spike, we can never go back to the way things were, only forward into an unknown future.

 As of this writing, 28 YEARS LATER is on Netflix. And I easily consider it my favourite movie of 2025.