The Stream: Kids as lead characters are always the worst.

The Big Screen: Visual flourishes, thrilling action sequences, and fun twists.

The Final Bill: A worthy successor in a game-changing zombie franchise.

– Trip Fontaine
Director: Danny Boyle
Writers: Alex Garland
Stars: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Comer, Ralph Fiennes, Jack O’Connell, Alfie Williams
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Rating: R for strong bloody violence, grisly images, graphic nudity, language and brief sexuality.
Runtime: 1 hour 50 minutes
Production Companies: Columbia Pictures, British Film Institute, DNA Films, Decibel Films, Sony Pictures
Platform: In theaters June 20, 2025
Notable Trailers: Eddington, Megan 2.0, I Know What You Did Last Summer

Hey, Streamers! It’s another weekend in the summer movie season, which means another long-awaited sequel arrives in the theaters. On this first official weekend of summer, 28 Years Later has been released 18 years after the second film in the 28 Days Later zombie franchise. This movie had one of the best trailers of the year, so it had a lot to live up to. In 28 Years Later, Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and his son, Spike (Alfie Williams), go on a journey to the mainland, which remains quarantined due to the Rage Virus, from their isolated village as a rite of a passage for the 12-year-old to kill his first infected. On their journey, they encounter mutated variants of the infected, who prove to be challenging threats. While at home, Jamie’s wife, Isla (Jodie Comer), suffers from an undiagnosed, mysterious illness, which Spike desperately wants his father to find a way to get her treatment. Bloody, skull-ripping and delirious hijinks ensue.

28 Days Later was pretty revolutionary in the zombie movie genre when it came out in 2002. The team who made that original film are back as director (Danny Boyle) and screenwriter (Alex Garland) for this sequel after only producing the second installment. This filmmaking team has put together a thrilling and engaging movie that has a lot of interesting visual flourishes and unexpected emotional moments to justify a third movie. The editing is really great. It’s a fast-paced movie that has a lot of forward momentum, kind of like the fast-moving infected. There are some really beautiful shots of the British mainland and the ominous night skies and there are some weird shots that will make you sit up. Also, Ralph Fiennes shows up in a pivotal role and injects some humor, heart and overall creepiness in the final act of the movie.

Now, the movie is not scary. There are tense moments where characters are running from zombies and one or two jump scares. While you will be at the edge of your seat at times, this movie will not frighten you if that’s what you’re looking for. Further, Spike is an annoying character who does dumb things. Whenever a kid is in this type of movie, they are always doing dumb stuff that puts people in danger, and that’s very frustrating. Unfortunately, Spike falls right into that archetype. Lastly, Jodie Comer as Isla has nothing to do and is equally as annoying as Spike. Her performance is pretty hammy and eye-rolling. Luckily, Spike and Isla generate enough of an emotional connection to make their scenes affecting.

Ultimately, 28 Years Later is a thrilling movie that justifies its existence as a third movie in this game-changing zombie franchise. Most of the credit has to go to the directorial flourishes by Danny Boyle and the interesting writing by Alex Garland. The movie looks really good and has its own identity apart from the first two movies. Despite a lack of scares and some annoying characters, you will be pulled into this world again. Grab a big box of popcorn and speed to the theater like you have the Rage Virus.