28 Years Later, Still Got It

Only Director Danny Boyle could resuscitate the “zombie”/infected trope with on-brand, Brit pop-accompanied flare. Blasting electronica to slo-mo shots of arrows piercing through ghastly, virus-ridden monsters, it’s as if the MTV music video married the modern video game. (It’s an added trivia perk that the whole thing was shot on an iPhone.)

Yes, the Last of Us influence is there, along with the varying degrees of infected targets (slow, beached whale creatures to rapid, rabid spazzes), but stylistically, this is an original take.

Newcomer, Alfie Williams, is phenomenal as our young hunter who dares to survive the infested Northumberland, England mainland. 

Aaron Taylor-Johnson brings an English folk charm of protective and flawed father; Jodie Comer adds a touching mother-to-son sentimentality; and Ralph Fiennes ain’t no Cardinal Lawrence.

My favorite aspect of the film is filmmaker Alex Garland’s script, which conjures the same visceral Britishisms as his previous work in Men. His prose and Danny’s vision make an ending that is both outlandish and humorously appropriate. Heck, there’s even a coming-of-age story in there, a hint of Road Warrior, and a slice of Wicker Man in this thing!

Like he did with 28 Days Later, Danny Boyle successfully executes the most unzombie zombie movie out there.

28 Years Later (2025) ***1/2