Robert Walker

28 Years Later: A Disappointing, Disjointed Sequel A Legacy Squandered After the genre-defining 28 Days Later and the solid, tension-filled 28 Weeks Later, expectations were sky-high for Danny Boyle’s return with 28 Years Later. Unfortunately, this third entry is a masterclass in how to squander a beloved franchise’s legacy, offering a muddled, incoherent story riddled with logical gaps, tonal confusion, and an ending so bewildering it borders on parody. Storytelling Breakdown Where the first two films thrived on tight plotting, grounded character arcs, and a palpable sense of dread, 28 Years Later feels like a patchwork of half-baked ideas. The film’s attempt at a coming-of-age narrative for young Spike is undermined by erratic pacing and abrupt tonal shifts. The first act teases a father-son survival tale, only to veer off into bizarre subplots involving a terminally ill mother, a cult led by the priest’s son, and, inexplicably, a subplot about a pregnant infected woman. The latter, in particular, stretches suspension of disbelief to the breaking point—are we really meant to believe the infected can reproduce, let alone carry out a childbirth scene? The film’s own logic, established over two decades, is abandoned for shock value. Character Development: Regressed The earlier films were lauded for their nuanced, believable characters. Here, the cast is saddled with clunky dialogue and motivations that make little sense. Jodie Comer’s Isla is reduced to a plot device, her illness and hallucinations serving only to push Spike and Jamie into increasingly implausible situations. The much-hyped return of the priest’s son, Jimmy, as a cult leader, is both underdeveloped and unearned, culminating in a finale that feels completely detached from the emotional stakes set up in the first hour. Inconsistent Tone and Visual Style Boyle’s signature gritty realism is nowhere to be found. The film lurches between attempts at the raw, handheld style of 28 Days Later and baffling choices like splicing in medieval black-and-white footage, which only serves to distract and confuse. The North East setting is visually striking, but even the scenery can’t mask the film’s identity crisis—a horror movie that wants to be a coming-of-age drama, a post-apocalyptic epic, and a surrealist fable, all at once. The Ending: A Nonsensical Mess Nothing prepares you for the film’s final act. The ending, featuring Spike joining Jimmy’s cult to fight the infected with bows and arrows, is so left-field and manic it feels like a parody of the franchise’s own lore. The reveal that Jimmy, the priest’s son, is now a quasi-messianic figure leading survivors is not only underexplained but also robs the film of any satisfying resolution. The narrative leaps required to get there are never justified, which left me bewildered rather than moved. My rating 3 out of 10. Barely worth watching.