Boyle returns with a banger in this solid third film of the cult zombie franchise, as he finds another peak, sonically and experientially, with this tense, gory and energetic work that is also surprisingly moving as a meditation on mortality. 

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28 Years Later sees Danny Boyle back in the big time with what could be one of his finest films, accompanied by ‘Soundtrack of the Year’ contender from Young Fathers. 

Boyle has always been fantastic with music, sound design and the use of songs in his works, yet with 28 Years Later, he finds another peak, sonically and experientially. 

This is a movie to immerse yourself in, be it the sheer intensity of ‘Boots’ playing as father and son prepare themselves to enter the quarantined Mainland (with stunning, allegorical montages of soldiers of different eras preparing for war), or the adrenaline rush that is ‘Causeway’, with a foot chase that Tom Cruise might even struggle to outrun. 

Safely living in an island community, away from the ‘infected’, Spike (Alfie Williams in what might be his career breakthrough role) and his father (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) venture out to the unknown for training purposes, to build confidence and sharpen skills as they kill all manner of zombies in gruesome ways, until they find themselves getting more than what they have bargained for. 

“The more you kill, the easier it gets. Don’t feel bad about it.”

Boyle, through plot and film language, heightens the tension to unbearable levels. Shot mostly with modified iPhone 15s by Anthony Dod Mantle (who lensed 2002’s 28 Days Later with the then-versatile digital video camera), there is a sense of kinetic immediacy to the flat and crisp images. 

Yet while 28 Years Later moves energetically, the film is also surprisingly moving with its exploration of life and death. 

Death is everywhere, both in film and real life.  Many despicable world leaders today treat death as a disposable statistic or a mathematical anomaly when it should be sacred and dealt with in one’s own terms.  Boyle reminds us what it means to confront mortality, to live fearlessly and die graciously. 

Tonally adventurous, 28 Years Later can be rather gory for those who can’t stand blood and guts, but seeing a committed filmmaker making that R-rating count is also why we go to the movies. 

Grade: A-

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