After an 18-year hiatus, the 28 Days Later franchise returns with the same DNA that made the original revolutionary. While zombie fatigue has set in across Hollywood, Danny Boyle and Alex Garland understand that the infected were never really the point—it was always about how ordinary people navigate extraordinary circumstances while trying to hold onto their humanity.

Creative Reunion

The reunion of Danny Boyle and Alex Garland feels like returning to a formula that works. Their previous collaborations showcase Garland’s ability to blend high-concept sci-fi with intimate human drama, while Boyle brings kinetic energy that keeps philosophical concepts from becoming pretentious. After Garland’s solo directorial efforts with Ex Machina, Annihilation, Civil War, and Warefare, his return to screenwriting duties here feels like a homecoming.

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Visual Style

Danny Boyle returns to direct after being absent from 28 Weeks Later, and his signature visual flair is immediately apparent. The handheld camera work that made the original so visceral is back, but refined with nearly two decades of technological advancement. The infected retain their terrifying speed and unpredictability, but the effects work feels more polished without losing the raw, documentary-style terror that made the franchise distinctive.

Characters and Story

What I love about the movie is the characters and their relationships. There’s drama, but realistic drama. It’s what happens when you have a superb writer like Alex Garland penning this movie instead of some lazy hack who manufactures drama where there isn’t any. Watching an infection-based apocalypse movie in 2025 hits differently than it would have in 2002. The original 28 Days Later felt like pure fantasy; now it feels… Much less so. Yet rather than exploiting pandemic anxieties, Garland focuses on the enduring human elements—how family bonds either strengthen or fracture under pressure, and whether maintaining our humanity is worth the cost when survival is uncertain.

Acting

Aaron Taylor-Johnson did a great job as the father. Jodie Comer was magnificent as the mother. But Alfie Williams steals the show as the lead character, Spike. This is what happens when you mix a great script with masterful directing. Every scene with Spike was perfect—his tone of delivery, his expressions, where his eyes went. Every nuance was crafted and delivered with excellence.

Horror Movie Reality Check

I can’t think of a single negative thing to say about this movie. Sure, there were moments where the visceral imagery pushed boundaries—this is a zombie movie that doesn’t shy away from the brutal realities of its world. My wife and I exchanged plenty of “I don’t want to see this either” looks throughout. But we’re not horror movie fans, and the film earns its intensity through character investment rather than cheap shock value.

No, I don’t ever want to see this movie again, but I’d read the script, just to relive how well the characters interact to create a compelling story.

Grade: B+

About The Peetimes: I have three good Peetimes that avoid any serious drama or action.

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I think the third Peetime is the best.

Note: My phone decided to reboot in the middle of the movie. The timing for the 2nd and 3rd Peetimes may be off by a minute or so.

There are no extra scenes during, or after, the end credits of 28 Years Later.

Plot
A group of survivors of the rage virus lives on a small island. When one of the group leaves the island on a mission into the mainland, he discovers secrets, wonders, and horrors that have mutated not only the infected but other s…