’28 Years Later’ Review: Jamie and Spike’s Hunt Across the Causeway Earns a 7.7

Twenty-eight years after the Rage virus outbreak, Danny Boyle and Alex Garland have returned to the 28 Days Later universe with a film that trades the chaos of London for the calm of a walled island. 28 Years Later is a post-apocalyptic coming-of-age horror movie about Jamie, Spike and Isla, and it wants to be both a quiet family drama and a pulse-raising chase thriller. Mostly, it succeeds at one while borrowing the other’s tricks.

The film follows Jamie and Spike, a father and son living on Lindisfarne, a fortified island connected to the mainland by a single causeway. When Spike reaches twelve, Jamie takes him across the water for a hunting ritual, and what follows is a slow descent into a world where the infected have not died out but have changed. The film’s central tension comes from Jamie’s need to protect Spike while Spike learns to face the horrors around him.

Trailer, via Sony Pictures Entertainment.

Jamie, Spike and the Island

Jamie is a scavenger who knows the mainland better than anyone on the island. Aaron Taylor-Johnson plays him with a worn exhaustion, the kind of performance that makes you believe he has been doing this for twenty-eight years. His wife, Isla, played by Jodie Comer, is battling a mysterious illness that drives the family’s trip off the island. Their twelve-year-old son, Spike, played by Alfie Williams, is the film’s anchor. He is curious, brave and terrified in equal measure, and his arc carries the emotional weight of the story.

The island itself is a strange place. Defended naturally by a causeway that floods with the tide, it has become a sanctuary of sorts, though the film suggests the peace is fragile. The villagers, led by a council including Stella Gonet’s Jenny, live under constant threat of infection breaking through. Jamie and Spike’s departure is a ritual, but it is also a risk, and the film spends its early hours building that tension.

The Causeway and the First Kill

The crossing from Lindisfarne to the mainland is where the film finds its rhythm. Jamie and Spike travel across the flooded causeway, and the sequence is tense without being frantic. Spike kills an Infected for the first time, and the moment lands with real force because Spike has been prepared for it by his father’s stories. But Jamie’s embellishment of the deed rankles Spike, and the film uses this friction to push the story forward.

The Alpha, an evolved Infected that is stronger and more intelligent than the others, becomes the film’s main antagonist. Edvin Ryding’s Erik Sundqvist appears briefly as a Swedish Amphibious Corps soldier, and Chi Lewis-Parry’s Samson leads the infected pack. The Alpha pursues Jamie and Spike across the partially inundated causeway, and the chase sequence is the film’s best action set-piece. It is fast, brutal and well-choreographed, even if it feels borrowed from the thrillers the film is trying to avoid becoming.

Spike’s Discovery

When the attic collapses, Spike observes foreign boats on quarantine patrol and a fire farther inland. These details suggest the infection has spread beyond the immediate danger of the Alpha. Spike’s discovery of his father’s affair with Rosey, a member of the village, adds a layer of personal betrayal to the external threat. The film handles these two threads with care, keeping the family drama from overwhelming the horror.

Spike’s upset over Jamie’s embellishment is a small but telling moment. It shows that the boy is growing up faster than his father wants him to, and it sets the stage for the film’s final stretch. The village throws a party for Spike to celebrate his first kill, but the mood is uneasy. The celebration feels like a mask over fear, and the film uses this contrast to keep the audience off balance.

The Cult of Jimmy

Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal, played by Jack O’Connell, is a survivor of the original outbreak who now leads a cult inspired by the real-life figure Jimmy Savile. The cult members include Robert Rhodes as Jimmy, Erin Kellyman as Jimmy Ink, Connor Newall as Jimmy Shite, Sam Locke as Jimmy Fox, Maura Bird as Jimmy Jones, Ghazi Al Ruffai as Jimmy Snake, and Emma Laird as Jimmima. The cult’s presence is a reminder that the infected are not the only monsters in this world.

Ralph Fiennes plays Dr. Ian Kelson, a former doctor and survivor of the outbreak. His scenes are brief but effective, grounding the film’s speculative elements in a human perspective. The film’s tagline, “Time didn’t heal anything,” is a reference to the idea that the passage of decades has not resolved the trauma of the outbreak. The cult of Jimmy is evidence of that failure.

Comparing the Two Versions

The film was shot back-to-back with its sequel, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, directed by Nia DaCosta and released in January 2026. This production approach allowed the two films to share visual continuity and thematic consistency, though the tone of each is distinct. The first film is more grounded in the present, while the sequel leans further into the horror genre’s conventions.

The comparison is useful because it shows how the series is evolving. The first film is a character study with horror elements, while the sequel is a pure horror film. This split is reflected in the production approach, with Boyle directing the first and DaCosta taking the reins of the second.

Reception and Box Office

The film was released in the United Kingdom and the United States by Sony Pictures Releasing on 20 June 2025. It received positive reviews from critics and grossed $151 million worldwide against a budget of $60 million. That reception was built on the strength of the script, the direction and the performances, particularly those of Taylor-Johnson, Comer and Williams.

The film’s success is notable because it came from a series that had been dormant for years. Boyle, Garland and cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle all returned to the franchise, and their combined vision paid off with a film that delivered on both critical and commercial terms.

Our Verdict

28 Years Later is a solid entry in the 28 Days Later franchise, though it struggles to fully commit to either its horror or its coming-of-age impulses. The chase sequences are excellent, and the performances are uniformly strong, especially from Alfie Williams. The film’s central mystery about the infection’s spread is left unresolved in a way that feels unfinished, but it is a deliberate choice rather than a flaw.

The film’s weakest moments come when it tries to be a horror film and fails to scare. Some of the infected encounters feel too quick, too staged, and the Alpha’s pursuit loses some of its menace in the transition from causeway to mainland. These are minor complaints, but they keep the film from greatness.

The film’s real achievement is Spike. Alfie Williams gives a performance that anchors the entire story, and his arc from scared boy to young man carries the film’s emotional core. The final party scene, where the village celebrates Spike’s first kill, is a perfect example of how the film balances its two tones. It is a joyous moment in a world that has lost almost everything, and it earns its warmth.

28 Years Later is a worthy addition to the 28 Days Later canon. It is not the best film in the series, but it is a confident one, and it sets up the sequel with real promise. The chase across the causeway is the film’s highlight, and Spike’s journey from boy to hunter is its emotional center. The film stumbles when it tries to be a pure horror film, but it succeeds when it lets the human drama breathe.

The film’s tagline, “Time didn’t heal anything,” captures its central idea. Twenty-eight years later, the world is still broken, and the people in it are still hurting. Spike’s journey across the causeway is a small act of defiance against that brokenness, and the film honors it.

28 Days Later · coming-of-age · Danny Boyle · horror · post-apocalyptic