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Welcome to The Land Before Prime — where cinema and DVDs still matter, and no review dares to exceed 5 minutes.
Today, Tom’s staring down the infected, the cults, and the curiously well-endowed Alphas in 28 Years Later — Danny Boyle’s brutal return to Rage territory. But can it outmatch 28 Days Later? Is there such a thing as zombie empathy? And what exactly is Big John swinging?
Will Tom fit the whole review into 5 minutes?
(Unlikely, but we admire the optimism.)
No streaming. No buffering. Just real films — reviewed fast.
Music
First Call by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100862
Artist: http://incompetech.com/
Hear the Noise (Sting) – John Deley and the 41 Players
Operator Error (Sting) – Gunnar Olsen
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The Rough Script (Changes were made as I read it)
Released June 2025 for UK Cinemas, 28 Years later is the third film in the 28 franchise. Following on from 28 Days and 28 Weeks, we see what life in Britain is now like 28 years later after the rage virus first hit.
Starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Kick-Ass, Godzilla), Jodie Comer (Killing Eve, Free Guy), Ralph Fiennes (Schindler’s List, The Menu), Jack O’Connel (Skins, This is England), Alfie Williams (His Dark Materials, Fallacy) and introducing Chi Lewis-Parry.
So, the film opens with the actual Teletubbies. Yep. Full suits, none of that CGI Disney nonsense. Sadly, Tinky Winky doesn’t last long because—surprise—the Rage virus is back. Young Jimmy legs it from the carnage while his reverend dad basically says, “Judgement Day is nigh!” before becoming infected brunch. But don’t worry, Jimmy gets handed a cross and the ability to run like hell. See you in 28 years, son.
Cut to Lindisfarne—post-apocalyptic Butlins on a tidal island. The place runs on chores, 90s nostalgia, and vibes. It’s Spike’s 12th birthday, and his dad Jamie decides that’s the perfect age to start zombie-slaying. Mum’s ill, barely functional, so naturally: let’s ignore that and head to the mainland.
Over there, Spike kills a couple of slow, blobby infected before they meet their first “Alpha.” You can tell it’s an Alpha because, well… let’s just say gravity is not his enemy. They camp in an old house, see some ominous fire in the distance, and nearly get flattened by a stampede of deer. The Alpha sticks around like a bad smell, and they only just make it back—until Big John the Alpha comes charging. Thankfully, the community guard finally clocks in and boom, Big John gets dropped.
Back home: party time. Dad’s drunk, lying about everything, and sleeping with Rosie. Spike finds out and is not a fan. Meanwhile, Sam—the community gossip—drops a truth bomb: there’s a weird doctor out there, Kelson, but don’t mention him. So obviously, that’s all Spike thinks about.
After threatening Dad with a knife (classic family bonding), Spike sets a fire, kidnaps his mum, and heads off to find Doctor Doom himself.
Cue montage: dead soldiers, angry Alphas, and one surviving soldier who tries to explain phones to people raised on carrier pigeons. They find a pregnant infected woman (sure), deliver her baby (why not), and then Alpha Daddy shows up and Fatalities the soldier. It’s a lot.
Finally, they meet Dr. Kelson. Surprise! Mum’s not infected—she’s got brain cancer. Kelson euthanises her with a dart like she’s a panda in a zoo, and Spike adds her skull to a weird pyramid of death trophies. Totally normal reaction, no notes.
Jamie, feeling guilty, dumps the baby back at the village and goes off to “find himself.” Instead, he finds a mob of infected and gets saved last-minute by Jimmy and his gang of culty kung-fu survivors in tracksuits. They look like if the Power Rangers were managed by Jimmy Savile. Spike joins them. End of film. Roll credits.
Let’s talk more shall we?
Let’s get one thing straight — this isn’t Days, Weeks, Years. It’s Years, Years 2, and Years 3. That’s right, Danny Boyle’s confirmed this is part one of a brand-new trilogy, with the next chapter dropping in January 2026. Oh, and Cillian Murphy’s back. Yes please.
Now, by the numbers? 28 Years Later is a clear success. Like Weeks, it’s solid, serious, and mostly well received. But does it hit the same nerve as 28 Days Later? Not quite. That first film had raw power and bleakness that this one—good as it is—hasn’t managed to replicate.
That said, let’s talk pros. This film’s dark, grim, and absolutely scratches the horror itch. The gore feels grounded—brutal, but believable. And the idea of a tidal island community? Inspired. There’s something oddly comforting about watching people live in a hard-grafting, 90s-infused apocalypse. And let’s give credit where it’s due: introducing evolved infected was genius. Just when the Rage virus was starting to feel familiar, they kicked it up a terrifying notch.
But if we’re talking pros, we have to talk cons. And yep—the Jimmy Savile parallel? That’s a big one. Sure, canon-wise it makes sense: survivors clinging to a pre-apocalypse figure they never saw fall from grace. But in the real world? It leaves a very bad taste. It’s jarring, controversial, and overshadows a film that didn’t need that particular stink.
Speaking of jarring—there’s a tone shift near the end where things go from gritty realism to full-on Power Rangers, and not in a good way. Also: predictable story, underused Ralph Fiennes (a crime in itself), and uneven pacing—the middle drags while the start and finish sprint.
And then there’s Isla helping a pregnant infected give birth. Honestly? I’m on the fence. It’s part Land of the Dead, part zombie midwife, part emotional curveball. Was it touching or just too weird? I’ll let you decide.
Can you watch this without seeing the first two? Absolutely. There’s barely any canon, so if you don’t know what the Rage virus is, you’ll still get it. Accept it as a standalone zombie flick and you’re good to go.
Final rating? 7 out of 10. It’s a strong return to the world of Rage. It’s not reinventing the genre, but it’s a worthy continuation, and I’m definitely along for the ride.
We like to make a film suggestion you might have forgotten about to watch after or instead of this film, today’s choice is Brain Dead. Clever, no. Disgusting, beyond so. Peter Jackson (Yes, Lord of the rings) made a brutal zombie film and it’s truly a cult classic.
