28 Years Later (2025): review

28 Years Later (2025) is a punishing ride. This is no nostalgic reunion or softened retread: it arrives with force. Many years after the previous film and almost three decades after the outbreak of the Rage virus, this is a film that offers more than zombie action. It is abrasive, difficult, visually striking, and it actually has something to say.

The story begins with a small island community that has spent years sheltering from the mainland. Jamie and his son Spike leave that protection to discover what remains of the world. That is where the nightmare begins. Their relationship provides an emotional center: not a tired father-and-son routine, but a believable, tense dynamic with real conflicts and moments of connection. Spike is young, curious and overwhelmed. Jamie is damaged and controlling, but not without feeling. As they enter a world consumed by violence, they face both mortal danger and their own limits.

The visual language stands out immediately. Shooting much of the film on iPhones might sound like a gimmick, but it works unnervingly well. The images feel raw, close and intense. Everything has an immediacy to it. In action scenes the camera shakes as though we were caught in the struggle ourselves. During quieter moments, the isolation becomes palpable. Instead of a glossy world, we get a cold, abrasive reality. This aesthetic will not work for everyone, but it suits the film's tone perfectly.

The infected are running again, and how. This is more than simply making them faster: they have evolved. What charges toward the characters is rage in motion. One encounter with an Alpha is especially memorable, suggesting an infected figure capable of thinking and leading, almost a general of chaos. The horror is direct, physical and brutal, but it never feels pointless. These are not just bloody effects for display. Violence feels like part of the story rather than decoration.

Then there is the sound. In some scenes music almost disappears, leaving breathing, cracking noises and the quiet sounds of fear. Elsewhere electronic beats pull your pulse along with them. The sound design knows when to ease off and when to strike. The editing has a similar confidence: bold, rhythmic and sometimes almost poetic.

Not everything fits neatly together. The film takes substantial risks in tone, imagery and storytelling, and those risks sometimes leave visible seams. A few transitions feel abrupt, some supporting characters remain underdeveloped, and the ending offers an opening rather than a conclusion. It clearly points toward a larger trilogy. Taken as a standalone experience, that can be frustrating. It also leaves me wanting more.

What really elevates the film is its attitude. It wants us to feel, not simply to recoil. Loss, hope, collapsing systems and the construction of new rules run through its scenes, glances and desperate escapes. 28 Years Later is no straightforward crowd-pleaser. It is intense, demanding horror with heart, intelligence and anger. Give yourself over to it and you get challenging material, but also one of the strongest genre films of recent years.