Horror 28 Years Later

[Lily Adler]

I really like a lot of individual parts, but I don't think I like the film on the whole. The Jimmy portion of the ending is not something I had issue with.

Of course, Pink Ranger.

 

[Lily Adler]

Why didn't anyone told me an overweight Chris Nolan was in the first film?

 

[Deck Rickard]

I have looked up some stuff that explains the ending a bit better. Plenty of videos on this, but I will summarize:

Spoiler

Obviously, Jimmy is the child from the beginning. But his visual design is based on Jimmy Savile, who I never heard of before I saw the movie and I fear part of the response by many will in part cause we don't know who that is.

Essentially, he was like a UK Mr. Rogers who hosted shows on BBC for years and was an icon to children. He died in 2011, but after he died it was revealed he was a monster and a predator. Somewhere over 300 victims ranging from kids to the elderly. So, since the world fell in this world by 2002, this world wouldn't have been alerted to Savile's evil.

Now, when kid Jimmy is watching a TV, he is watching Teletubbies and his cult goons have the various Teletubby colors for their track suits. Also, Spike before going on his voyage has a Power Ranger toy. So the goons having garish colors and fighting like Power Rangers sort of combines both Jimmy's and Spike's childhoods. Spike put it away before his journey, but this group being like living Power Rangers is clearly going to make him go with this group, and there def is a message about maturity and not having parental figures growing up that Jimmy won't have had. Also the Savile reference likely hints at this group probably preying on Spike's good nature for so form of evil means.

I am not saying anyone has to like the ending, and I was really lost like everyone. But these details do help it make more sense in context and when Garland is saying part 2 is about the nature of evil, I can see where the thematic hand off for the scene comes in and how it makes a bit more sense in full context. Maybe this should have been a post credits scene instead though.

Thanks; I didn’t realize all of that. Definitely helps it make more sense.

One thing I want to know is

Spoiler

why are there so many people named Jim in this world lol? Cillian Murphy? Jim. Jack O’Connell? Jimmy. The members of his gang? Also Jimmy. Who inspired them? Jimmy Savile. ATJ? Jamie, but that could be a nickname for James. Too many Jims! It gets confusing.

 

[Spider-Fan]

Thanks; I didn’t realize all of that. Definitely helps it make more sense.

One thing I want to know is

Spoiler

why are there so many people named Jim in this world lol? Cillian Murphy? Jim. Jack O’Connell? Jimmy. The members of his gang? Also Jimmy. Who inspired them? Jimmy Savile. ATJ? Jamie, but that could be a nickname for James. Too many Jims! It gets confusing.

Spoiler

I think the Jimmy cult is def named after Jimmy Saville. But yeah, it is a lot of Jims lol

 

[Deck Rickard]

Spoiler

I think the Jimmy cult is def named after Jimmy Saville. But yeah, it is a lot of Jims lol

Spoiler

Yeah for sure but I think O’Connell’s name actually is Jimmy. Pretty sure they called him Jimmy when we saw him as a kid.

 

[Spider-Fan]

Spoiler

Yeah for sure but I think O’Connell’s name actually is Jimmy. Pretty sure they called him Jimmy when we saw him as a kid.

Spoiler

You are correct, his actual name is Jimmy. But the goons I think just named themselves Jimmy.

 

[Link]

I have looked up some stuff that explains the ending a bit better. Plenty of videos on this, but I will summarize:

Spoiler

Obviously, Jimmy is the child from the beginning. But his visual design is based on Jimmy Savile, who I never heard of before I saw the movie and I fear part of the response by many will in part cause we don't know who that is.

Essentially, he was like a UK Mr. Rogers who hosted shows on BBC for years and was an icon to children. He died in 2011, but after he died it was revealed he was a monster and a predator. Somewhere over 300 victims ranging from kids to the elderly. So, since the world fell in this world by 2002, this world wouldn't have been alerted to Savile's evil.

Now, when kid Jimmy is watching a TV, he is watching Teletubbies and his cult goons have the various Teletubby colors for their track suits. Also, Spike before going on his voyage has a Power Ranger toy. So the goons having garish colors and fighting like Power Rangers sort of combines both Jimmy's and Spike's childhoods. Spike put it away before his journey, but this group being like living Power Rangers is clearly going to make him go with this group, and there def is a message about maturity and not having parental figures growing up that Jimmy won't have had. Also the Savile reference likely hints at this group probably preying on Spike's good nature for so form of evil means.

I am not saying anyone has to like the ending, and I was really lost like everyone. But these details do help it make more sense in context and when Garland is saying part 2 is about the nature of evil, I can see where the thematic hand off for the scene comes in and how it makes a bit more sense in full context. Maybe this should have been a post credits scene instead though.

That's really interesting. Suddenly the ending makes a lot more sense, even tonally.

 

[Zantera]

I guess it makes sense in a weird way that kids raised in this apocalypse who grew up on Teletubbies turn into these cartoonish zombie ass-kicking ninjas. The tone of the ending still didn't work for me though.

Still very curious where they go because I really liked parts of this movie. Then there's other parts that gave me Matrix Resurrections vibes where it felt like the filmmaker was like "This thing you love will be turned into a joke" like how the infected are now not really a threat at all I guess? The sequel will tell.

 

[blueharvest]

 

[Shinobi Shaw]

Just came out of my showing.

Overall, I thought this was a very good movie. I so didn’t expect to cry either but:

The whole bit with Ralph Fiennes’ doctor character diagnosing Isla with the cancer and the whole euthanizing her hit me hard.

And as far as the ending, yes it was so tonally different from the rest of the movie, but I think it would’ve been better suited as a quick post credit scene. But that’s just me.

Jodie Comer and Alfie Williams were awesome in this. ATJ was… there.

 

[Drizzle]

I watched 28 Days Later on Friday, 28 Weeks Later last night and I just got back from seeing 28 Years Later.

I'd definitely rank Years up there with Days. Definitely the most emotional of the series so far and yet also downright hilarious in some scenes.

And as far as the ending, yes it was so tonally different from the rest of the movie, but I think it would’ve been better suited as a quick post credit scene. But that’s just me.

The ending didn't faze me at all after seeing a 7 foot tall naked zombie with a manaconda ripping people's heads off with their spines still attached like a Mortal Kombat fatality.

 

[Shinobi Shaw]

I watched 28 Days Later on Friday, 28 Weeks Later last night and I just got back from seeing 28 Years Later.

I'd definitely rank Years up there with Days. Definitely the most emotional of the series so far and yet also downright hilarious in some scenes.


The ending didn't faze me at all after seeing a 7 foot tall naked zombie with a manaconda ripping people's heads off with their spines still attached like a Mortal Kombat fatality.

Lmaoooo and Drizzy my dumbass in the theater looking at him like:



And I’m so proud of you for cramming in the previous movies before this in the nick of time! (i still have to see 28 Weeks but don’t tell nobody).

 

[Drizzle]

Lmaoooo and Drizzy my dumbass in the theater looking at him like:

View attachment 140063

And I’m so proud of you for cramming in the previous movies before this in the nick of time! (i still have to see 28 Weeks but don’t tell nobody).

Having seen it, you can easily watch Years and understand it without having seen Days or Weeks first. But Weeks is pretty much ignored entirely. You're not missing much. It starts out pretty strong but it devolves into a generic zombie movie fairly quickly without the heart that Days and Years has.

 

[Silvermoth]

Ok I loved this. I really wish Boyle had gotten to realise his vision for 007, even more so now. I really like that it didn’t just feel like franchising, they really developed a lot of the story but kept so much heart.

A lot of floppy willies though. If you’re looking for floppy willies this is your movie. More floppy willies than a Ryan Murphy series

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

I enjoyed it. It's not as good as Days, but a definite step up from Weeks. The Alpha I was a bit unsure of at first but he was used well in the end.

The kid was really good as was Comer. All the cast were pretty good really not a bad performance in the movie.

It did feel that the Infected weren't as much of a threat half the time. When they turned up in Days it was chaos. That only really happened a couple of times here and it was led by The Alpha most of the time.

I liked Fienes character not being what we thought and I imagine there will be more focus on him in the next movie.

8/10. As someone raised in England with English TV the ending was hilarious to me and actually made sense. As in 2002 Mr Saville's past hadn't caught up with him yet.

 

[Pennywise]

 

[Luigi]

Yeah, we're getting the third installment.

 

[J.Drangal]

I saw some people complain about the lack of action or new creatures, but that confused me—28 Days Later isn’t Resident Evil. It’s less about lore and more about exploring human emotions in an apocalyptic world. And even if that’s become familiar now, this might still be my favorite take on it.

I was very touched by the story of this boy willing to do anything to save his mother. His resilience and innocence really struck me. And there was something absolutely disarming in realizing with him that she won’t die from the virus or the harsh conditions they’re in, but from a banal disease.
I like the way the film shows that, no matter where you are, two forces remain constant beyond all conditions: death and love. Memento Mori, Memento Amori. This is the driving force of the whole film, and it's beautifully symbolized by Kerson’s monument—and it makes sense they used it for the poster.

Beyond the story, I’m simply completely blown away by Boyle’s direction. The fast cuts, the resolution changes,... It's arty and could fall in some gratuitous styling, but it just f***ing works for me.
And the sound—both the sound design and the soundtrack—is incredible. There’s a real craft in how Boyle syncs image and sound, building a storytelling style that feels raw yet precise, and totally his own. Wish more director will use the « power of sound and vision » like that.

And what can I say about the cast? Alfie Williams is excellent—this kid can already carry a film on his own. I’ve never really been a fan of ATJ, but I’ve got no complaints here, and Comer seemed really solid as well. I had forgotten Fiennes was in it too, and it was a pleasure to rediscover him. I really liked his character, eccentric at first, but ultimately a keeper of memory (Though I couldn’t help noticing, with my twisted sense of humor, that he’s once again playing a guy using cremation ovens—tthough his time in a more positive way...).

About the final scene, it was surprising but I didn’t really felt a shift in tone, honestly. The saga also treats of the UK and I feel like there’s something very British about the sudden appearance of such quirky characters. And even though I missed the connection to Savile (no idea how I overlooked that), I simply took this group as a kind of analogy for countercultures and teenage rebellion from our own world, transposed into this violent reality. It’s all about mirrors in these movies, and I’m really curious to see where it goes next…

So yeah, absolutely loved that movie !

Is there some things that felt odd ? Yes, I also thought they could have killed Samson when he was stunned, yes I wonder about the logisitcs of infected families… but at no point it bothered me of taken me out of the movie and its story. Which is crazy because I'm a big nitpicker... but I have no notes.

 

[TheVileOne]

I think what's odd is that this felt like more like the first four episodes of TV series in a longer season rather than a complete movie. It wouldn't surprise me if they used material originally envisioned for a TV show continuation rather than a series of movies.

 

[blueharvest]

 

[GunBlade]

Wonder when the Part II trailer drops.

 

[J.Drangal]

Some thoughts on Jimmy, his clan, and their looks.
I think there are actually three levels of symbolism in these colorful outfits, depending on the observer:

- The first is the nod to the Teletubbies, seen at the beginning of the film.
Jimmy's whole family was watching the show just before the massacre, and I suppose that, from the perspective of this traumatized boy, these uniforms are a way of recreating a new family.

- The second is about the Power Rangers.
We know that Spikey apparently grew up with a figurine of this kind, a fetish object that he had to “give up” when it was decided that he had to grow up. Tested by the "loss" of his parents, we can suspect that he will find some comfort in this group of individuals who remind him of his toy.
Moreover, the over-the-top staging of the final fight may also be a trick—perhaps we are seeing all of this through the eyes of Spikey, who already idealizes this group...

- The last reference is obviously about Jimmy Savile.
This is a clue for us, the audience, about the evil nature that can hide behind eccentricity. It ties in with Boyle's statement that this group can evoke the violent gangs of A Clockwork Orange and how they will symbolize the reintroduction of evil into this world.

------

I'm so eager to see what happens next. After using this coming-of-age story to redefine the humanity of the survivors through their relationship with death and the infected, everything points to the sequel being the opposite and therefore a much darker film... I'm ready.

 

[Pennywise]

Nia DaCosta Says Her ‘28 Years Later’ Sequel Has Something ‘The Marvels’ Didn’t: “A Really Solid Script” — World of Reel

DaCosta might have been chewed up and spit out by Marvel’s machine, but she’s already noticing there’s life, and artistic freedom, after the MCU.

www.worldofreel.com

Now, two years later, DaCosta—speaking at the Edinburgh Film Festival— took a swipe back, comparing her “wonderful” experience shooting the upcoming “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple” to her other films.

One of the issues I had with “Candyman” and ‘Marvels’ was the lack of a really solid script, which is always gonna just wreak havoc on the whole process.

DaCosta has already moved on. Her Tessa Thompson–Imogen Poots starrer “Hedda” is heading to TIFF next month, and she recently wrapped “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple” (Jan 2026). Early test screenings on ‘Bone Temple’ have been very strong, with DaCosta calling it one of her best filmmaking experiences

Making the 28 Years Later sequel was one of the best filmmaking experiences I’ve had […] Alex Garland hands you a script, and you’re like, ‘This is amazing.’ You don’t really have to change it, although I did, I basically asked for more infected. [Laughs.] That was, like, my big contribution.

DaCosta goes on to add that it was none other than “The Zone of Interest” director Jonathan Glazer who persuaded her to take on the sequel, which was shot back-to-back with Boyle’s film.

 

[Pennywise]

First Look at '28 Years Later: The Bone Temple' Promises 'Bonkers, Off-the-Wall Energy'

'28 Years Later: The Bone Temple' director Nia DaCosta and star Jack O'Connell talk new film, due out in January, in reveal of first-look photos.

www.rollingstone.com

 

[Zantera]

I was a bit mixed on the last one but I'm still hyped for this. I hope we actually get some Cillian Murphy and that he's not just a end credits tease for the third one.