--- title: "28 Years Later: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/28-years-later/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/28-years-later" critics_score: 78 critics_reviews: 14 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # 28 Years Later (2025): what the critics said Critics' score 78 from 14 reviews: 11 positive, 3 mixed, 0 negative. Most critics welcome Danny Boyle and Alex Garland’s return to the series, and several call it Boyle’s strongest film in years. The praise clusters around the performances, with Ralph Fiennes and Jodie Comer named most often and newcomer Alfie Williams singled out more than once, and around the film’s picture of a Britain cut off from the world and turning in on itself, which many reviews read as a comment on Brexit and isolationism. The folk-horror imagery and the medieval feel of the future Britain draw approval, as does the Young Fathers soundtrack. The reservations gather almost entirely at the end: The i Paper, Time Out, The Ringer and Collider all fault a coda they find goofy or jarring against the downbeat tone. The Guardian finds the film tonally uncertain, and Radio Times notes pacing problems and too many fast cuts. The spread runs from three-star notices to full marks, with no outright negative review. ## The Times Rating ★★★★★. 18 June 2025. The third and possibly best instalment in the 28 Days Later franchise reunites Danny Boyle and Alex Garland. It combines wonder and outlandishness with the regulation flesh-rending and vicious disembowelment. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/28-years-later-review-the-best-in-danny-boyles-zombie-franchise-zwb08696h) ## The Hollywood Reporter — David Rooney Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 18 June 2025. Boyle and Garland demonstrate fresh inspiration for pulse-pounding terror in this first part of a planned trilogy that reinvigorates the franchise with relevant allegorical commentary. The film is praised as a bloody feast for horror connoisseurs, with strong performances especially from newcomer Alfie Williams and Jodie Comer singled out as the standout. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/28-years-later-review-jodie-comer-aaron-taylor-johnson-1236294541/) ## The Telegraph Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 20 June 2025. This transfixingly nasty zombie horror sequel is Danny Boyle’s best film in 17 years. It offers a phantasmagorical vision of a deeply familiar, vulnerable, beautiful nation that has become intent on simultaneously turning in on and against itself. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/28-years-later-review-sequel-jodie-comer-ralph-fiennes/) ## Variety — Peter Debruge Rating Critics Pick. 18 June 2025. The critic lauds the film as a radical evolution of the horror saga that confronts primal fears of death and the other through innovative style and a new set of characters on Holy Island. It offers enlightenment alongside thrills, restoring humanity to the infected while delivering spectacle. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2025/film/reviews/28-years-later-review-1236435361/) ## Financial Times — Danny Leigh Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 18 June 2025. The English are in bad shape in this expansive sequel. The movie can feel like a hall-of-mirrors state-of-the-nation address, with the world finding a remedy for the infected UK by simply cutting it off as a pariah plague island. [Read the review](https://www.ft.com/content/c8065e5d-3de0-4014-869e-c2cf3ec9a92c) ## The New York Times — Manohla Dargis Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 19 June 2025. The critic describes Boyle's return to the post-apocalyptic Britain of the original as a plausible and familiar freakout centered on a father-son coming-of-age tale amid infected threats. The film balances hope and resignation while updating classic zombie tropes with fast-moving creatures. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/19/movies/28-years-later-review-danny-boyle.html) ## The Guardian Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 18 June 2025. The tonally uncertain revival mixes folk horror and little-England satire as an island lad seeks help for his sick mum on the undead-infested mainland. It takes a generational leap into the future from the initial catastrophe, creating something intriguing but going in circles with its dual-speed zombies. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/jun/18/28-years-later-review-danny-boyle-zombies-alex-garland-jodie-comer-aaron-taylor-johnson) ## The i Paper — Christina Newland Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 19 June 2025. The critic finds the film largely excellent as a survival horror with grit, suspense and strong world-building, but faults the final moments for introducing goofy elements that clash with the downbeat tone and set up the trilogy awkwardly. [Read the review](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/28-years-later-review-falls-final-hurdle-3759054) ## Radio Times — Terry Staunton Rating 3/5. 19 June 2025. It offers a more reflective, human story than previous entries, putting the franchise back on track with strong performances from the young lead and supporting cast, though the script has some pacing issues and an over-reliance on fast cuts. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/28-years-later-review/) ## Time Out — Phil de Semlyen Rating 3/5. 18 June 2025. The first half is thrilling with punky editing and pop-art style, reinventing the zombie movie as a bloody installation, but the second half is less certain with acting excellence undermined by a dud ending. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/28-years-later-review-2025) ## Screen Daily 18 June 2025. Boyle's return brings a satisfying mix of old horrors and new ideas, building a post-apocalyptic vision with a strong cast and immersive world-building, though it lacks the immediate visceral bite of the original. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/28-years-later-review-director-danny-boyle-returns-to-lead-horror-franchise-into-new-territory/5206153.article) ## Sight and Sound 20 June 2025. The critic praises Boyle and Garland for taking the saga in an inspired mythical turn, highlighting the rich, strange vision of a future Britain in a Dark Age with resonant imagery from history and other films, and strong performances especially from Comer and Fiennes. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/28-years-later-danny-boyle-imagines-dark-british-future-thrilling-expansion-his-zombie-classic) ## Collider — Emma Kiely Rating 9/10. 18 June 2025. The critic finds it an exciting and terrifying horror movie with a nuanced philosophical tale about mortality, morality, and acceptance of death, praising Boyle and Garland's direction and the performances, especially Ralph Fiennes. Notes a tonal shift at the end that felt jarring but overall hails it as one of the best zombie horror movies in years and Boyle's best since Trainspotting. [Read the review](https://collider.com/28-years-later-review-danny-boyle/) ## The Ringer — Adam Nayman Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 20 June 2025. Boyle's best movie in a long time, a lucid and non-superfluous legacy sequel with sophisticated visuals, emotional depth on mortality, and a strong Garland script that balances genre thrills with metaphysical elements. Praises the actors and risks taken, though notes the goofy coda. [Read the review](https://www.theringer.com/2025/06/20/movies/28-years-later-movie-review-sequel) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 18 June 2025. The critic notes the film's evolution into a mature coming-of-age tale with stylistic flair and folk-horror elements, emphasizing its focus on human themes over pure horror while praising the lush, pensive approach. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/28-years-later-review-danny-boyle/) ## Deadline — Damon Wise Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 18 June 2025. The critic praises the film's emotional depth in exploring mortality and family bonds, especially through Ralph Fiennes' standout performance, while noting its scathing political commentary on Brexit Britain and a jaw-dropping finale. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/2025/06/28-years-later-review-danny-boyle-jodie-comer-zombie-horror-1236436839/) ## Den of Geek — David Crow Rating 4 out of 5. 18 June 2025. The critic praises the film as a baroque and haunting spectacle that pulses with life, especially its memento mori elements and medieval aesthetic. They single out the performances of Jodie Comer and the film's meditation on family, community, and regression to the past. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/28-years-later-review-danny-boyl-alex-garland/) ## NME — Jordan Bassett Rating 5. 19 June 2025. The review calls it brilliantly bizarre, extravagantly bold, imaginative, turning the franchise on its head with a post-Brexit take on isolationism, funny, horrifying, and profound. Singles out the soundtrack by Young Fathers and Ralph Fiennes' role. [Read the review](https://www.nme.com/reviews/film-reviews/28-years-later-review-horror-3871043) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/28-years-later.md