28 Years Later is the best movie of the year, horror or otherwise. You don’t have to agree with me, but from my perspective, it’s the movie to beat. Our review here was more muted, calling the film “Visually stunning but narratively stunted,” though I resonated deeply with the return to the opaque, brutal world Danny Boyle and Alex Garland first introduced us to at the turn of the century. It was wildly unlike anything I’d seen before, subverting expectations and setting up what’s poised to be a wild, wild trilogy. Nia DaCosta, my faith is in you.
What’s most remarkable is how 28 Years Later accomplished what the first movie did back in 2002. In a retrospective, I wrote, “Zombies have gotten fast because the world has gotten faster. There’s nothing this decade that can’t be done quicker than it would have been in the decade before. Life is fiercer, meaner, and more perceptible than ever. Yet, the underlying theme among these all—as violent and dour as their narratives are—is hope. The zombies move quicker toward destruction, yes, but the survivors move quicker toward hope.” That a long-awaited sequel could match the sheer power of the original is nothing short of remarkable. Now, go back to where it started. 28 Days Later is streaming on Netflix.
Learn more below:
Per Netflix: Days after a killer virus breaks loose, survivors are caught in a desperate struggle to protect themselves against the violent, zombielike infected.
I love all three movies, and while 28 Years Later is my favorite movie of the year, 28 Days Later is still the supreme offering. Its digital mayhem is infectious. It reinvented an entire subgenre. It’s got Cillian Murphy and Naomie Harris turning in career-best work. What’s not to love? The trajectory might be polarizing, though few—if any—audience members will shun the 2002 classic. It’s that good, the rare movie that seems to appeal to certified cinephiles and more general audiences alike.
With 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple arriving in theaters this January, now is the perfect time to revisit the original. And, hey, while you’re there, yes, 28 Years Later is also streaming on Netflix. Boyle and Garland’s zombies—or whatever you want to call them—are the best of the century, and I’d encourage you to run, not walk, to Netflix as soon as you can.
Check out some recent social reactions below:
28 Days Later: a remix of all 20th century zombie ideas from Romero to Resident Evil, episodic survival horror showcasing boundary pushing digital filmmaking about the horrifying capabilities of humanity lying just beneath the surface
28 Weeks Later: pic.twitter.com/TTEUPzC4hf
— joe bro (@jbromovies) June 19, 2025
Adding 28 days later is one of the best things Netflix has ever done.
— Dolly Sharton (@GayPoupon) September 22, 2025
What do you think? Are you a fan of 28 Years Later? What other zombie movies this century have come close? Let me know what you think over on Twitter @Chadiscollins.
Categorized: News
