28 Years Later (2025)

28 Years Later

• Believe the hype. I would’ve liked to have seen this right on opening weekend, but I had to wait a couple days. Because of that, I saw lots of reviews (and very few spoilers, thankfully) that absolutely praised this, and I can confirm that all those positive reviews are correct. My opening thought is that this isn’t as good as ‘28 Days Later’, which I wasn’t expecting it to be. This would’ve had to have been exTREMELY good. Despite not topping the first, it’s still very solid, and provides a very thrilling experience. I think the pacing was fantastic, and one of the many highlights of the film. It has a good story structure that doesn’t weigh too heavily, but is interesting enough to make this film feel new and unique. The cool thing is that this film could almost be a standalone. The only background knowledge you need is the origin of the Rage Virus, and that’s about it. You don’t have to rely on previous events to understand anything. All the performances were really impressive, especially from Alfie Williams and Ralph Fiennes. I was surprised by how much Alfie Williams carried this film on his back. It would’ve been good whether he was in it or not, but he adds so much depth and independence. Truly a wonderful job. And Ralph Fiennes steals the show as always. The sound design was also impressive. All the infected noises, combined with the nature sounds, weapon fire, and score…..haunting yet beautiful. The cinematography was also gorgeous, and at times, almost makes the film feel warm, while it is still very suspenseful. Lastly, the editing was some of the best of 2025 so far, with it keeping every scene pushing forward in its own way, while still being reminiscent of the first film. Well done! Overall, this is a very thrilling and intriguing film, and while not as good as the first, it’s very well made and I’m super excited to see what the future holds. I would recommend this to all horror fans. This film is officially Berry Approved, so go see it now!