Arcana Cinema

★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★

This film is outstanding. After watching 28 years later in 2025, I was blown away by the direction that this series has gone in, as it had huge shoes to fill from the initial success of 28 Days Later. The film is directed by the amazing Nia DaCosta and stars Jack O’Connell as Sir Jimmy Crystal, Alfie Williams as Spike, and Ralph Fiennes as Dr. Kelson. As someone who was a massive fan of the ending of the previous film, I was super curious to see the exploration of the Jimmy gang and how Spike continues to survive in this world. I believe that this is the perfect installment to continue the story as the audience and the characters learn more about the infection and that it is treatable.

I was very drawn to the Jimmy gang and the brutality of these people. Sir Jimmy Crystal is absolutely terrifying and batshit bonkers. The way he absolutely brings the worst out of people while also giving them a reason to live was fascinating to watch on screen. This can be seen through the character Jimmy Ink played by Erin Kellyman as she believes that there is nothing left other than to serve Saint Nick. Sir Jimmy gives these people a reason to live but at what cost? There is little to nothing left of humanity, yet all they do is unleash bloodshed. Jack O’Connells performance was amazing! Everything down to the jumpsuit, the tiara and his rotting teeth was so much fun to watch. He has quickly become one of my favourite actors and I am very excited to see what he does in the future.

★★★★★

Dr Kelson is such a fascinating character and I love that we saw so much more of him in this film. His dedication to his bone temple and preserving what is left of humanity whilst also being drawn to Samson, an infected alpha makes for an interesting character arc. My favourite scene in the film was his performance in front of the Jimmy gang whilst Iron Maiden’s song ‘The number of the beast’ plays as he pretends to be the devil. Absolutely outstanding and I’d give anything to watch it again for the first time.

The ending further raised my expectations for the final film. I let out such a huge gasp when Cillian Murphy appeared on my screen. I assumed that we would be seeing the character again, but I didn’t realize it would be so soon! I am so excited to see the final installment of this new trilogy, yet I have no idea how they are going to end it! On Letterboxd, I gave this film a rating of 5 out of 5! If you are a horror fan, I 100% would recommend this film and the rest of the 28 Days Later installments.

The Hermit xx