Tags: blog, film, horror, recommended, 2026
Author: KickingK
Date: Wednesday March 04th, 2026
Tracksuit mafia.
I ended the review of 28 Years Later by stating just how much I was looking forward to the next Danny Boyle Movie. Well that wait goes on for a bit longer as he's roped in Nia DaCosta to direct this sequel. And what an astute choice that's proven to be.
DaCosta's portrayal of how the gang of Jimmys operate, how it's run and controlled, is sharply observed. As is the violence they meet out on their travels. And the reason the latter is so horrible is because of the former. There's an inevitability to everything that happens that gives you no way to break out of the fiction. The more the violence spirals out of control, the realer it feels. This film is nasty. Whilst my previous complaints about zombie films showing the breakdown of society still stand, if you are going to do this at least lean into it with all your weight.
As the previous film gradually changed it's focus from wide angle scene setting to close up drama, this film continues that zoom-in to the point of claustrophobia. There's no ambition to the gang we're following beyond survival and violence. Neither they or the film are even interested in the zombies any more.
Their counter-point in the film is the return of Ralph Feinnes' Dr Kelson. He has no care for the world outside his temple, but he is interested in the Alpha of the zombies. Interested to the point of caring. It’s a meditative, almost philosophical contrast to the Jimmys that doesn’t really go anywhere although it’s a fairly safe bet that it will get resolved in the final part of the trilogy.
Sadly, the film lacks much of the visual flair and invention of Boyle's entries in the series. I would have liked it if the film was a bit more unhinged in it's aesthetics. Only at the end, in an uproariously funny meeting of very different characters, does the film flex some serious cinematic chutzpah. But even then it feels safe in a way that Boyle at his best doesn’t.
But that doesn't detract from how effective the drama is. This is one of the more intimate zombie films I’ve seen and is all the better for it. Perfectly geared to wind up for what is hopefully a big finale.
