28 Years Later

·46 min·4 clips

Why did 28 Years Later only make $30 million opening weekend despite high expectations and star power?

This episode of Mad About Movies focuses on the film "28 Years Later" and the broader 28 series. Hosts Kent and Richard, filling in for Brian, analyze this long-awaited sequel. They discuss the film's place within director Danny Boyle's career and the zombie genre's evolution. The hosts note the film opened second at the box office, earning $30 million domestically. They compare it to competitors like "How to Train Your Dragon" and the underperforming Pixar film "Elio." Kent expresses surprise the film didn't make more, given Boyle's reputation and star Cillian Murphy's post-"Oppenheimer" fame. Richard argues the cast, including Jodie Comer and Aaron Taylor-Johnson, aren't major box office draws. The film was shot on iPhone 15 Pro cameras, a modern homage to the original's low-budget, Handycam aesthetic. The story centers on a father (Taylor-Johnson) teaching his son to survive, with the boy venturing to the mainland to find medicine for his sick mother. A major insight is the film's simple, survival-focused story avoids heavy-handed social commentary, which the hosts appreciate. They highlight the effective world-building, including the introduction of "Alpha" zombies and the tense causeway tide sequence. The cinematography is praised for its vibrant color, contrasting with the expected grim palette. Both hosts consider it the best film in the series, citing its strong editing and cinematic feel. They are puzzled by the film's relatively low CinemaScore, speculating the unexpected cliffhanger ending and hard-R violence may have turned off some audiences. The hosts delve into the production, noting it quickly moved from development to filming in 2024. They analyze Ray Fiennes' role, subverting expectations by playing a benevolent doctor who runs a memorial "temple of skulls." A memorable, emotionally resonant moment involves Fiennes' character cleaning the mother's skull for the memorial. The episode ends by setting up the sequel, "The Bone Temple," directed by Nia DaCosta and featuring Cillian Murphy more prominently. The tone is conversational and analytical, blending box office speculation with film criticism and spoiler-heavy plot discussion. Fans of Danny Boyle, Alex Garland, and thoughtful genre filmmaking will love this deep dive. Listeners seeking a non-spoiler review or who are sensitive to graphic horror details might want to skip.

As heard by us

A sequel talk that lets the camera choice do some of the storytelling.

Mad About Movies spends its time on 28 Years Later, and the conversation stays easy to follow even when it wanders into side remarks and title jokes.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

You want the 28 Years Later return framed by the original's scrappy filmmaking.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from Mad About Movies