The third installment of the iconic zombie-horror franchise, 28 Years Later, picks up nearly three decades after the events of 28 Weeks Later. The Rage Virus has decimated much of Europe and parts of the world. However, some cities and countries have managed to isolate and protect themselves, creating zones of relative safety. But the virus isn’t truly gone—it has merely been contained, waiting for an opportunity to strike again.
Cillian Murphy returns as Jim, the original survivor from 28 Days Later. Now a hardened, grizzled man in his fifties, Jim has been living in a fortified sanctuary in Ireland, where small pockets of humanity have rebuilt their lives. Haunted by his past, he stays mostly isolated, a shadow of the man he once was, trying to forget the horrors he witnessed years ago. The world outside his small enclave, however, is far from at peace.
Aaron Taylor-Johnson stars as Max, a rogue mercenary from one of the remaining militarized zones in Eastern Europe. He has grown up in a world where survival is brutal, and alliances are fleeting. Tasked with escorting a mysterious scientist to Ireland, Max believes the scientist holds the key to a potential cure that can eliminate the Rage Virus for good. However, they are not the only ones interested in the cure. Rival factions, including militant survivors and remnants of infected human cults who worship the virus, are hunting them down.
Jim is drawn back into the nightmare when he meets Max and the scientist at a remote Irish outpost. Reluctantly, he agrees to help, but his traumatic memories from London’s destruction have left him scarred and distrustful of others. The trio must navigate a series of deadly encounters, both with the infected and hostile human groups, as they race to reach a hidden laboratory in the mountains, where the scientist’s research can be completed.
As the journey progresses, it becomes clear that not all is as it seems with the supposed “cure.” The infected have also evolved, and they are now smarter, faster, and even more terrifying than before. In the film’s climactic final act, Jim and Max must confront the reality that the greatest threat to humanity might not be the virus but the desperate lengths people are willing to go to survive.
Will Jim and Max make it to the lab in time, or is the world too far gone to be saved?
