“28 Years Later” Trailer Review: Does It Live Up to the Hype?

The first look at 28 Years Later arrives with a trailer that mixes quiet moments and sudden shocks. It opens with children watching Teletubbies, then cuts to a dark world haunted by the Rage virus. The voice-over—a 1915 recording of Rudyard Kipling’s poem “Boots”—sets an already strange and tense mood. In this review, we explore plot hints, character development, cinematography, and setting.

Expansion Of The Storyline

The film is set in 28 years after the virus outbreak. A group of survivors now lives on an island, separated from the mainland by a heavily guarded causeway. When a father and his son leave for the mainland, they encounter new horrors. They find smarter infected hunting in packs, distrustful survivor groups, unsettling truths about life beyond the fence. From the trailer, we catch quick glimpses—a boy learning survival skills, armed men guarding walls, and scenes hinting at shadowy scenes suggesting. While the trailer doesn’t reveal full plot details…but it shows that the it aims to examine the human condition in a world gone dark.

Meeting the Characters

We’re introduced to Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and his son Spike (Alfie Williams) as they step into danger. The trailer shows Jamie teaching the boy to be cautious yet brave. We also glimpse Isla (Jodie Comer) and other characters like a possible cult leader (Jack O’Connell) and Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes). From brief scenes, each character appears to carry emotional scars. The trailer teases inner conflicts – fear of loss, hope for a future, and moral tests when survivors clash. Even in short moments, these glimpses suggest that the film will allow its characters to evolve under pressure.

Danny Boyle reunites with cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle, using a mix of cameras—including iPhones—for a raw, immediate feel. The trailer shows stark images: empty roads, towering fences, skull-stacked towers, burning graves, and misty forests. The use of close-ups and sudden cuts builds tension. The colour palette stays muted, punctuated by sharp flashes of red—blood, warning signs, danger. The lighting feels natural in many scenes: a soft sunset glow in one, flickering firelight in another. These choices create a world that feels both authentic and unsettling.

Setting Of The Movie

We glimpse a Britain reshaped by collapse: ruined buildings, wild fields, makeshift forts. The island refuge appears calm yet claustrophobic. The mainland seems more dangerous, with brutal weather, overgrown towns, and fragmented societies. The setting taps into real-world anxieties—disease, isolation, group conflicts. The trailer hints at varied locations: forests, fields, empty cities, fences under grey skies. This variety suggests a film that shifts in tone and tension.

Why You Shouldn’t Miss It

From what the trailer shows, 28 Years Later seems set to mix emotion and horror. It keeps the tense tone of the original while adding new features: smarter infected, complex survivors, and moral choices. Using the poem over the images is a bold choice. The characters seem ready to face real challenges beyond just running and fighting. Of course, a trailer can’t show everything the movie has to offer. But the hints of family bonds, human conflicts, and haunting visuals make me hopeful. If the movie balances scares with deeper questions, it could truly live up to the hype. For viewers who enjoy horror that makes them think, 28 Years Later looks like one to watch when it hits cinemas on June 20, 2025.