5 unanswered questions after watching ‘28 Years Later’

28 Years Later took fans back into a grim reality where people are cut off from the rest of the world after a rage virus outbreak. Set almost three decades after the events of 28 Weeks Later, the post-apocalyptic horror film zooms in on the lives of Jamie, his ailing wife Isla, and their son Spike, living on a self-contained island away from the mainland.

Directed by Danny Boyle, it adds another piece to the vast universe that the 28 franchise has established. But with the introduction of new characters, further evolution of the infected, and that out-of-body cliffhanger ending, fans have questions before the sequel (the movie is a standalone sequel to 28 Days Later and is the first of an upcoming trilogy), 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, releases.

Disclaimer: All opinions in this article belong to the writer. Spoilers for the movie ahead.

Unanswered questions after 28 Years Later: What can fans expect from the sequel?

1) Will Jamie and Spike reunite?

Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Alfie Williams play the father-son duo (Image via YouTube/Sony Pictures Entertainment)

After Spike sees his father, Jamie, commit infidelity, he decides to abandon his father and leave for the mainland with his mother, Isla, in search of Dr. Kelson and a cure for her illness. They encounter a sole-surviving Swedish NATO soldier named Erik and almost die before Kelson saves them.

Spike returns to Lindisfarne after experiencing horrors and witnessing an infected giving birth to an uninfected baby. He leaves the baby at their gates before journeying to the mainland again, missing Jamie by a few minutes. Jamie's anguish at missing Spike and the rising tide stopping him from chasing after him makes it obvious that the sequel, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, will focus on their reunion. But will it be possible before it's too late?

2) What does the evolution of the infected mean for the world?

The infected can give birth to uninfected offspring (Image via YouTube/Sony Pictures Entertainment)

In 28 Years Later, Danny Boyle turns the zombie movie clichés on their head and offers a different perspective: What happens when the rage virus-infected zombies have been around for decades? Do they change and adapt to their conditions so that they can survive longer? Enter "Alphas," the more evolved zombies that Jamie and Spike, and later Spike and Kelson, encounter.

It appears that the zombies are more emotionally intelligent and receptive to communication. They are also more restrained, which fans can see in the way the Alpha leader, Berserker, stops himself from rabidly chasing after Jamie and Spike. They can give birth to uninfected offspring, which completely changes the landscape of 28 Years Later. They also suggest the existence of other kinds of mutant rage virus variants, which can expand the franchise's lore significantly.

These advancements in their existence significantly change their presence as just raging killers and make them more formidable enemies.

3) Where did Dr. Ian Kelson go?

Ian Kelson builds a temple of bones to honor the dead (Image via YouTube/Sony Pictures Entertainment)

Dr. Ian Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) has survived alone for decades, creating a "memento mori," a sanctuary of sterilized skulls belonging to those who died because of the zombies. Everyone fears him for his ritualistic practices, but Spike strikes up a relationship with him, even adding Isla's skull to the bone temple after she is euthanized to escape her cancer diagnosis.

In the end, Kelson nudges Spike to return with the uninfected baby to Lindisfarne, but that's the last fans see of him. What is his origin story? What does his future look like in the 28 Years Later franchise? Would Jamie come across him and his bone temple on his quest to find his son and change his mind about the man he thinks isn't of a sane mind?

4) What does Spike's future look like with Jimmy Crystal's introduction?

Young Jimmy before the zombies attack (Image via YouTube/Sony Pictures Entertainment)

Jimmy O'Connell saunters into the final scene of 28 Years Later in what appears to be one of the campiest tonal shifts the franchise has ever seen. He is revealed to be Sir Jimmy Crystal, the young boy whose life was torn apart by the rage virus-infected zombies while he was watching Teletubbies at the beginning of the movie.

His adult self is accompanied by a bunch of his people, called "Jimmies," who are all dressed in tacky outfits, sporting blond wigs, and combating having their childhoods taken away from them by holding on to childlike motifs in their appearance. They rescue Spike from the Alphas, which suggests that he might become a part of their cult-like group. What does the future hold for him? Is Jimmy a friend or a foe? How did the young Jimmy become this man?

5) What's happening in the rest of the world?

Edvin Ryding plays Erik (Image via YouTube/Sony Pictures Entertainment)

There are small hints throughout 28 Years Later that suggest that the world has moved on and is living a regular life. For starters, the opening credits show that the virus outbreak reaching Paris at the end of 28 Weeks Later was eradicated and contained to the United Kingdom.

Further, Erik's introduction and his tales about his life back home suggest that things are business as usual with the rest of the world. He shows off his smartphone and claims that it won't be of use within the UK, suggesting that the mainland is still cut off from the rest of the world.

While these are only hints, the bigger question remains: What happens to the rest of the world after the events of 28 Years Later? Will the evolution of the infected make it possible for them to break the confines of the UK and take over the world? And how is the rest of the world quarantining the UK with 100% certainty, and is there a possibility for escape?

The sequel, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, is scheduled for release in January 2026. Until then, fans wait eagerly to see how the setup and the cliffhanger pay off.

Edited by Somava