If nothing else, Danny Boyle thrives on wild swings. With 28 Years Later, a follow-up to his seminal 28 Days Later, he cranks up the chaos and turns away from straightforward horror to deliver one of the weirdest, most polarizing studio films in recent memory. Not everything lands, but in today’s risk-averse cinematic landscape, its boldness feels worth celebrating.

The film picks up nearly three decades after the initial outbreak of the Rage Virus. Alex Garland’s script centres on a family living on a small island off a now-quarantined Britain. Young Spike (Alfie Williams) sets out with his ailing mother Isla (Jodie Comer) in search of the elusive Dr. Kelson, hoping to save her before it’s too late. Their journey through the infected mainland becomes the film’s emotional and narrative spine.

Shot largely on iPhone, Boyle returns to the raw, lo-fi aesthetic of the original, but pushes it to the brink. From jarring bullet-time kills to red-hued dream sequences and archival footage of British warfare, 28 Years Later is stylistically unhinged. It’s daring, messy, and often incoherent—but rarely boring.

Boyle’s refusal to play it safe results in a tonal tug-of-war. One moment it’s heartfelt acoustic ballads, the next it’s anarchic punk. The film veers between poignant and juvenile, its frenetic energy both a feature and a flaw. Structurally, it’s uneven—often stalling out during island interludes and repetitive landscape shots, only to lurch back into motion with another high-intensity set piece.

What holds it together is a handful of compelling performances. Ralph Fiennes, in particular, stands out as a blowdart-wielding eccentric with surprising emotional depth, anchoring the film’s more introspective themes about grief and remembrance. Even as the film revels in hyper-violence—courtesy of hulking “Alpha” zombies—it clings to a deeper emotional core.

28 Years Later ends abruptly, clearly setting up the next instalment (The Bone Temple, directed by Nia DaCosta). But for all its flaws, Boyle’s latest is a rare studio film that dares to alienate, provoke, and self-sabotage. Whether you love it or hate it, you won’t forget it.

28 Years Later is in theatres June 20.