After Watching A New 28 Years Later Scene, I Need To Explain Why I'm Very Worried About Aaron Taylor-Johnson's Character

Yahoo

23-05-2025

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Friends, we're officially in the endgame for 28 Years Later, as we're slightly under that same number of days until the film debuts. With this being one of the most hotly anticipated 2025 movie schedule offerings, director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland have reunited to bring us back to the Infected UK - with some brand new wrinkles promised as complications.
But sometimes the more things change, the more they stay the same. And thanks to a new scene that expands on what we know about 28 Years Later, I feel comfortably horrified for Aaron Taylor-Johnson's Jamie.
I really wish 28 Days Later wasn't only in theaters for one night, as returning to the exact theater I saw it at in 2003 was pure nostalgia. Also, I wish everyone could see the content of this exclusive scene I'm about to dive into. The broad strokes reason for that desire is that I'm convinced this slice of post-apocalyptic life was the perfect tease for die hard fans of one of the best 2000s movies.
The brief moment reintroduces us to a scene shown in 28 Years Later's first trailer. As father Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) takes his son Spike (Alfie Williams) on a hunting trip, they come across an abandoned house with a hanging Infected. Jamie wants his son to kill this creature, as means to teach this important lesson:
The more you kill, the easier it gets.
In this one scene, 28 Days Later's themes of father figures navigating the apocalypse, as well as killing for survival, are present. Much like Cillian Murphy's Jim, our young lead in 28 Years Later is being taught how to sharpen his instincts to kill a threat in a heartbeat. This only further convinces me that this father figure play is alluding to Aaron Taylor-Johnson potentially biting it early on in this planned trilogy.
Rewatching 28 Days Later, I really locked into the moments between Jim and his two father figures - lovable cabbie Frank (Brendan Gleeson) and the secretly sinister Major Henry West (Christopher Eccleston.) Both of these characters have differing viewpoints on how to survive, with Frank embracing cooperation and the Major fully taking charge.
More importantly, they both die through the events of the first picture - which doesn't exactly spell a happy analogue for Jamie. It also doesn't help that most of 28 Years Later's marketing seems to show off mother Isla (Jodie Comer) and the mysterious Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes).
The latter man also feels poised to be an on-screen mentor to Alfie Williams, as we see him drop this piece of knowledge in the most recent trailer for the upcoming horror movie:
There are many kinds of death, and some are better than others.
Since we already know Fiennes' role increases in 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, he's not going anywhere. But again, 28 Days Later shows our hero losing those paternal influences in order to survive in this new world. My guess is that either Spike or Dr. Kelson will have to kill Jamie - which prompts the wisdom shared above. And as an added bonus, I think that Cillian Murphy's Jim might be a third source of inspiration, who may represent the balance between the philosophies of these two men.
Accompanied by a title card that introduces 28 Weeks Later's canon solution, as well as the fact that 'survivors were left to fend for themselves,' the difference in the society Jamie, Spike, and Isla live in are already set. While Danny Boyle and Alex Garland weren't concerned with pinpoint narrative continuity, this latest sneak peek showed us that the overarching themes are still a strong presence - which could require a sacrifice.
If you're as hyped as I am to lock in your tickets for 28 Years Later, June 3rd is the date when domestic audiences can secure their seats for whatever happens next. Which means we can all argue over whether I was right or wrong on June 20th, as that's the theatrical release date for this picture, which is conveniently the weekend after Father's Day.