10 important details from ‘28 Days Later’ to remember before watching ‘28 Years Later’

28 Years Later is the newest addition to the 28 Days Later film franchise. It introduces fresh characters, led by a father-son duo, almost three decades into a post-apocalyptic world that survived the Rage Virus. Heavily protected, isolated, and barely surviving, their lives take a 180-degree turn when they leave their home for the Mainland and run into horrors beyond their imagination.

A standalone addition to the 28 universe, the movie promises to add another piece to the complicated survival puzzle. How has humanity fared years after the virus destroyed the world as they know it? Have they found a way to co-exist with it? What are the survivors like? These questions are answered through slick action sequences, heavy jump scares, and intricate prosthetic makeup.

As fans gear up to watch 28 Years Later, here's a list of important details to remember about the original movie in the franchise.

Disclaimer: All opinions in this article belong to the writer.

What should fans remember before watching 28 Years Later?

1) The virus broke out because of animal rights protestors

At the beginning of 28 Days Later, a group of animal rights activists and protestors break into the lab at Cambridge University and release the chimpanzees being used there for scientific studies. They do this despite the scientists' warning them that the animals might be infected with something called the "Rage Virus".

A chimpanzee attacks one of the activists, who becomes patient zero. Filled with rage, she attacks others, and further on, until the entirety of Britain is infected by the zombification of the Rage Virus. This is an important titbit for fans to remember before they watch 28 Years Later.

2) The Virus was named based on human beings' reaction to it

One of the most important indicators that the Rage Virus has affected a human being is their change in personality. Unlike other zombie media, where zombies are mostly mute but strong creatures, the ones in 28 Days Later become hostile and aggressive.

This isn't a later development. From the minute the chimpanzee is released, it attacks the animal rights activist with an intensity and rage that is deeply disturbing. This is where the virus gets touted as the "Rage Virus", and every person affected by it exhibits similar qualities. The trailer of 28 Years Later also promises more uncontrolled rage from the infected.

3) The Rage Virus took out most of the British Mainland within a few weeks

The protagonist, Jim (Cillian Murphy), wakes up from a coma 28 days after the virus outbreak and drags himself onto the streets of London. There, he finds no signs of human life. This shows that although it has been less than a month since the outbreak, it has spread fast and widely, covering most of Britain.

Jim later learns that the world took the cruel but logical decision of shutting out the Mainland, effectively quarantining it within itself after the initial mass evacuation. It was then a game of survival of the fittest, and whatever happened to them was purely up to fate and chance. This isolation seems to continue in 28 Years Later.

4) The virus spreads through bites and fluids

As is customary in a post-apocalypse movie, most infected turn the non-infected through a bite. In 28 Days Later, Jim witnesses Mark get wounded by a zombie bite, but before he can turn fully, his companion Selena kills him. Though it sounds simple enough, the movie adds another layer to this mechanism.

Open wounds, infections, and blood transfer are important indicators of the Rage Virus spreading to a non-infected individual. Blood is one of the biggest indicators of the transfer, and even a single drop will do the deed. This makes the virus more dangerous in the grand scheme of things, leading up to 28 Years Later.

5) Humans turn within seconds

Yes, a drop of blood is enough to turn a human, but what makes it worse is how quickly they turn after being infected by the Rage Virus in 28 Days Later. This explains Selena's killing of Mark, or Frank getting gunned down by soldiers seconds after a drop of infected blood goes into his eye.

This is one of the very few zombie movies that do bank on the dramatics of a human turning into a zombie, making it more heartbreaking for fans. Once someone's infected, they're done for. No two questions about it. What does that mean for 28 Years Later?

6) Very few survivors remained in 28 Days Later

By the end of the movie, most of the crew Jim traveled with aren't alive. He, along with Selena and Hannah, is finally spotted flagging down a British jet, hoping it spots them and their huge banner that says "Hello!". The ending is one of the bleakest, because the jet doesn't spot them, and the trio are left wondering what if.

While there are possibly other survivors as fans see in the standalone sequel 28 Weeks Later, the isolation and scant remnants of human life in 28 Days Later continue into the premise of 28 Years Later. What does this mean for humanity? Fans have to wait and find out.

7) The infected showcase brute strength and stealth

28 Days Later takes the slow and creepy zombie stereotype and flips it on its head. The zombies in this movie are fast, brutally strong, and stealthy to boot, making them more dangerous than the typical cannibalistic hunter.

Fans can also see this in the 28 Years Later trailer, where different kinds of zombies run at supersonic speeds, sport washboard abs, and easily sneak up on trained soldiers.

8) Cillian Murphy's character was alive by the end of 28 Days Later

Cillian Murphy took on the role of Executive Producer of 28 Years Later, which begs the question: Will he make an appearance in the newest addition to the Rage Virus universe? By the end of the 2002 zombie movie, he is seen recovering in a remote cottage after the events of the movie almost killed him.

This is a fun fact for fans to remember heading into the new movie. With the father-son duo exploring areas beyond their isolated island, can they run into survivors from the previous editions?

9) Humans can carry the virus and not know it

In 28 Weeks Later, the British Mainland sees a second outbreak of the virus because unbeknownst to Alice, she was an asymptomatic carrier of it. This mimics real-world viral outbreaks, making the second wave disturbing and heartbreaking for fans. Once she kisses Don, he becomes a carrier, going on a rampage and killing people, including Alice.

While the asymptomatic carriers might be the cure to the virus in the movie, the trailer to 28 Years Later suggests that a cure might not have been found yet. What might have happened to the other asymptomatic carriers?

10) The infected can apparently live for a long time

The 28 Years Later trailer throws fans right into the heart of things almost three decades after Jim's story. While humans have found a way to exist in isolation and under heavy protection, they quickly realize that the Rage Virus-infected zombies have not gone away and are still alive and kicking.

This means that they survived countless attempts at being vanquished and might have evolved or become more sinister versions of themselves. Fans wait with bated breath to find out more.

28 Years Later is coming to the theatres on June 20, 2025.

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