28 Days Later, movie for the 28 Days Later series (2002) - Film review by Kadmon

28 Days Later, movie for the 28 Days Later series (2002) - Watch trailer 1 [Nexus edit] on YouTube
Watch trailer 1 [Nexus edit] in: English - German
Watch trailer 1 in: English - German
video © DNA Films (Sony)

Article updated: 2026.01.19

The 28 Days Later (2002) is a post-apocalyptic survival horror film. The movie was reviewed by Kadmon.

Product: 28 Days Later, movie for the 28 Days Later series (2002)

Original title: 28 Days Later

Series: 28 Days Later series

Previous entries in the series: -

Sequels: 28 Weeks Later (2007), 28 Years Later (2025), 28 Years Later 2: The Bone Temple (2026)

Setting: contemporary alternate / fantasy Earth

Product type: Film, ca. 2 hours, Genre: post-apocalyptic survival horror, Features: action, drama, fantasy - contemporary fantasy, horror - survival horror, post-apocalyptic, creature - zombie - mindless infected, Style: handheld camera

Release: Premiere: 2002.10.16 (London), Release: 2002.11.01

Watched: years ago (2003?), multiple times since then

Rating: Good (2+ out of 3 points), Enjoyment: Good (2+ out of 3 points)

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This is my review of 28 Days Later, a post-apocalyptic survival horror movie for the 28 Days Later series from 2002. It's about a guy waking up to a zombie apocalypse. The 28 Days Later film is interesting, I recommend it to fans of the genre.

28 Days Later, movie for the 28 Days Later series (2002)
image © DNA Films (Sony)

"Four weeks after a mysterious, incurable virus spreads throughout the UK, a handful of survivors try to find sanctuary."

"Waking from a coma in a deserted London hospital 28 days later, bicycle courier Jim (Cillian Murphy) takes to the deserted city streets in a state of mystified confusion. Joining forces with another group of survivors following a terrifying encounter in a seemingly abandoned church, Jim soon learns the truth behind the deserted streets and the menacing creatures that lurk in the shadows. It's soon revealed that the chimpanzees had been harboring a deadly virus that sends its victims into a furious, murderous rage, and in the days following the initial exposure, the entire population was nearly wiped out due to the resulting homicidal rampage. Is there still a glimmer of hope for humanity -- or has the deadly "rage" virus found its way to foreign shores and infected the entire planet?"

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Review (spoiler-free) - 28 Days Later, movie (2002)

I can't remember how I've found this movie, but I do remember that I was glad I did.

The 28 Days Later movie is about a guy waking up from a coma to find London completely deserted. He tries to find answers, survivors, and a safe place in a world overrun by raging infected.

The story (by Alex Garland) is good enough. The pacing is mostly consistent. There are no character arcs. There are no logical problems.

The cinematography is great. The scenes are visually interesting. The visuals elevate the emotional impact of the story. It gives a good balance of horror and beauty.

The characters are are not properly developed. They are not established, we don't even get to learn their full names. The actors portraying them were good.

The music (by John Murphy) is great, it really sets the mood of the movie. It can create dread, or add light-hearted moments.

28 Days Later is an interesting post-apocalyptic survival horror, I think fans of the genre will enjoy it.

My experience

I was satisfied with 28 Days Later (2002). I happen to like stories with well-thought, logical plots, and 28 Days Later delivered just that. Although the second half of the story started to slip, the quality of the rest of the movie compensated for this. This became one of my favourites of zombie movies.

Rating: Good (2+ out of 3 points). 28 Days Later is a well-made film.

Enjoyment: Good (2+ out of 3 points). 28 Days Later is interesting, I liked it. If the second half were just a little bit better, I would have rated it Great (3 out of 3 points).

Rewatchability: Average. If you liked the movie, it's probably for the mood and visuals.

Chance of watching it again: There's a chance. I might watch it in the right circumstances.

Chance of watching a sequel: High. I've watch the series so far.

28 Days Later, movie for the 28 Days Later series (2002)
image © DNA Films (Sony)

Will you enjoy this?

You might enjoy the 28 Days Later film, if 

• you like action horror, or action thriller movies.
• you like survival horror, or survival thriller movies.
• you like zombie movies.

If you like 28 Weeks Later (2007), or 28 Years Later (2025), you might be interested in the first movie.

You probably won't enjoy the 28 Days Later movie, if

• you need strong character arcs.
• you require comedic moments in your movies.
• you hate zombie movies.
• you hate depiction of violence.

Do you need to see the sequel films to enjoy this?

This is the best movie in the series so far, and those movies are unrelated to this storyline, only sharing the setting.

Watching for plot points

If you are interested in zombie movies or modern horror stories, I think it's worth watching the 28 Days Later movie for the plot points, and setting up a good story.

Should you watch this on your own screen at home, or is it worth going to the cinema?

The visuals definitely look better if you watch it in cinema, or at least on a large screen.

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28 Days Later, movie for the 28 Days Later series (2002)
image © DNA Films (Sony)

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Review with spoilers - 28 Days Later, movie (2002)

I liked the 28 Days Later movie.

Cover

The cover of the movie is good, it doesn't say much, it doesn't spoil the story, and it sets up the mood of the movie.

The trailer

The trailer is fine, although it spoils some minor parts of the movie.

Promise of the first scene

A couple of people break into a laboratory, and free a chimpanzee scientists have experimented on. The animal attacks them, turning into zombies. As I know it's a zombie movie, I assume this will lead to a zombie epidemic, although this is not something I would call a promise.

Execution: We had that zombie that apocalypse, but as there was no proper promise, it couldn't have been fulfilled.

28 Days Later, movie for the 28 Days Later series (2002)
image © DNA Films (Sony)

Plot summary / Synopsis

We see animal rights activists breaking into a lab to free chimpanzees kept for experiments. It turns out that the animals were infected, and attack instantly. The activists get infected by a rage virus, attacking other people.

28 days later: A guy (Cillian Murphy as Jim) wakes up from a coma in a deserted hospital. He wanders the empty streets of London, trying to find others. He is found by the infected, who start to chase him.

He is rescued by a man (Noah Huntley as Mark) and a woman (Naomie Harris as Selena), who kill the infected. After they bring the guy to their shelter, they explain it to him that an infection turned the people into mindless killers, causing the collapse of society. They haven't seen any other survivors in London for a week. The guy wants to visit his home, so they set off, but find his parents dead. Some infected attack them, and during the fight, the man was wounded. Fearing that he might be infected, the woman kills him.

They meet an older guy (Brendan Gleeson as Frank) and his teenage daughter (Megan Burns as Hannah). The older guy found a transmission, about a military outpost near Manchester having found solution to the infection. The group agrees to follow his lead, and they travel toward the safe zone.

When they arrive at the military outpost, they find it deserted, having been overrun by the infected. They lose hope, and while trying to find out what to do, a crow, that flies away from an infected body, lets a drop of blood fall into the eye of the older guy, infecting him. As he tries to attack the group, he gets shot by soldiers.

The soldiers welcome the group. They learn that the infection was contained, and Britain is under quarantine. They also keep an infected soldier to find it out how long does it take for an infected to starve to death. When the newcomers find it out that the soldiers wish to use the females of the group as means of repopulating the world, the guy refuses to accept this, leading to violence. The guy escapes, than uses the infected soldier as a distraction to rescue the woman and the girl. They escape.from the outpost, as the infected kill the soldiers, but the guy gets shot.

They find a hospital, and treat his wounds.

28 days later: We see them living in a cottage in the country. They've made a giant HELLO sign, so a jet flying over the waving group notices them.

The setting

Set in a contemporary alternate or fantasy Earth, where scientists invented the Rage virus.

The virus got out in Cambridge, due to activists releasing an infected chimpanzee. Britain quickly fell after the outbreak, but they managed to quarantine the infection at the British Isles. After the first month, there were probably no survivors left in London.

The Rage virus

The Rage virus was experimented on, and probably developed, in England. It affects humans and chimpanzees, and probably other apes, but it doesn't seem to infect birds.

A single drop of infected blood, or getting bitten by an infected is able to transmit the disease. It takes about 20 seconds after exposure to change into an infected. They suffer spasms all over their body before they start attacking nearby people. The infection causes their eyes to turn red, and they start to bleed from their eyes and mouth. They don't seem to care about self preservation, they don't defend against attacks, and seemingly starve to death after a while.

Plot points of interests

Characters

Frank: A survivor Jim met. The father of Hannah. He got infected, so soldiers killed him.

Hannah: A survivor Jim met. The daughter of Frank.

Major Henry West: The leading officer of the military outpost. He wants to create a safe haven for his soldiers. After getting into conflict with Jim's group, he got killed by an infected soldier.

Jim: A courier, who fell into a come due to an accident. He wakes up to a zombie apocalypse 28 days later.

Mark: A survivor Jim met. He got wounded during a fight with the infected, so Selena killed him, fearing that he might have been also infected.

Selena: A survivor Jim met. She tries to keep herself emotionally distant from others.

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28 Days Later, movie for the 28 Days Later series (2002)
image © DNA Films (Sony)

Analysis of the story - 28 Days Later, movie (2002)

I mostly liked the story, I didn't find problems that would have prevented me from enjoying 28 Days Later.

The message of the story

I'm not sure there's one. "Always wear protection near the infected"? There are a couple of ideas raised in the movie, but none of them got proper focus.

The structure of the story

The scenes of the 28 Days Later film are played in sequence, following the same storyline.

There's no single viewpoint character, but most of the story is told through Jim's point of view.

It has mostly the usual arc of the dramatic structure - introduction of setting, introduction of protagonist, action, resolution.

References

Scenes and elements from previous works:

The Day of the Triffids (1963)

• Unrelated beginning: Both movies begin with establishing the premise of the plot, without the main character.
• A patient waking up in the hospital to find an unfamiliar environment: Bill had an eye operation to find the rest of human being blinded, while Jim woke up from a coma to find a zombie apocalypse.
• There are dangerous creatures, preying on the survivors: The triffids in that movie, and the infected in 28 Days Later.
• After the collapse: We see how the characters adapt to the changes, instead of trying to survive the initial breakout.

Dawn of the Dead (1978)

• Shopping scene: There is a light-hearted scene as the characters get supplies. It happens in the mall in Dawn of the Dead, and in the grocery store in 28 Days Later.
• Infected children
• After the collapse: We see how the characters adapt to the changes, instead of trying to survive the initial breakout.

Day of the Dead (1985)

• A military outpost, after the zombie outbreak wiped out the civilisation.
• A chained up infected being studied. He gets free to wreak havoc.
• The soldiers are harassing females.
• After the collapse: We see how the characters adapt to the changes, instead of trying to survive the initial breakout.

Things I liked

• The imagery of the empty streets of London was especially stunning at the time, as they didn't have digital tools to cover up the shots. I feel those scenes are still effective.
• They explain the origin of the zombies, instead of leaving it unanswered.
• The creation of the zombies is grounded in reality with the introduction of the rage virus, instead of the generic supernatural angle that I usually dislike.

Problematic elements

Not establishing the characters: We don't get to know the group, and we only get some very basic information even about the main character. Mark tells some events, but this was probably done to make us like him better, before killing him in the next scene.

No character arcs: The events just happen to the protagonists, and then the story ends, without providing a character arc.

No clear social commentary: While I admit there are many scenes with a social commentary, the creators didn't get a single one validated all through the movie. It would have been better to see one of the messages conveyed in multiple scenes, from various angles.

Out of coma: It is unlikely that Jim is able to just sit up and walk after waking from a coma. Even if he got extensive physical therapy, he might get if he were some famous athlete, it would take him more time.

I also consider it part of the artistic licence that after waking up, he immediately pulls the IV needles out, instead of waiting for medical assistance for a longer time, to help him.

Jim's escape: It's very hard to climb over a wall with barbed wire, when your hands are tied. I would have preferred if they had just skipped how he got away.

Breaking in: As Nathan Sharp notes, in the beginning of the movie, it is remarkably easy for the eco-terrorists to break in. I don't feel it's a serious problem, especially as it's the beginning, and we won't come back to this scene. But it's true that the execution of the scene was slightly low budget, compared to the importance of the facility and the activists' mission. I assume it can be attributed to artistic licence that they've used the equipment they had. They could have used more close-up shots to hide the environment, and use dialogue to explain these shortcomings.

The streets of London: The streets looked abandoned. There were no signs of fighting, no blood, no bodies. Jim walked for a long time, without getting an idea of what happened. If he would have seen such signs, he would have been a lot more cautious. We don't get any explanations, how were these streets cleaned up after the apocalyptic events. I could chalk it up to artistic licence, as they didn't have the resources to recreate such scenes on a proper scale, but the lack of carnage had an effect on Jim.

Unanswered questions

• Who cleaned up the streets of London?
• Will Jim's group get rescued?

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Possibilities of improvement

Not establishing the characters: Add some dialogue about the background of the characters to provide some depth.

No character arcs: Add a character arc about how Jim learns to use violence. The final confrontation ends with Jim gauging eyes out. Use this as the final point for Jim. Add dialogue, when Mark gets infected, as Selena commands him to kill Mark, and then later, when Jim explains he was unable to. Add a similar exchange after Frank gets infected. This would show us that violence is a normal behaviour for Jim.

Out of coma: Add dialogue, when Jim explains to Mark and Selena how it took him some time to get out of his room, to find some food in the hospital.

The streets of London: Add dialogue, when Jim is talking to Mark and Selena, when they tell him that after the first days, the government managed to create order, that allowed them to clean up the streets, and organise the evacuation of the city area, before they fell under further outbreaks that forced the rest of the survivors to stay.

Breaking in: Add dialogue, explaining how the eco-terrorists prepared for the mission, and how were they able to overcome the security.

Jim's escape: Cut the scene when he climbs the wall.

How it could have been better?

Character arcs: Provide character arcs for the characters. For example, Jim learning how to fight for himself, Selena learning how to trust people, Frank learning how to let his daughter go, and Hannah learning how to trust herself. Including these in the story would have provided a proper closure when the movie ended.

Breaking in: Add elements of how they managed to overcome the security. Show us devices used to get in, show us restrained security personnel. Also, use a location that looks like it's a proper research facility, and the workers should wear protective gear. Or add some explanation why they don't have such security measures - for example, they were just doing some psychological research with animals, when they've received a chimpanzee infected with a virus, that acted strangely, and they've continued to work on that, until they've created a deadly pathogen.

Out of coma: Add elements that imply that Jim was cared for until recently.

No clear social commentary: Choose one of the elements, weave it into the plot, all the way to the end of the movie, and include it in the climax. You can include more than one in the story, but make sure that all of them get enough screen-time.

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How does it compare to the other works of the creators?

I have seen plenty of works of the writer (Alex Garland). The The Beach (2000), Sunshine (2007), Never Let Me Go (2010), and Dredd (2012) were good, just like this movie. 28 Years Later (2025) was acceptable, but slightly weaker, and I consider Ex Machina (2014) a less enjoyable movie.

I have seen many movies from the director (Danny Boyle), and I liked all of them. I feel that most of his works were just as fine as 28 Days Later. 28 Years Later (2025) was not as strong as the rest of his works.

How does it compare to the other films in the series?

28 Weeks Later (2007), the sequel, uses a larger cast of characters, in a more organised environment. The ending expands the infection to mainland Europe, although the third movie backtracks on this. Even though they dedicate a substantial time to establish the main characters, the story is less engaging than 28 Days Later.

28 Years Later (2025), the third movie, was created by the same team. It is closer to the themes of 28 Days Later than 28 Weeks Later were. The story is less engaging than 28 Days Later.

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Behind the scenes

The movie was shot on digital video to provide a raw, documentary feel.

Cultural impact

Resurrected zombie movies: This movie gave a new rise to zombie movies, as Dawn of the Dead (2004), and Shaun of the Dead (2004) continued the trend. It probably helped the The Walking Dead (2003) graphic novels gaining traction, leading to the The Walking Dead TV series in 2010; and the The Zombie Survival Guide (2003) book, leading to the World War Z (2013) movie.

Gave us fast zombies: 28 Days Later popularised fast zombies. Although they already existed in movies like Nightmare City (1980), they appeared more frequently after 2002; like in Dawn of the Dead (2004), in World War Z (2013), or in Train to Busan (2016).

Inspired rage zombies: It created the genre of rage infected zombies, as seen in The Crazies (2010), World War Z (2013), Train to Busan (2016), or in The Sadness (2021).

Thoughts about the reviews of others

Some say that the digital video the movie was filmed on, looks dated for current viewers. As I've first watched the movie more than 20 years ago, it's hard for me to judge this aspect.

I feel that there are some people, who try to find mistakes, even when there are none.

Problems based on assumptions: They have assumptions, even though we don't see any evidence that would prove them.

• The infected surviving: They say that given that we don't see them drinking and eating, they would either die of thirst, or starvation. However, we only see a couple of them, and only for a few minutes. We have no idea, whether they are spending the rest of their time eating and drinking. The ones we see, are the ones who are alive. They might be freshly infected.
• The infected not attacking among themselves: They say that the infected would attack each other, as they are attracted to movements, not the living, as undead zombies. However, we only see the attacking infected when they are attracted by the protagonists. For all we know, they could have been lying, being hidden from each other, and all of them emerged when the protagonist raised their interest. When the protagonists managed to escape, the infected might have turned on each other.
• The spreading of the infection: They say that due to the extremely short incubation time of the virus, it's unplausible that it would reach remote parts of Britain. However, we have no idea of the actual incubation times, so there might be cases when the immune system suppresses the effect for longer, so infected people could get inside a healthy population. We also have no idea of the capabilities of the infected, so they might reach remote area by walking there. We only see a couple of infected, and hear some theories by people who are not scientists.
• Breaking in: They say a proper science facility would have higher security, so the eco-terrorist couldn't have broken in. However, we see in the movie they did. As far as we know it, they could have prepared for it for a long time, they could have had insiders who helped them, or they could have used some kind of diversion to get inside. As we see it, they managed to get inside.
• Jim in coma: They say that he would have died if he didn't get an IV regularly. However, we don't know when did his caretakers left the hospital. They could have stayed until a few hours ago, when they decided to leave, and left him a last bag of IV to provide him nourishment.
• Jim on the streets: They say that he would have alerted every infected in the vicinity, who would have attacked him. However, we don't know if there are any infected nearby, who would be able to attack him. As we don't see any, we should assume there aren't any.
• The soldiers not using the radio: They say that it's illogical that they don't try to use their radio to communicate with the outside world. They also criticise that the soldiers seem to treat the situation as something permanent. For all we know, they might have reached someone, because we also learn that Britain is under quarantine. So, they might have used the radio, and came to the conclusion that no help is coming. Also, they might have committed atrocities they might wish to try to avoid the consequences.
• The soldiers not having medical facilities: Although we don't see the dedicated location, I assume they have some way of treating their wounded.
• The soldiers harassing women: They say it's far fetched that people of authority would do such thing only after a month after the collapse of society. I think they don't really understand what people can do, and what people of authority do even before the collapse. As their officer promised the women to them, they might be a little too eager.

Logical acts: They expect characters to act rationally in every situation.

• The animal rescue: The eco-terrorists freeing the animals should not let them loose once a scientist told them they are infected. However, most people act in irrational ways in stressful situations, and many of them are not rational to begin with. To become a terrorist, one has to be unhinged enough to begin that they have to be violent to create a change in the system. Then, when their main goal was to free those animals, one of their enemies tried to persuade them against this. I don't think they would believe his words, and even if they did, they were so pumped up with adrenaline (and maybe other chemicals to encourage them), they most likely didn't care, or would only start to realise the extent of the situation once it was late.
• The shooting of the soldiers: The soldiers should be disciplined enough to use single shots, and not fire blindly. However, we have no idea about their training or experiences. For all we know, this could have been their first mission to deal with real human enemies. This could make them forget all of their training, and as long as they have a weapon between them and their attackers, they will use that, until they run out of ammo.
• The infrastructure of the outpost: They note that there are no farm areas around the mansion. I assume they have enough food for now, and they'll probably start to worry about it when they are about to run out of their supplies. There might be some places to grow food nearby, that we didn't see in the movie. They have survived here for some weeks, and they might be locals, so they could have a knowledge of the area.

Artistic licence: Elements that doesn't look properly, but doesn't have an effect on the plot.

• Serious security in the laboratory: Yes, their is a lack of security, and the place doesn't look like a government facility experimenting with deadly diseases. As they wanted to use an abandoned mansion, I assume they didn't have enough money to create a proper laboratory, so they've used what was available. The other choice would have been to skip this intro entirely, and start with Jim's awakening.
• Lights in the grocery store: Sure, there should have been no interior lights. But then, we wouldn't have that shopping scene, because they wouldn't see where they go, and had to poke about to find anything, and we wouldn't see them doing that. That wouldn't make a scene that would be worth including in the movie.

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28 Days Later, movie for the 28 Days Later series (2002)
image © DNA Films (Sony)

Uses for the film - 28 Days Later, movie (2002)

Plot

• Set in a contemporary setting.
• An epidemic leads to the collapse of society.
• The infected become aggressive and mindless.
• Survivors try to reach a safe place.

Scenes

Breaking in: The scene can be used to depict an animal rights break in gone wrong.

The empty streets of London: This scene can be used for any modern scenario about a deserted city.

Scenario ideas

The facility: There is a safe place, with a dangerous secret.

Deserted settlement: A settlement became empty due to a disaster.

Aggressive population: There are dangerous savages, attacking anyone, without regard for their own safety.

Dangerous infection: There are sick people, carrying a deadly contagion.

A promise of a safe place: During a disaster, there's supposedly a safe place.

Escape from captivity: An antagonist takes captives.

Scenario ideas - Role-playing game scenario ideas

Break in: The team is tasked with breaking into a secret facility.

• They have to free prisoners. / While on a mission, they find it out there are prisoners in the facility.
  • Twist: The prisoners are locked up in the secure vault, because they are infected with a lethal pathogen. Once they are free, they spread the infection. The team might be requested to get back to the facility to get the cure.
  • Twist: The prisoners became mind-wiped, turning them into mindless killers. Once they are free, they attack everyone on sight, even other prisoners.
• They have to retrieve a relic.
  • Twist: The relic has the power to unleash a disaster. Once they touch it, the relic activates. If they get out, they can find information about reversing the powers. In order to do so, they have to get back to the facility, and reach the relic.
    • Twist 2: The team was hired by an evil cult, with the intent of causing a disaster. They try to get rid of the team if they make it out alive.
• Add-on: While the team is in the facility, their tampering accidentally releases an enemy - dangerous prisoners, mutants, killer robots. They have to deal with this enemy, as they try to complete their mission.

Deserted settlement: There's a place the players know, that was busy with people the last time they've seen. Now, suddenly, the streets are empty, there's nobody around. The team might do something to help the population, if they find them, or find the cause of the problem.

The savages: When the team arrives to a place, they are attacked by dangerous savages. They are easy to defeat, but they relentlessly attack them, without regard for their own safety.

• Something makes them act like this. The team has to find a way to stop this.
• If the team has been here before, they might even know these people.

The contagion: When the team arrives to a place, there are sick people, carrying a deadly contagion. They are desperate, and try to get the characters to help them.

Aggressive infected: Both aspects of the above - there are dangerous savages, attacking them, who carry a deadly disease. When they get into a fight with them, there's always a chance of being exposed to the pathogen.

A promise of safe haven: The team is travelling through a disaster area. They catch a word about a potentially safe place. People ask them to help them get there.

• The safe place has dangers around it - creatures, attackers, or just determined people trying to reach the place. The team has to find a way, or fight their way inside.
• The safe place is protected by a barrier, that was designed to keep people out. The team has to get through these defences.

Scenario ideas - Wargame scenario ideas

Escape from the facility: A team of rogues broke into a facility, and released murderous enemies - savage creatures, killer robots, mindless undead. They should be easy to defeat, but they are numerous, and they should provide distraction for both playing force. Set up the playing area, with the at least two exit areas. Place the murderous enemies in the middle area. Place the security guard units outside of the middle area. Place the rogue units anywhere in the middle area. If there is no line of sight between the middle area and one of the exit areas, the rogue player can choose to deploy as many models outside of the middle area that allows them to draw a line of sight between the models, and the final model, to have a line of sight to the exit area. The rogues win, if more than half of them escapes from the facility through one of the exit areas. The security guards win if they capture or kill more than half of the rogue team, and destroy all of the murderous enemies. The murderous enemies are controlled as a random player.

Cascading effects (harder for the players): The murderous enemies turn their defeated opponents into one of them.

Steal / evacuate (harder for the players): Place a number of tokens around the playing area, in random places. The rogues want to take something. The security team wants to evacuate their valuables - research data, important equipment, resources. The rogues only win if they retrieve one of the tokens, and leave with it. The security team only wins, if more than half of the tokens are brought to the edge of the exit areas.

Player controlled murderous enemies: Can be used, if there are three players available. Victory conditions: choose one.

Escape: They win, if more than half of their initial models get out of through one of the exit areas.

Infection: They win, if they have models in more than half of the areas by the end of the game.

Playing with a game master (longer game): The GM sets up the playing area. The rogue player breaks in, and enters in an exit area. The rogues have to reach the middle to achieve their primary mission objective. The security guard player doesn't know what is inside the containment areas, but they are tasked with preventing the rogues from reaching the containment areas at all cost. Once the rogue reaches the middle area, the real mission starts. The GM can play the murderous enemies, or be the one to handle their control.

Environmental hazards (harder for the players): There are containment doors leading to storage rooms, keeping the murderous enemies. There are some storage containers - cages, tanks -, where the murderous enemies are kept. Place tokens on them, with some enemy models. At the end of each turn, the rogue player (or in case of a 3-player game, the enemy player) chooses one, and rolls a dice. On a 6, the door releases the enemies kept inside. They can be activated in the next turn.

Crowd control (solo game): There are murderous enemies infiltrating humans. Law enforcement checks everyone before letting them inside the safe zone, and they try to provide order. There are also soldiers to fight the murderous enemies. After setting up the playing area, depicting the outskirts of the safe zone, create a choke-point to act as an inspection point. Every turn, N models can enter the inspection point. If there are any murderous enemies among them, they get neutralised automatically by the law enforcement officers. Every turn, roll a d6 to determine if one of the people waiting outside reveals itself to be a murderous enemy, and starts to attack the others. Once the fighting starts, the law enforcement officers try to calm the people, and subdue people who turn on others. The player wins if they neutralise or kill every murderous enemy, and more than half of the initial people enter the safe zone.

The empty camp: Two forces were preparing for battle. One of them were attacked by savage creatures in the night, making them to flee. When the battle would begin, that force doesn't deploy any units - as they are already gone. The other player has to clear the original deployment area of the escaped force, beyond their original missions. Once a unit reaches the enemy deployment zone, the savages start to enter the playing area through the edges of the deployment zone - come up with an army that is equal to the original enemy in points / size. The player of the escaping force controls them. The player wins, if they are able to complete the original missions, and keep their ground.

Resources: The enemy might leave some resources behind, as they were in a hurry. Put a number of tokens in the enemy deployment area. Once a model spends an action manipulating the resource, roll a d6. 1-5: extra ammo / grenades / medi-kits. 6: booby trap, that damages every model in the area.

Scouting mission (solo game): The player force sends a scout team into an abandoned area. Deploy a playing area with many scenery pieces that provide cover. Put a token in every area (ca. 10x10 cm or 20x20 cm, based on the size of the area). Deploy the scout team at one of the edges. Once the scouts enter an area, remove the token, and roll a d6. On a 6, there is a group of hiding enemies in that area. If there is a turn, when one of the enemy models don't have line of sight to a scout model so they could use their ranged weapon, or they are not in charge range so they could attack them, they will spend that turn alerting their own force. After this, the scouts have to leave the playing area in N turns, otherwise, they will be overwhelmed by an incoming unit. The scout team wins if they've collected more than half of the tokens before leaving the playing area.

Hidden area setup (harder for the player): You can use this, if you don't mind slower gameplay using random terrain generation, or you have a game master to design the map, and set it up when the scouts enter the area. The playing area is unfamiliar to the scouts, they are there to draw a map of it.

Returning to base: The scouts got here by accident - they could be paratroopers cut off from the rest of their force, or they got into this underground maze by falling through a hole. They could have been in a field hospital that got abandoned by their retreating force, leaving them in no man's land. They have to reach the opposite edge or find an exit area, so they can get back to their own force.

Signal & extraction (harder for the player): The scouts have to reach the highest point, or the middle of the playing area, or a randomly determined point if they start in the middle, so they can send a signal to their own force. They have to wait N number of turns to receive the coordinates of the extraction point - randomly determine an area. After M number of turns, every model in that area escapes the playing area. Any remaining model has to reach the exit area to escape. At the Nth turn, seeing the signal, the enemy turns into alert mode, and gets deployed, or they get a reinforcement unit if they are already deployed.

Signal - random chance (harder for the player): When the scouts deploy a signal, roll a d6. On 1-3, their force receives the signal. The scouts can use a signal each turn, but that creates an enemy reinforcement unit each time. 

* there should be a way for the player to prevent this, by providing distraction

Resource hunt (harder for the player): When you roll the d6, on a 4-5, there is something valuable there - some ammo, food, explosives. The scouts have to haul that resource to their entry zone to receive victory points for them. They can't use them in the game.

Tools: The area has some equipment that the scouts can use to help them in their fight, or they can use to provide defences. This area could have been a raided storage facility, with some of the crates still here. Or there could have been an ambushed convoy here, and there are some tools among the wreckage. Come up with some tools that provide interesting options for the scouts.

Silent hunt (harder for the player): The hiding enemies don't belong to the enemy force - they are a small band of deserters, renegades or rogues, who wish to remain hidden. They don't want to alert the enemy, but fighting this band still could alert them. Come up with a way to measure noise - for example, use a noise counter, and increase it at the end of every turn there is a noisy action, then roll a d6. If it is equal to the number or lower, a unit from the enemy force appears at the edge of the playing area. The hiding enemies immediately ceases hostilities, and tries to flee. Reset the noise counter if you wish to continue the scouting mission, and every time you roll a success, enter another enemy unit.

Opposition player (+1 player): There could be a game master controlled opponent. Otherwise, it could be a long time before the player gets a chance to do something. You should come up with something the player could do before being found by the scouts, or getting alerted to be able to deploy their units.

Reaching safety: A team is returning from a mission. There is a group of enemies around their base. When you set up the playing area, leave the outer 10 cm edges empty. The defending player chooses an edge, and sets up some structures in a 10 cm zone that will become their base. Deploy half of the units inside that area. Then the other player deploys their whole army in the middle area. Then the defending player deploys half of their units on the edge opposite to the base. Come up with a table of random events that gets the units scatter in a random direction, gets them damaged, tired, or gets them out of ammo. The defender wins if they get half of the returning team back to the base. The attackers win if they kill more than half of the returning team.

Defend the outpost: The defenders are just starting to fortify an outpost, when the attackers arrive. There are fences, blocked doors, boarded up windows. Each entry point has a Structure point. If it reaches 0 due to getting damaged, the attackers can move through. The defenders can add Structure points to the defences with an activation, using up building supplies. There are piles of building supplies at random areas that can be moved. The defenders have to decide whether to fight against the attackers, or search for supplies and use them to fortify their defences. They have to survive N turns / N waves of enemies, until their reinforcements arrive. Every wave of enemies become either stronger (better armed, better trained) or more numerous. After their reinforcements arrive, the enemy won't get any more reinforcements, as they are held up by them. The defenders have to defeat the enemies still on the playing area in order to win. This can be a solo game, if the attackers are controlled by the system.

Defend the bottleneck (easier for the player): There is a choke-point before the enemy can reach the outpost. They can block the way at the choke-point, and they have line of sight to the choke-point from inside the outpost. The attackers have to break through the choke-point to get into the outpost. Set up the playing area with a gate, tunnel, bridge, or any other area that narrows the movement of the attackers.

Twist - Evacuation: After N turns, roll a d6. On 4-6, it's not the reinforcements that arrive, but the evacuation order. The defenders have to leave the outpost, and retrieve some crates of important resources. The defenders win, if more than half of their models leave the playing area, and they are able to retrieve more than half of the crates.

Area attack: After the evacuation order, the forces of the defender start to provide cover for their retreat. At the beginning of the turn, choose an edge, and every model in the area between a 20 cm zone receives damage due to an area damaging attack - artillery strike, fireballs, firebombs. At the beginning of every turn, move the zone 20 cm further inside.

Captives (+1 player): There are captives in the outpost. Place them in a locked room. The captives have allies outside of the outpost, who have minimal equipment, but enough to do damage to the defenders. The captive player can place these allies at the beginning of any turn, anywhere outside the outpost. The allies have to spend an action to open the door to the locked room. The captives win, if more than half of the captives leave the playing area through any edges of the playing area.

Miniatures - 1/50-1/60 (28-32mm scale)

Civilians: Human-sized (S3) modern (advanced) human female / male civilian. Find a model!

Infected: Human-sized (S3) modern (advanced) human female / male sick civilian. Find a model!

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Similar stories - 28 Days Later, movie (2002)

Short stories like 28 Days Later

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Movies like 28 Days Later

28 Weeks Later (2007): Set in a contemporary fantasy Earth. The protagonist is trying to survive in a world overrun by raging infected. The second movie of the 28 Days Later series.

28 Years Later (2025): Set in a contemporary fantasy Earth. The protagonist is trying to survive in a world overrun by raging infected. The third movie in the series.

Dawn of the Dead (2004): Set in a contemporary fantasy Earth. The protagonist is trying to survive a fast zombie outbreak. There are intense action scenes.

Nightmare City (1980): Set in a contemporary fantasy Earth. The is protagonist is trying to survive a fast zombie outbreak. The infection is given a scientific explanation.

The Crazies (2010): Set in a contemporary fantasy Earth. The is protagonist is trying to survive a hate virus outbreak. There are intense action scenes. The infection is given a scientific explanation.

The Sadness (2021): Set in a contemporary fantasy Earth. The protagonist is trying to survive a hate virus outbreak. There are intense action scenes. The infection is given a scientific explanation.

Train to Busan (2016): Set in a contemporary fantasy Earth. The protagonist is trying to survive a rage virus outbreak. There are intense action scenes. People become infected quickly after exposure.

World War Z (2013): Set in a contemporary fantasy Earth. The protagonist is trying to find a cure for a rage virus outbreak. There are intense action scenes. People become infected quickly after exposure.

TV series & episodes like 28 Days Later

The Walking Dead (2010-): Set in a contemporary fantasy Earth, some time after a zombie apocalypse destroyed civilisation. The protagonist wakes from a coma, and finds an empty world.

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Frequently asked questions - 28 Days Later, movie (2002)

Is the 28 Days Later film based on a book or comics?

No, 28 Days Later is not based on either books or comics.

Is the 28 Days Later film a remake or reboot?

No, the 28 Days Later film is neither a remake nor a reboot.

Is there a post credit scene in 28 Days Later? Does 28 Days Later have end credit scenes? Does 28 Days Later have a post credit scene?

No, in the original theatrical cut, there's no post credit scene in 28 Days Later. You can leave after the last scene ends.

In a US, there was a version with an alternate ending shown after the credits.

Where can I see 28 Days Later? What is 28 Days Later playing on? What streaming service is 28 Days Later on? Where can I watch 28 Days Later online? Is 28 Days Later available on Netflix? Is 28 Days Later on Amazon?

As of 2026.01.04, 28 Days Later is available on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, and YouTube.

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Resources - 28 Days Later, movie (2002)

Official

Sony Pictures: 28 Days Later: Official article.

Information

IMDB: 28 Days Later (2002): Database article.

WikiPedia: 28 Days Later: Database article.

Letterboxd: 28 Days Later 2002: Database article.

Rotten Tomatoes: 28 Days Later 2002: Database article.

TVTropes: Film / 28 Days Later: Database article.

28 Days Later Wiki: 28 Days Later (film): Database article.

Creation

: Concept art article / video.¤

Reviews with no spoilers - 28 Days Later film (2002)

: Review article / video about the 28 Days Later film with no spoilers.¤

Reviews with spoilers - 28 Days Later film (2002)

: Review article / video of the 28 Days Later movie, with spoilers. Includes a very detailed plot summary.¤

Analysis - 28 Days Later movie (2002)

: Analysis article / video, explaining the finale of 28 Days Later.¤

Grant DeArmitt (for The Popverse): The Coldest Open: How Danny Boyle introduces an all new type of zombie (and an all type of new zombie movie) in 28 Days Later
https://www.thepopverse.com/movies-28-days-later-horror-danny-boyle-alex-garland-the-coldest-open

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Buying the product - 28 Days Later, movie (2002)

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Have you seen the 28 Days Later film for the 28 Days Later series? How do you like the movie? Would you recommend it to others? Do you know reviews or resources you'd like to add? What further thoughts do you have about it? Tell your opinion in the comments!