Warning: Spoilers ahead for 28 Years Later.
28 Years Later has left fans in a state of shock and awe, thanks to an ending that’s as bizarre as it is provocative.
While the bulk of the film follows a gritty, emotionally grounded journey through a post-infection Britain, the final moments explode into chaotic energy – introducing a new group of characters that many didn’t see coming, and some wish they hadn’t.
The closing scene sees Spike, the film’s young protagonist, cornered by infected attackers. But just when all seems lost, salvation arrives in the form of a strange gang dressed in track suits and platinum-blond wigs, fighting with absurd martial arts flair. Their leader? A man called Sir Jimmy Crystal – portrayed by Jack O’Connell – who seems like a twisted blend of Power Ranger and disgraced British entertainer Jimmy Savile.
This surreal ending has divided audiences. Some see it as a jarring departure from the film’s earlier realism, others as a necessary twist that hints at the deeper themes of identity and cultural memory. Director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland confirmed that the finale was intentionally unsettling – a mirror reflecting a society that has misremembered its past in dangerous ways. In this future, warped nostalgia replaces truth, and cults rise around figures like Savile, not because of what they did, but because of what people forgot.
The film’s creative team elaborated that the trilogy – which continues with 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple – explores how humans cling to fragments of a world they no longer fully understand. The inclusion of Jimmy Savile as a pseudo-icon is deliberate, pointing to the way cultural memory can become corrupted in the absence of history’s full truth. “A kaleidoscope,” Garland called it. “A sort of trippy, f**ked up kaleidoscope.”
Some viewers appreciated this bold creative risk. They argue the shift serves to emphasize the contrast between those who grew up with remnants of order and those who inherited chaos. For Spike, whose childhood was shaped by stories and toys of a forgotten era, encountering the “Jimmies” is more than surreal – it’s a glimpse into what society becomes when it builds new myths out of old monsters.
While critics debate whether the ending undercuts the character development or sets up something brilliant, it’s clear that Boyle and Garland aren’t afraid to challenge viewers. With Cillian Murphy set to return and O’Connell’s Sir Jimmy Crystal taking center stage in the next film, the trilogy’s conclusion promises to be even wilder.
Love it or loathe it, this ending ensures one thing: 28 Years Later won’t be forgotten.