Warning: Major spoilers ahead for 28 Years LaterAlex Garland and Danny Boyle’s reunion for 28 Years Later yielded one of the most divisive endings in recent memory, and while that division is certainly understandable, I’m convinced that the madcap conclusion was an absolute home run. The long-awaited sequel picks up nearly three decades after the Rage Virus first ravaged mainland Britain, and focuses on all-new characters.

The narrative centers around 12-year-old Spike (Alfie Williams), whose journey during the movie forces him to grow up even faster than a world decimated by the Infected would. After the primary events of the movie, Spike heads back to the quarantined mainland on his own, and survives for an additional 28 days.

The movie’s coda shows Spike has evolved into a more fearless hunter, but despite his improving skills with a bow and arrow he finds himself at the mercy of a pack of Infected. However, he is rescued by a tracksuit-wearing gang of giddy weapons specialists who take great pride and pleasure in killing the Infected in unusual (and bloody) fashion.

The gang is led by a man named Jimmy, who is the adult version of the young boy seen in the movie’s cold open set in 2002. Signs of Jimmy and his gang had been sprinkled throughout the mainland as Spike explored with first his father then his mother, and he found himself face-to-face with the cult leader in a chaotic, almost silly scene at the very end of 28 Years Later.

Why 28 Years Later’s Ending Is So Divisive

It’s A Complete Tonal Clash Against The Rest Of The Movie

The stark contrast in audience opinion (as opposed to critics) seems to be based in some members of the audience reacting unfavorably to the downright jarring shift in tone. The dark coming-of-age story ends on a heartbreaking note, as Spike is forced to sleep helplessly while his beloved mother elects a peaceful death over continuing to suffer with terminal brain cancer.

That is followed by another attack from an Infected Alpha, one of the new Infected variants shown in the movie, and Spike’s somber decision to return to the mainland alone. From that series of ultra-serious moments, the audience is essentially thrown directly into a Saturday morning kids’ show with the arrival of Jimmy and his gang.

After watching the Infected take bullets and arrows for two hours, “the Jimmies” attack with ill-formed karate and a bevy of melee weapons, making them indistinguishable from the Power Rangers or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. That comparison is strengthened by the uniform tracksuits that they wear, and the entire scene feels like it’s from a different movie.

On top of the tonal shift, many audience members seemed not to understand who Jimmy and his gang members were emulating. It’s now common knowledge that Sir Jimmy Crystal (Jack O’Connell) is acting like the former British TV host Jimmy Savile. The once-celebrated personality has since been maligned, as it was discovered after his death that he was a Sєxual predator for decades.

However, in the world of 28 Years Later, in which modern culture came to a screeching halt in 2002 (when Savile’s crimes were not yet known), Jimmy Savile is still someone to be admired, hence Jimmy Crystal’s fascination with him. O’Connell’s cult leader is poised to play a major role in the swiftly approaching sequel, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple.

28 Years Later’s Ending Is One Of Hollywood’s Boldest Swings In Years

It’s A Borderline Rebellious Decision Capping Off A Major Blockbuster

Taking such a big risk almost seems irresponsible with a sequel as high-profile and long-gestating as 28 Years Later. That risk was very intentional on the part of Boyle and Garland, but it wasn’t even part of their original plans. In an interview with Screen Rant’s Liam Crowley, the two filmmakers revealed that their original ending was “too generic”, leading them to the big swing with Jimmy in the movie’s coda:

This whole film structure came about as a result of abandoning a previous structure. So we completely went down an avenue, we asked why the avenue was not right and reductively, the reason it wasn’t right was it was too generic. In a way, learning the danger of being generic was what freed us up to be hopefully a good deal less generic and more subversive really, I would say.

While the ending certainly divided viewers (especially American viewers not familiar with Jimmy Savile or his trademark tracksuit style), it was also incredibly memorable. It does nothing to take away from the narrative that had played out before it, but it left audiences with a truly eye-opening scene that will stick with them just as much as the Alpha chase on the causeway.

The ending also spurred word-of-mouth interest in the movie, which should help the movie continue to break the franchise’s box office records as moviegoer interest snowballs. It’s exactly the sort of punk rock style of filmmaking that Boyle and Garland have employed their entire careers, and so far it seems like it’s working.

28 Years Later’s Final Scene Makes Sense With The Movie’s Story & Themes

It Pays Off Earlier Teases And Furthers The Movie’s Theme Of Family

As silly and out of place as the ending to 28 Years Later seems on the surface, it actually fits the rest of the movie’s themes perfectly. 28 Years Later deals with the disintegration of Britain’s history at the hands of the Rage Virus, and Jimmy Crystal’s uninformed admiration for the predator Jimmy Savile perfectly encapsulates how Britain’s story is left depressingly unfinished to the viewer.

Jimmy and his Jimmies also hit on the movie’s focus on family, and the many forms that it can come in. The audience is shown the diversity of family experience in the movie, from Jamie and Isla’s relationship, which is devastated by cancer, to the small family unit of Infected under the care of Samson the Alpha.

The cult that now surrounds Jimmy is the closest thing he has to a family after his was wiped out by the Rage Virus in 2002. He’s crafted a family as he sees it, having never really grown beyond the 12-year-old mindset he had when the world screeched to a stop and his own family was killed.

In some ways, the ending is sort of sad when you think about the nature of Jimmy’s personality as it’s depicted. Through no fault of his own, his development was completely halted, leaving him essentially trapped in a child’s mind. It’s no wonder he grew into a bizarre cult leader, given that his formative years occurred not only alone, but in a virus-ravaged world.

Jimmy is clearly going to be a major part of the next movie, and that theme of family could be pulled to the front of the stage as he perhaps tries to introduce the recently-rescued Spike into his twisted family. No matter how it plays out, Jimmy fits in with the rest of the franchise better than the silly karate moves indicate if you think through it.

28 Years Later’s Ending Fits Perfectly With Boyle & Garland’s Filmography

Neither Filmmaker Has Ever Been Afraid To Take Risks

Neither Danny Boyle nor Alex Garland have ever been accused of making something generic or formulaic, and frankly that’s why both are recognized as two of the best minds in Hollywood. It’s rare for either a writer or director to stand out in Hollywood simply on the strength of their own style, but both men have achieved that status.

Danny Boyle is an Academy Award-winning director who has produced some of the most celebrated movies of the last 20 years, touching on a number of genres. Slumdog Millionaire, Trainspotting, and of course the original 28 Days Later are all bona fide classics that stand out in their respective genres due to Boyle’s frenetic and engaging style of direction and narrative development.

Garland is also an Academy Award winner, and has made his mark in cinema as both a writer and director. His writing and direction on movies like Annihilation, Ex Machina, and Civil War has been celebrated for their sharp, original concepts that speak intelligently to their respective themes. His narratives as a writer are bold, and his visuals as a director are stunning every time out.

Both Boyle and Garland have always taken big swings during their careers on concepts that many filmmakers couldn’t begin to get a handle on. Their ability to take risks and make them work defines their status as writers and directors, and the shocking ending of 28 Years Later is the perfect example of that boldness.

The Bone Temple Is More Exciting Thanks To 28 Years Later’s Finale

The Jarring Ending Is A Perfect Lead-In To A New Type Of Movie

28 Years Later was a successful continuation of the franchise that began with 28 Days Later, expanding the world, the lore, and introducing an entirely new set of characters and updated narrative. While there will no doubt be plenty of spine-chilling moments and Infected action in the next sequel, the ending to 28 Years Later opens the door for a new dimension to the story.

The Rage Virus-ravaged mainland is introduced as a terrifying and hostile environment in 28 Years Later, a place to be feared and avoided as much as possible. It can now be presented in an entirely different fashion from the perspective of Sir Jimmy Crystal and his cult, who seem to outright enjoy battling the Infected, and appear to be thriving.

That makes 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple even more exciting because we don’t know what kind of movie we’ll be getting. 28 Years Later was vastly different from its predecessor, but it was set up with a lot of familiar elements. With Jimmy Crystal and his gang now potentially setting the tone, The Bone Temple is suddenly much more mysterious.

Characters aside from Spike and Jimmy are sure to return, as Aaron Taylor Johnson’s Jamie, Ralph Fiennes’ Dr. Kelson, and even the intelligent Infected Alpha Samson have story threads attached to them now. We will also likely see more of what goes on behind closed doors in the Holy Island community, which is undoubtedly not as wholesome as it seems on the surface.

After 28 Years Later‘s divisive ending, the 28 Days Later franchise’s future has never been more full of possibility. Seeing what happens next with Jack O’Connell’s enigmatic cult leader Jimmy Crystal is perhaps the most intriguing part of what’s coming next, but there is plenty to be excited about as the franchise pushes on.