The highly anticipated return to the world of 28 Days Later with the upcoming sequel 28 Years Later is already sparking heated debate among fans, long before its official release. The source of the controversy? The film’s bizarre and tonally jarring final scene, which introduces new characters slated to star in the next installment, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple. This coda, filmed back-to-back with the main movie, includes a particularly shocking reference to a notorious UK figure that has left audiences divided.
What Happens in the Controversial Ending?
Warning: Spoilers ahead for the ending of 28 Years Later
The film concludes after its main narrative feels resolved, focusing on the young hero Spike. Just as he faces an imminent attack from the infected, a strange and violent gang appears, saving him. This new group doesn’t just fight with unusual, “ninja-like tactics”; they behave in a manner described by viewers as resembling the ‘Power Rangers’ and sport costumes directly inspired by the late British DJ and TV presenter Jimmy Savile.
The gang’s leader, played by Skins actor Jack O’Connell, is named Sir Jimmy Crystal. His followers, who make up a cult called the “Jimmies,” also adopt the name “Jimmy” and dress in tracksuits paired with platinum blond wigs – mimicking Savile’s recognizable look. Jimmy Savile, a once-celebrated figure in British culture, was later revealed to be a prolific serial sex offender, adding a deeply unsettling layer to the reference.
This final sequence serves as a direct setup for the next film, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, where Sir Jimmy Crystal is confirmed to play a “hugely significant figure.”
Fan Reaction: Jarring Tone vs. Thematic Relevance
The abrupt shift in tone in this concluding scene has been a major point of contention. Many fans found the sudden appearance of the “goofy” and acrobatic “Jimmies” disruptive, arguing it clashed with the grounded, “realistic” horror that defined the series. One fan, commenting online, felt the scene “took me outta the film,” criticizing the “insane acrobatics” as something expected in a dream sequence rather than the grim reality of the 28 Days Later world.
However, other viewers felt the ending aligned with the series’ broader themes and successfully introduced a compelling new threat for Spike. They argued that characters like the Jimmies represent individuals whose lives were shattered by the apocalypse before they could fully develop, clinging to fragmented and warped pieces of pre-virus culture – like distorted memories of pop culture figures and children’s shows (such as the Teletubbies, also referenced earlier in the film). This perspective suggests the cult is a product of a society built on misremembered and fetishized remnants of the past, fitting within the genre’s exploration of societal decay and the human condition under extreme pressure.
The Savile Reference: Misremembered Past and Warped Identity
The choice to feature characters inspired by Jimmy Savile has naturally been the most controversial element. Fans have noted that the 28 Days Later timeline diverged from real history before Savile’s heinous crimes were exposed. This context suggests the film isn’t trivializing the real-world horror but is potentially presenting Savile as he was remembered by the public before his unmasking – another piece of discarded or warped cultural memory in the post-apocalypse. It touches upon the complex appeal of apocalyptic stories, which often explore how societies crumble and what fragments of identity, culture, and fear remain in the aftermath of overwhelming change, echoing the enduring human terror of an uncertain future and the unpredictable nature of existence itself.
Director and Writer Explain the Controversial Choice
Addressing the divisive finale, director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland shed light on their deliberate decision to include the Savile-inspired cult. They explained that the film, and potentially the planned trilogy, fundamentally explores the relationship between looking back and looking forward – how survivors attempt to build a new world based on the remnants of the old.
Garland emphasized that looking back involves selective memory, amnesia, and crucially, misremembering. He noted they are living in a time “dominated by a misremembered past,” connecting this societal observation directly to the film’s narrative. The Jimmies cult, therefore, represents this warped sense of British culture and identity that has festered over nearly three decades since society collapsed.
Boyle added that the figure of Savile in the film acts like a “kaleidoscope,” twisting together aspects of pop culture, sportswear, cricket, and the honors system. It embodies a “partial remembrance, clinging onto things and then recreating them as an image for followers.” Garland concluded that the character is a “trippy, fked up kaleidoscope,” a product of a distorted cultural landscape.
This explanation frames the controversial cult not just as a shocking reference, but as a thematic device exploring how history, culture, and memory become fractured and reinterpreted in the vacuum of a collapsed civilization.
The introduction of Sir Jimmy Crystal and his cult sets the stage for significant developments in 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple. How these bizarre characters will interact with returning figures, potentially including Cillian Murphy’s character (who is also notably named Jim), remains one of the many burning questions left by 28 Years Later‘s unforgettable – and undeniably controversial – final moments.
