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‘28 Years Later’ finale explained and the lurid story behind Jimmy

The end of the film refers to one of the most despicable characters in British culture.

Update: Jun 24th, 2025 18:28 CEST

The continuation of ‘28 Years Later’ is guaranteed, and if the plans of Danny Boyle and Alex Garland were to create a complete trilogy, the box office results of the “first” invite optimism. This one has already collected enough to match its budget, and next January we will be able to enjoy ‘28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’, its direct continuation.

Boyle has left several open fronts for Nia DaCosta, who will direct this next installment, with an ending that many viewers have deemed anticlimactic.

Next we’ll talk about the ending of ‘28 Years Later’, so if you haven’t seen it... stop here!

‘28 Years Later’ finale explained and the lurid story behind Jimmy

What does the ending of ‘28 Years Later’ mean and who was Jimmy? SPOILERS

Throughout the film we glimpsed signs of a mysterious character named Jimmy. It’s something that was already seen in the pre-release trailers, which was quickly speculated to be Cillian Murphy’s character in ‘28 Days Later’ by the name of Jim. After the ending of ‘28 Years Later’, it is clear that we are not talking about the renowned British actor, and it is an even more bizarre character.

At the end of the film, Spike (Alfie Williams), the young man who decides to separate from his father Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) after placing the skull of his mother (Jodie Comer), meets a very peculiar group. It is a group of young men led by the Jimmy (Jack O’Connell) in question (although they all call themselves Jimmy), dressed in tracksuits and the same hairstyle, and who really enjoy taking care of the infected who end up threatening the boy. It is finally revealed that Jimmy Crystal is the young man who appears at the beginning of the film, being the only survivor of an attack by the infected on a house and a church, where his father lets them kill him.

But despite their appearance, this group of young people does not want to be some sort of post-apocalyptic Power Rangers, or ninjas, or anything like that. In fact, it is not even possible that they want to pay homage to him, since they are dealing with an ineffable character of British culture: Jimmy Savile.

Savile was a very popular presenter and DJ in Great Britain, with a television program with up to 15 million viewers, he came to rub shoulders with the British upper echelons, and even received the title of Sir. However, the reality was terrible, and he received up to 500 allegations of child sexual abuse for decades, apparently hidden by the Royal House and the BBC. More than 100 cases of necrophilia were even found, and Savile had free access to the morgue of several English hospitals. Today he is considered, as it could not be otherwise, one of the biggest sex offenders in the history of Great Britain.

There is a documentary about Jimmy Savile on Netflix, titled ‘Jimmy Savile: A British Horror Story’. Meanwhile, ‘28 Years Later’ is currently in theaters.

‘28 Years Later’ finale explained and the lurid story behind Jimmy

What does the ending of ‘28 Years Later’ mean and who was Jimmy? SPOILERS

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