FAQ

The new film can be viewed without having seen 28 Days Later or 28 Weeks Later, as it tells a standalone story with new characters. The beginning of the new movie provides a brief explanation of the virus, which is sufficient for viewers unfamiliar with the series to "get up to speed". While watching the previous films will offer additional context about the virus's origin and early spread, that information is not necessary to understand or follow the new film.

No there is not.

The second film and half of the first film take place in London. The infected eventually starve to death because there is nothing for them to feed on in the big city. This film takes place in the Northeast of England, with more open space for wildlife to thrive. It's implied the infected feed on wildlife.

In interviews, Danny Boyle and Alex Garland have clarified that the Rage Virus has mutated into various new strains. People infected with the original strain still do indeed starve to death, such as the emaciated fellow played by Angus Neill. Whereas people infected with the new "Alpha" strain have learned to hunt for sustenance following a pack leader, and those infected with a "Crawler" variant eat what can be found on the ground.

No, the film implies the rest of the world has continued on as normal. Only Great Britain and Ireland were quarantined. Though 28 Weeks Later (2007) ends with an outbreak in Paris, the opening titles say the virus was "pushed out" of most of Europe, the implication being the rest of the world managed to avoid infection. Writer Alex Garland stated in a Reddit AMA that he believes Paris was nuked in an effort to constrain the spread of the virus.