It’s very exciting to see how provocative the 28 Days/Weeks/Years Later series has become. Rather than expand the series through rehashing storylines or pushing convoluted methods to reunite characters or timelines, there’s deliberate work to use the excitement of this horror series as a stealth delivery device for exploring deeper themes. That’s, of course, not new for the horror genre. Still, when you have talented filmmakers like screenwriter Alex Garland, and directors Danny Boyle, Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, and now Nia DaCosta with 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple tackling these films, seeing efforts centered around political allegories, religious extremism, explorations of humanity, and more, it speaks to what a fine franchise this has become. That’s especially the case when considering that audiences get white-knuckle thrills as well as enough meat on the bone for them and a rage-infected zombie to chew on.
The Bone Temple picks up right where 2025’s 28 Years Later left off. Spike (Alfie Williams) may have actively distanced himself from the small island off the coast of Great Britain that he came from, but he’s now being forced to join a cult led by Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal (Jack O’Connell). This means participating in brutal killings of basically anything that’s not one of them, as they roam the area with Jimmy making speeches explaining why he believes he’s the literal son of Satan. Meanwhile, as Ralph Fiennes’ Dr. Ian Kelson continues his process of memorializing the dead he encounters, he becomes willing to take a chance on the huge, brutish infected man he’s named Alpha (Chi Lewis-Parry), based on a hunch he has about reducing the severity of the virus.
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Compared to the previous films, one thing to notice right away is how much quieter this film feels. That may sound like nonsense (the film literally opens with ear-piercing screams), but while there are still chaotic action-horror sequences and wild infected attacks solved by way of knives, arrows, fire, and whatever else that can become handy in a given moment, The Bone Temple does actively slow things down. There’s generally a building momentum in these films, driven by a narrative that requires characters to move from a to b to c. That’s not the case here. Yes, the film does rely on the audience eventually seeing what happens when Sir Lord Jimmy meets Dr. Kelson, but it’s hardly a plot motivator.
Because of this, Garland’s script is able to fulfill more of the promise offered in the previous entry. There was plenty to praise about Boyle’s return to the series, given the innovative and ambitious approach, the camera work, the editing, the score, and more. I was also convinced that Garland and Boyle, for the first time, were totally in line with each other regarding what they wanted to get out of the story they were trying to tell. With that in mind, having to introduce this iteration of post-apocalyptic Britain meant opening up doors to ideas that wouldn’t be fully explored more satisfyingly until later entries in a proposed trilogy.
So yes, with The Bone Temple, thanks to an emphasis on holding characters to only so many locations, there’s less effort driven by what the plot requires next, and more of a handle centered around what the different sides of this world represent. Knowing that, this is easily the most chilling entry in the series, as it focuses so heavily on the evils man is capable of. Having been some time since the series was active, 28 Years Later was able to combine obvious pushes to connect the film’s themes with both the Pandemic and Brexit. Individualism versus nationalism is key, but the nature of the family was also a significant factor. If only things were just that bleak this time around.
The epilogue set before the credits in the last film may have given us a taste of some wacky, colorful characters who can handle themselves in a fight, but that only speaks to their athletic prowess. As the film makes clear, Jimmy is not messing around, no matter how silly the blonde wigs may look on everyone. The things we see Jimmy and his “seven fingers” do, let alone the mind games he attempts to play, really speak to the prevailing theme of nihilism seen in basically every zombie movie out there. Here, however, while DaCosta and cinematographer Sean Bobbitt remove much of the high-octane kineticism Boyle brings to his films, the film still manages to be as violent and hard-hitting as it can be. It also really stresses the psychopathic nature of this band of Jimmys.
Still, with the darkness comes light, and Fiennes’ excellent work from the previous carries over in spades here, as we get a lot more of his work as Dr. Kelson. This relationship he forms with Samson becomes a major highlight of the film for multiple reasons. Due to this development, I was a big fan of how this movie could take its most basic element (the zombies) and at least attempt to get something out of them that could have major ramifications on where this story goes. But even without a “greater good,” we are still allowed to watch a different sort of character arc take place, let alone watch an absolutely committed Fiennes revel in the chance to play such a fascinating character who commits to the manners of which to stay alive, occasionally adding some levity.
As for confrontations and action, there are fewer chases than in the other entries. Still, on top of the deathly thematic elements examined, this film knows how to deliver exciting action and scares when the time comes. Infected emerge from bushes without notice; careful camera work plays with expectations; editing choices allow a sense of dread to sink in, yet nothing is held on to for too long to make it feel as though the graphic material is being pushed too far. No, this movie is still not for the squeamish, but as I found with Candyman and even the wild take DaCosta had for Hedda, being able to approach this material’s violent avenues, there are so many choices reflecting how stylish direction doesn’t have to come at the expense of substance.
Given that a third planned film is now really leaning into areas I wanted explored further, The Bone Temple may not have worked to change how I felt about the first film retroactively, but I can’t deny just how invested I am in what’s being presented. Part of that comes with just how engaging our three leads are. Sure, Williams’ Spike is more on the sidelines this time around, but Fiennes and O’Connell are really adding some interesting shades. With a visual style that is more focused but similarly wild, at the very least, I’ll get to see what sort of active role we’ll be taking with the camera next time around, as well. In the meantime, The Bone Temple is not always an easy sit, but it’s striving to be about something, as well as deliver one of the finest musical numbers of the year, so there’s that.
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple opens in theaters on January 16, 2026.
