'28 Years Later: The Bone Temple': A Bold, Gripping Zombie Movie

After seeing Danny Boyle’s 28 Years Later, I was beyond excited for whatever would be coming next. The film was one of my favorites from last year, and it ended on a bizarre tease that had me anticipating the next entry in the series. I was surprised to learn that I wouldn’t have to wait long, as the direct follow-up, subtitled The Bone Temple would be arriving in approximately 7 months. My excitement soon turned to optimistic cautiousness when I found out that this film would be getting a January release and that Boyle would not be directing. On one hand, I was curious to see a different director continue the story that Boyle and screenwriter Alex Garland began telling. On the other hand, that didn’t exactly yield the best results with 2007’s 28 Weeks Later, so I decided to keep my expectations measured. Still, I had hope considering that Garland also wrote the screenplay for this film and Nia DaCosta would be stepping in as director. Thankfully, The Bone Temple still has a lot of the juice that 28 Years Later had, and continues to propel the series forward in electric, often gruesome, fashion.

After surviving the events of the previous film, Spike (Alfie Williams) has been taken under the wing of Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal (Jack O’Connell), a charismatic psychopath. He gets initiated into his gang, known as the Fingers, and is horrified by the violence they regularly engage in. Meanwhile, Dr. Ian Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) continues to take care of his Bone Temple, and begins to be visited frequently by Samson (Chi Lewis-Parry), the Alpha of the infected. Upon each of these visits, Kelson drugs him in order to subdue the rage virus and an unlikely friendship develops between them. As the Fingers tear across the countryside and Kelson begins to observe new behaviors in Samson, Spike fights to survive and new discoveries are made regarding the infected. 

I was a bit sad that Danny Boyle wasn’t going to be directing this, but I must say that Nia DaCosta does an excellent job continuing what he started with the last 28 Years Later film. DaCosta is a director that seems to improve with every film she directs, and this is easily my favorite of her work that I’ve seen. She has a knack for horror, but I was even more impressed with how she handles the more human elements of the film. This is especially apparent in the storyline with Dr. Kelson and Samson. DaCosta captures the growing friendship between them with a surprising amount of tenderness, adding plenty of heart to a rather intense film. Beyond that, the dynamics between the characters in general are defined extremely well and feel authentic, leading to conversations between them feeling as gripping as the film’s action sequences. Speaking of, DaCosta handles the film’s violence and moments of terror incredibly, tapping into a bit of Boyle’s wild, unique edge while still making this film feel more like her own. Again, DaCosta just keeps getting better and better for me, and I have high hopes for whatever she takes on next.

Perhaps the thing that surprised me the most about this film was its use of music. I had no idea that Hildur Guðnadóttir scored this until the credits rolled, but I have to say that her score is pretty solid. It matches the energy of the film well and contributes heavily to the atmosphere that DaCosta and company create. However, it was the needledrops that really blew me away, with selections from Duran Duran and Radiohead as some of the major standouts. But hands down the best needledrop comes in the best scene of the film altogether. Iron Maiden’s “The Number of the Beast” is used perfectly in one of the film’s most crucial moments, one that had me completely rapt. The sequence uses the song and some strong editing choices to electrifying effect, creating feelings of awe and disorientation that make the scene all the more powerful. It may be January, but I can see this scene being in my Top Ten Favorite Scenes of 2026 come the end of the year. 

If nothing else, this film continues to prove that Ralph Fiennes is one of our best actors working today. His performance in 28 Years Later was one of my favorites from last year, so I was glad we got to see more of him in The Bone Temple. There is such a gentleness to his portrayal of Dr. Kelson, which contrasts with the film’s horror elements beautifully and cuts right to the heart of everything. Not to mention that his sheer screen presence is magnetic, helped slightly by the character’s unusual appearance. Fiennes is excellent throughout, and absolutely owns the screen every time he appears. 

Jack O’Connell also gives a standout performance as the unstable, larger than life figure that is Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal. I have been aware of O’Connell since his days on Skins, and I find that he is at his best when he can really let loose in a role. This film gives him that opportunity on a silver platter and he takes it. It is a big performance, but one that plays off everyone else beautifully. There are interesting layers to the performance as well, which begin to show about two thirds of the way through the film. While the more over the top aspects of the character are played well, it is the moments we see the facade slip that really impressed me. It’s a very strong performance from O’Connell and yet another strong villainous turn from him.

Alfie Williams takes more of a backseat here, which is fine since he is practically the lead of the previous 28 Years Later film. That said, he’s still quite good, and you really feel for him throughout. He plays the fear of his character so well, and the uncertainty of the situations he finds himself in only makes the film’s stakes higher. I also enjoyed Erin Kellyman’s performance as Jimmy Ink, one of the other members of the Fingers. Her and Williams have a great dynamic, and she has such a fascinating energy that she brings to the film. And I must mention Chi Lewis-Parry, who really impressed me here. He gives a mostly wordless performance, but the physicality that he brings speaks volumes and he nails the progression of the character beautifully. Aside from Fiennes, he gave arguably my favorite performance in the whole film and was one of the film’s biggest surprises for me. 

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple comes far closer to the level of quality of 28 Years Later than I was expecting, and is truly the first great film of 2026. This is all the more impressive considering that it has a different director and got released in January, a month that is usually a dumping ground for studios, but it defies the odds. It helps that it was filmed back to back with the last film and that it has a great director at the helm, but still, this film definitely exceeded my expectations. I sincerely hope that we get a sequel, as the film’s epilogue sets up what could be an exciting next chapter. But regardless, The Bone Temple is a thrilling and exciting entry in the series, and kicks off 2026 on a major high note.

Rating: 4/5