Directed by Nia DaCosta, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple follows the stories of Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) and Spike (Alfie Williams) in the direct aftermath of the events of 28 Years Later. Dr. Kelson finds himself in a shocking new relationship with consequences that could change the world as he knows it, while Spike’s encounter with the charismatic Jimmy Crystal (Jack O’Connell) and his cult becomes a nightmare he can’t escape.
I finally was able to watch Danny Boyle’s 28 Years Later after missing its theatrical release and I found it to be a truly moving coming of age story set in the vicious world of the 28 Days Later series that had me hooked in with its strong performances, bold narrative, fantastic thrills and beautiful visuals, living up to the high praise it had received upon its initial release. With how incredible the film was I was definitely much more interested in seeing the recently released sequel ,especially when the story was clearly not over after the previous film ended on a major cliffhanger. Does director Nia DaCosta and writer Alex Garland deliver a strong follow-up? They absolutely did!
The Bone Temple is an absolute wild ride of a film that serves as both a brilliant sequel and phenomenal standalone story that earns itself a special place in the series. Like its predecessors it is unapologetically violent and thematically compelling but it is also surprisingly heartfelt, hilarious and hardcore as f**k in terms of style. While its story may not have hit me as emotionally as the previous film I was still very much engaged and satisfied with the insanity and entertainment it delivers from start to end.
Similar to the very first film, the cast is small yet packs a massive punch, with every cast member truly giving their all to their respective characters, whether they are delivering heart, humor, or horror in various ways. Leading the charge of this film is the duo of Ralph Fiennes and Jack O’Connell, two phenomenal actors of two different generations that together manage to dominate the film with their individual performances for their respective characters that have different ideologies and levels of sanity.
Ralph Fiennes delivers quite possibly one of his best performances to date as Dr Ian Kelson in this film, moving from a supporting role in the previous film to a main role in this film. Kelson was introduced to be a strangely sane yet good hearted person that was committing his life to creating a monument dedicated to memorialising the victims of the epidemic in the previous film, but here we see that he is a layered and lonely soul who seeks companionship and finds it in the most unlikely of places. Through heart and humor, Fiennes makes Kelson a truly compelling character that you feel very emotionally attached to and engaged with as he makes a shocking discovery that could have massive implications on the future of humanity. On top of all that we get to see the 63 year old actor commit his body to some truly wild physical sequences in this film that I couldn’t help but be absolutely obsessed with.
Playing opposite of him is Jack O’Connell as the charismatic but completely psychopathic satanic cult leader Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal. This character was introduced at both the start and end point of the previous film, but here we get a full-on deep dive into the chaotically terrifying and manipulative nature of this character as he takes center stage and is given an outstanding performance by Jack O’Connell, who is giving us yet another phenomenal horror villain following his role in Sinners. Jack perfectly portrays a true cult leader in every single aspect, from his insane dedication to satanic ideology to the religious manipulation and grooming of young individuals to commit horrific acts of violence to satisfy his own murderous obsession that he claims is “charity”. He’s on an absolute roll right now with his performances and I can’t wait to see where he goes from this point on, given his incredible talent.
Alfie Williams returns as Spike from the previous film and while his role isn’t as large as before he still manages deliver a magnificent performance that keeps you emotionally connected to the character as he is unfortunately forced into Jimmy Crystal’s cult that corrupts his innocence and makes him face horrors more evil than the ravenous infected. While I would have loved to see him have a more central role in this film I still think he had a really damn good arc and many emotionally moving moments that hit hard, considering all he’s been through.
Paired with him for most of the film is Erin Kellyman, who beautifully plays the part of another cult member who has maintained most of her sanity and only chose to be part of the cult to survive by any means. I’ve always considered Erin to be a very underrated and overlooked actress in most projects I’ve seen her in but I definitely felt this was one of her best performances to date.
And finally, we have Chi Lewis-Parry reprising the role of Samson, the physically imposing Alpha leader of the infected that Spike and Kelson encountered in the previous film. Samson was a terrifying and merciless monster before but in this film he gets an unexpected evolution that humanizes him and changes audiences’ perspective on how the Rage Virus actually works on those infected by it. Chi Lewis-Parry delivers an incredible physical performance as this creature, making him a compelling character that we get to see have surprisingly beautiful interactions with Kelson throughout the film, eventually leading to a major revelation that has the power to change the fate of humanity.
The narrative follows directly after the events of the previous film but it feels very much like its own standalone story with its own unique themes, thrills, and style that make it stand out from the other installments yet still stay true to the roots of the series in the best way possible. The story doesn’t hold back on delivering its own form of violent horror and entertainment that is balanced with genuine heart and humor, handled extremely well under Nia DaCosta’s firm direction and Alex Garland’s superb writing. The film largely focuses on two separate but parallel storylines, with one being about a lonely man forming a special bond with large implications on humanity, and the other being terrifyingly realistic cult story with relevant themes of manipulation through religion that are beautifully brought together in a wild and unforgettable final act that leads to many satisfying pay offs, followed up by a shocking ending that will make a lot of fans of the series very surprised and happy.
The previous film was mostly well made on a technical level and looked visually stunning but I felt it suffered from unusual style choices that held it back, such as the jarring editing and strange format as a result of being shot on iPhone 15 Pro Max phones. However, the technical elements of this film honestly felt vastly superior compared to the previous film, with Nia DaCosta injecting her own energetic style into this film and making me feel completely absorbed into everything that was on screen both visually and audibly.
This film is a phenomenal combination of gorgeous cinematography, stellar editing, intense sound design and amazing practical effects that really make the insane energy of the story radiate off the screen, especially during some of the larger-than-life sequences. Composer Hildur Guðnadóttir delivers an incredible score that enhances the thrills and chills of the film as a whole but there is no doubt that the most memorable music of this film will more than likely be the needle drop soundtrack choices, namely the use of the song “The Number of the Beast” by Iron Maiden. The sequence involving this song is probably one of the craziest and most hardcore scenes I have ever seen in a horror film in a long time and it is likely going to be considered one of the most iconic scenes of 2026 for so many reasons. Trust me when I say that it’s unlike anything you have ever witnessed and just has to be seen to be believed.
This film is an unhinged yet perfect example of doing a standalone sequel for a major horror franchise that can both stand out on its own while also staying true to the roots of the series in its own way. And given the massive jaw dropping reveal that happens at the end of this film it’s clear that there is more story to come for this series that I honestly can’t wait to see. This is one film that definitely deserves to be seen on the big screen and be witnessed in all its glory. I’m going to give 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple an A+ = 99.
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