28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
Director: Nia DaCosta
Writer: Alex Garland
Sequel to: 28 Days Later…, 28 Weeks Later, 28 Years Later
Cast: Jack O’Connell, Alfie Williams, Ralph Fiennes, Chi Lewis-Parry, Erin Kellyman, Emma Laird, Connor Newall, Maura Bird, Ghazi Al Ruffai, Robert Rhodes, Sam Locke, Mirren Mack
Seen on: 24.1.2026

Plot:
Spike (Alfie Williams) finds himself with Jimmy (Jack O’Connell) and his acolytes, his Fingers. It appears that his only choice now is to take the place of one of the Fingers, if he can, or die. Which is not much of a choice at all. Meanwhile Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) finds a new way of connecting with alpha zombie Samson (Chi Lewis-Parry). As Jimmy’s mission to spread the word, his word, brings him closer to Kelson, too.

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple isn’t quite as interesting thematically as 28 Years Later, but it is carried by two excellently extravagant performances from O’Connell and Fiennes. And it’s definitely fun, in the gory sense.

One of my biggest criticisms of the first 28 Years Later movie was that it was pretty racist actually, with the only PoCs showing up being zombies, and Samson being the Black rage cherry on top of that mess. Bone Temple now makes up a little for that, giving Samson his humanity back in a few ways, so that’s great. (The dynamics of the relationship with Kelson were still a little uncomfortable. Also, psychiatric medicine does NOT work that way. At all.) There’s also Jimmy Ink (Erin Kellyman) who has a very important and positive part to play, which is even better.

This is still a white man’s movie though, being all about Jimmy and Kelson, and to a lesser extent Spike. And it’s a lot about religion, with Jimmy’s preaching, the cult he created from the bits and pieces he remembers from his mostly parentless upbringing, but twisted by a world drenched in blood. On the other hand, Kelson, a fiercely devoted doctor and atheist, has more faith in humanity than Jimmy ever could. Both find their beliefs tested, though, by encountering each other.

There is a gruesome scene of torture, and a scene where Fiennes seems to have the best time of his life playing Kelson’s take on a character that I won’t spoil any further. Both stand out, and especially the latter is acted and set in scene with such glee that it is sure to become part of horror (cult) canon. Matching Fiennes’ dedication to Kelson is Jack O’Connell with his Jimmy. Amazingly, in the cartoonish, outsized performance, he manages to find Jimmy’s vulnerable side, giving us an idea of just how he became so thoroughly fucked. Not that it excuses any of what he does, but still.

But where I was able to really sink my teeth into a meaning of the story with 28 Years Later, Bone Temple falls a little flat. The religious themes don’t really dig that deep, and the interesting thoughts about masculinity that I found in the earlier film, don’t really play any part here. Still, I am curious about where the following film will take us. I am certain that I will watch it.

Summarizing: not bad at all.