'28 Years Later: The Bone Temple' Review

Release Date: 01/16/26 [Cinemas]

Genre: Horror.

MPAA: Rated R.

Distributor: Sony Pictures.

The Verdict: A Must-See

The rarity of an exceptional fourth entry into a long-standing film franchise is not easy, and certainly not an accomplishment that comes around often. Director Nia DaCosta has completed this tricky task with a confident hand. 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is the latest in the horror franchise, which kicked off in 2002 with 28 Days Later. DaCosta’s new film, written by Alex Garland, is satisfying and gripping; I would even say it is superior to last year’s 28 Years Later.

With this film being DaCosta’s franchise debut, I wasn’t certain where this movie would take me. Picking up directly where that last film ended, the film simply shifts focus from one set of characters to another. Mainly, we settle on two factions. 

The first is Ralph Fiennes’ character, Dr. Ian Kelson, a former general practitioner who has spent the last 28 years slowly losing his mind, but still maintaining his humanity. He has processed his dwindling sanity by creating the titular Bone Temple, a monument to the dead built from an ossuary of the deceased's bones. 

Kelson is easily relatable for his sensible nature despite his outrageous tendencies in a surreal environment. Fiennes, such a strong, fearless actor, commits so well and gives himself over to the role by fully investing in the various wild activities Kelson engages in in this film. There is a sequence during the climax of the film that involves pyro, theatrics, and Iron Maiden, which was surely bananas on the page but brought to magical life on screen thanks exclusively to Fiennes’ commitment. 

The stark contrast is Jack O’Connell and his portrayal of the antagonist Jimmy Crystal, introduced at the very end of the previous film. Spike (Alfie Williams) was rescued and then absorbed into Jimmy’s group, and this film highlights the deeper nuances of their terrifying actions. Having no real memory of the time before the infected, the members (or fingers) of Jimmy’s gang hang on his every word and commit violent atrocities against anyone they come across. 

Jimmy leads his acolytes with charismatic wit and deep rage, the optimal cult leader if there ever was one. O’Connell’s performance mirrors his portrayal as the lead vampire from last year’s Sinners and is just as infectious and engaging in this film. Spike passes through this film, and in Jimmy’s group, more as an observer with absolutely no mention of his family or the events he endured from the previous film. 

The film comes to a head when the groups cross paths. Kelson has been working with an Alpha Infected he has christened “Samson,” sifting through books, journals, and medicine to slowly drive out Samson’s infection and reintegrate him into normalcy. There is a chilling sequence on a train where we see the possibility of success in Samson’s recovery. Spying on their partnership, one of Jimmy’s members leads the group to the Bone Temple to view Kelson through binoculars. Jimmy approaches Kelson alone, creating a compelling dialogue of wonder and suspense. This is the best scene in the film.

Quite a few people were put off by last year’s 28 Years Later, mainly because of its marketing; like that film, this story is simply not interested in offering a straightforward “zombie horror” experience. Frankly, it does not need to do that. The first two films answered that call already; this new film follows the lead of the last one, where the search is not for rescue but finding hope and closure in a firmly established ecosystem that the infected inhabit. DaCosta challenges us to find hope when there is none, whether through assimilating into a violent cult or learning to live and understand the infected. 

This film is more straightforward and not as stylized, and that is what it needs. It is narratively connected to the other films, but it does not play it safe and does take some heavy swings, which clears the bar for consistency in such a long-running series. This is most assuredly Nia DaCosta’s film and not Danny Boyle’s, and it still feels like it fits neatly with the rest of the pack. 

The MCU model, already shaky and precarious by the time DaCosta helmed The Marvels, may have tricked some filmgoers into thinking DaCosta was boxed in. This film is proof positive that she has the chops to make not only a confident, competent film, but one that bears her stamp. 

There are many shocking, violent moments in this film. If you’re looking for horror, this will check that box. But the blood and carnage are not at the hands of the infected, but this new crop of humans who have truly only ever known a violent world. I felt engaged and invested throughout this film. 

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is horrific but beautiful, chilling but humorous, it fucking rips. The partnership of Alex Garland’s unusually stripped-down script and DaCosta’s excellent, sharp direction was a smart pivot for this franchise. I want to see where this story goes. I just need to know. The film ends with some connective tissue that binds these last two films to the former two in a way that feels genuine and appropriate. Some stories have been told ad nauseam and can leave me bored, but I relish it when films like this find new ways to surprise me.

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