28 Years Later: The Bone Temple

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
Starring Ralph Fiennes, Jack O'Connell, Alfie Williams, Erin Kellyman
Directed by Nia DaCosta

There hasn't really been a franchise as disjointed as the "28" franchise, and that's to its strength. Just like a snowflake, no two movies are the same, and that helps in the unpredictability of it. You never know where each film will take you, and spanning twenty-eight years of a Rage virus can result in different outcomes. How do those infected with the Rage virus act years after being infected? Do they entirely lose their humanity? How do they survive in the wilds, and how many are there? "28 Days Later" and "28 Weeks Later" seem to show multitudes of infected, who run wild through the streets of England biting, infecting, and killing anyone they come across, like a massive killer wave. "28 Years Later" shows a different take: there's very few infected we see, and a whole community has sprung up that brings humanity back from the brink of extinction. What also makes this franchise different is the length of time each film was released. "Days" was in 2003, "Weeks" in 2007, and then eighteen years later "Years" finally hit theaters in 2025, and by then it was already confirmed that "The Bone Temple" would be released in January 2026, only a few short months after "Years." Anticipation was high for this sequel, but so was the doubters: it's obviously the shortest length between films, it was directed by someone other than Danny Boyle, and the ending of "Years" was one of the most divisive endings of the year. All worries were cast aside, however, when "The Bone Temple" premiered, making it one of the best in the franchise, equaled only to the original.

After leaving his father and community behind to live in the wilds of mainland England, Spike (Alfie Williams) is taken in by a sadistic gang of ruthless killers known as the Jimmys, with their leader, Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal (Jack O'Connell) ruling with an iron fist. He demands loyalty to the point of death, and his gang wanders around fearless of the Rage-infected humans and people in general, causing death and destruction in their wake. Spike is an unwilling member, knowing he can't escape without getting into serious trouble, and he's taken in by Jimmy Ink (Erin Kellyman), who shows compassion while the others revel in their evil.

Meanwhile, Dr. Ian Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) is living in his Bone Temple - a shrine he crafted by the bones of the deceased in memorial to them - working on a way to possibly cure the infected. He meets an Alpha Rage-infected man and drugs him, naming him Samson (Chi Lewis-Parry) and to his surprise the medicines and drugs he pumps into Samson seems to be curing his disease. The two form an unlikely, strange friendship that gives hope for humanity, but Jimmy and his gang sets their sights on Kelson, thinking he's their risen savior Satan, and Kelson must play along in order to survive.

What makes this franchise different from other zombie franchises is the fact that they're not dealing with zombies in the traditional sense, but rather people who are infected with a virus that causes them to run wild, fueled by anger, but still alive. Meaning there's hope that they can be cured, but that's something that's never been fully explored in the series until now, leaving you to wonder why it would take twenty-eight years to find a cure. Sure, there's probably been attempts done before that we don't see, but seeing how effective Dr. Kelson seemingly finds one makes it extremely odd that no one's done it before. Still, it adds a new layer to the series that keeps it going strong and leaving you with surprising results.

Nia DaCosta is a fantastic director in her own right, but hearing she was directing "The Bone Temple" was an interesting choice, considering her pedigree. She did direct the critically acclaimed 2021 remake "Candyman" along with "Little Woods" and "Hedda," but is most known for her box office bomb "The Marvels," which is still one of the MCU's lowest rated films. "The Bone Temple," however, shows that with the right script and committed actors, she can churn out a huge surprise hit that normally wouldn't exist in the annals of film trilogies - the middle child.

That's because, technically, "The Bone Temple" is a direct sequel to "Years," and the first in the franchise to follow this formula. They're practically an enclosed trilogy, with very little to do with "Days" and "Weeks," so essentially this is the middle film that generally serves as a pathway between the first and the third with very little to add. Yet, like great middle films "The Dark Knight," "The Two Towers," and "The Empire Strikes Back," "The Bone Temple" adds new twists to the story and, while maintaining continuity, doesn't feel like merely a bridge between two films. It holds its own extremely well.

The gore is amped up yet again, as we see literal heads getting ripped off bodies, an idea for a popcorn bucket that I'm surprised isn't a reality, and bodies getting torn apart by the Rage-virus infected. Yet, "The Bone Temple" also shows us that there's things more scary than the infected - regular humans. The Jimmys is a sadistic group that fearlessly traverses the land, finding innocent people and mercilessly torturing then killing them in the name of their lord, Nick, a.k.a. Satan. Led by the charismatic yet sadistic Jimmy Crystal, they show what true ruthlessness can be and the fact that humans are more than capable of sadistic murder without a Rage virus.

On the other end of the spectrum is hope and determination as seen in Dr. Kelson, who at first glance seems to be even crazier than the Jimmys. He lives in a Bone Temple he's constructed from the bones of the fallen, and once again it's an impressive set piece all its own. He is bathed in orange iodine to keep him from being infected, and is extremely eccentric. He befriends an Alpha (also known as the most frightening of the Rage-virus infected, looming larger and more muscular than the rest...and also providing unintentional comedy as people have called him the "28 Inches Later") and manages to restore some sort of humanity in him, which gives hope to the world in general that he might've found a cure for this disease. Then evil and good meet, and the result is nothing short of visionary wonder.

Jack O'Connell is born to be bad, as proven in 2025's "Sinners" and further proven here, as the suave yet sadistic Jimmy Crystal. He is amazing to see as he both holds control of his cult but suffers from his own insecurities and doubts as he leads them from one murderous rampage to the next. His interactions with Ralph Fiennes' Dr. Kelson is like watching two titans on opposite ends of the battlefield coming together to talk. It's fascinating, engrossing, and unsettling in equal measure. 

Ralph Fiennes gives one of the best performances of his career as Dr. Kelson, and fully immerses himself in the eccentric qualities of the good doctor, especially the end when he stages for the Jimmys a show that would make you want to see him in concert, as he embodies the role of Satan for the Jimmys amusement. His buddy comedy with Alpha Samson is also captivating, humorous, and even heartfelt. Ralph Fiennes spans the gambit of emotions and personalities, and it's awe-inspiring to witness.

If there's a detriment to the film, it's that it doesn't maintain a normal plotting flow. The film splits time between the Jimmys and Dr. Kelson, as well as giving a backstory to Alpha Samson that is equally jarring. In doing so, it makes it seem that the characters are distant, not fully developed or equalized. Spike, in particular, is the main bridge between the first two films, and here the only times we see him is him trying to escape the Jimmys on different occasions, and basically serves as a vessel for trauma. None of the characters are fully flushed-out, and lacks momentum to any emotional conclusions. However, when you take into account the timing of the film - 28 years after the world collapsed - would there be much humanity left?  What dreams can be explored when you're just trying to survive day-to-day? These characters are mostly dead inside already, and there's no need to delve any deeper than that. 

Offering a surprisingly fantastic sequel to "28 Years Later," "The Bone Temple" shows there's longevity in the franchise and gives audiences high hopes for the final movie in this mostly standalone trilogy.

The Score: A+