28 Years Later: The Bone Temple

by Mike McGranaghan

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is a remarkable sequel. Coming just six months after 28 Years Later, it follows up effectively on that movie’s events yet manages to find its own footing. Digging into the nooks and crannies of the “zombie virus” concept, writer Alex Garland and director Nia DaCosta (Candyman) have formulated a story about healing. It’s gory and gruesome but also strangely touching.

Adolescent Spike (Alfie Williams) is now a full-fledged member of the satanic cult run by Jimmy Crystal (Jack O’Connell). He isn’t happy about it, though, because going around killing people isn’t his vibe. Meanwhile, Dr. Ian Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) may have discovered the basis for a treatment. He tests his work out on Samson (Chi Lewis-Perry), the “alpha” zombie who caused so much bloodshed in the previous installment. The plot builds to a meeting between Jimmy and Kelson that will prove explosive in more ways than one.

The way the two divergent arcs gradually intersect is the most captivating thing about The Bone Temple. Jimmy is out there killing; he wants to take advantage of the virus situation to grow his cult. Kelson is actively seeking to eradicate the virus’s effects – an obvious threat to his eventual visitor. The film will have a scene of watch-through-your-fingers gore, followed by an unexpectedly tender moment between the doctor and Samson. DaCosta doesn’t shy away from making the disturbing parts as unsettling as possible, knowing their ruthless intensity allows the Kelson side of the equation to have an emotional impact.

Everything culminates in what is destined to be one of the most talked-about cinematic scenes of 2026. I won’t describe it, and you shouldn’t let anyone else describe it to you. Let’s just say that I wasn’t expecting to see Ralph Fiennes do that. But he does, and he admirably gives it 100%. The sequence in question is eerie in some respects, humorous in others. What it accomplishes is to bring all the film’s ideas together in an electrifying head-on collision that carries more weight than you’d expect from a zombie picture.

Spike’s arc runs right down the middle. He’s trapped in Jimmy’s circle and wants to escape. He forms an important bond with “Jimmy Ink” (Erin Kellyman), the only cult member who kind of understands where he’s coming from. After surviving the prior movie, Spike seeks his own form of healing. Where he ends up suggests exciting possibilities for the third section of this planned trilogy.

Fiennes, O’Connell, and Williams all bring depth and dimension to the people they portray. Getting wrapped up in what happens to the characters is therefore as easy as squirming at the shocking violence. A human-centered approach is what has always distinguished the franchise, and this installment maximizes that. Everybody in this movie is attempting to figure out what they need to survive an untenable situation. The existential battle that plays out between Jimmy and Kelson, in particular, symbolizes where we are in the world today. Do we try to make it a better place or embrace cruelty for personal gain?

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple provides the chilling excitement expected from a zombie plague adventure. The human element makes it extra special and, not incidentally, the best entry in the series so far.

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