Nia DaCosta has yet to fail me as a filmmaker. Even movies I doubted I was the audience for flourished under her direction. She has made a career out of making elevating franchises and cinematic universes look as easy as most of us make instant ramen. So, while I loved 28 Days Later, I felt this new trilogy was unnecessary. I only streamed 28 Years Later because I knew DaCosta would give us something visually stunning and worth talking about in the sequel. Which is why I stepped into the Alamo Drafthouse in Washington, DC, rooting for everybody Black (and Jack O’Connell). I played the pre-show trivia hosted by Girl, That’s Scary, and then stepped into the theater hoping DaCosta’s streak wouldn’t end here. Not when we all need a win, and I traveled that far to see her new movie with my friends. Luckily for us horror kids, she still refuses to miss. 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is so good that I now have to finish this trilogy.
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple picks up almost immediately where the divisive previous film ended. Spike (Alfie Williams) was rescued from danger only to find himself in an even more terrifying situation. The gang that saved him in 28 Years Later turns out to be a lethal group of children led by Sir Jimmy Crystal (O’Connell). Instead of falling back into the familiar trappings of this franchise, this one pushes on and immediately alerts the audience that this will be something new. We watch Spike get tossed into a battle to the death, leaving him to kill or be killed. His prize for surviving and collecting, yet another traumatic milestone, is induction into this roving gang of killers.
O’Connell’s sinister Sir Jimmy Crystal is easily one of the genre’s best villains in a minute. Even when pretending to be congenial, he’s a menacing scene stealer who pretty much drives the film. Knowing this serial abuser is influenced by serial rapist Jimmy Savile makes what O’Connell pulls off even more unsettling. We have all seen him play villains and complicated figures spanning back to his days on Skins. However, here he brings his traumatized character we barely got to know in 28 Years Later and bares the rotted and evil remains of a man for whom hell isn’t hot enough. As usual, O’Connell is electric as you watch this cold character peer almost into the audience’s soul while forcing kids to do his evil bidding. It makes it extra hard to not sympathize (and relate a little) as Spike watches in horror as the newest inductee into this gang.
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple reminds us there are worse things in this world than the infected. Those things are people like Sir Jimmy. O’Connell makes every movement and word a threat coated in a twisted charm. We fear him even as we can’t help but lean in, and we gain a better understanding of how easy it is for some people to find themselves under the thumb of cult leaders. From his evangelical hand movements to the way the light dims in his eyes when something doesn’t go his way, he’s locked in. I also enjoy that this monster is an overgrown child, as someone attempting to survive the second term of a predatory man-child who runs this country on his whims.
Meanwhile, Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) is building a relationship with the alpha zombie Samson (Chi Lewis-Parry) from the previous film. 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple allows this weird friendship to blossom, and the audience did laugh at times. However, it was nice to see Lewis-Parry get more to do than run around in a prosthetic penis. As one of the very few actors of color with lines in this trilogy (so far), I was very uncomfortable with what Alex Garland’s script gave him in the first one. Their bromance comes out of nowhere, and I’m not sure many director and acting duos could make it work. However, even as you’re giggling at their moment underscored by Duran Duran’s ‘Ordinary World’, you can’t help sensing the importance of this connection. You also get the thrill of slowly realizing that the doctor’s breakthrough is going to be huge for the world within this franchise.
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple not only affords Fiennes the chance to flesh his character out, but also gives him room to go bigger. Whether we are along for his somber musings, his monologues at his zombie friend, or watching him and Sir Jimmy match wits, we finally see the value in this character. Fiennes is tasked with a moment so big and so cool that it could arguably pull people out of the movie. However, he gives it his all and makes it a grandiose rock star moment that reminds us this franchise can be metal when it wants to be. Fiennes ‘ filmography is filled with memorable moments, but this one might be fighting for a spot in the top 10.
Another thing that sets 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple apart from its predecessors is that DaCosta and director of photography Sean Bobbitt force us to see how beautiful this world is. The greenery and even the monuments made of bones are shot like works of art. This is a stark contrast to Danny Boyle’s two installments, which feel more akin to the dingy and harsh vibe of his film Trainspotting.
Boyle’s 28 Days Later and 28 Years Later have an almost 80s punky quality. It’s cool, but at times struggles to find a rhythm with some of Garland’s more somber moments, while DaCosta has figured out how to make the script flow in her favor. She captures the brutality, honors the ridiculous, and gives every actor the chance to go for it. 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is an event, and such a bloody way to kick off 2026. This movie is almost as visually stunning as DaCosta’s Hedda in the way that colors practically vibrate.
Another thing working in 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’s favor is Jimmy Ink (Erin Kellyman). This character is tough, and the first woman character in this new trilogy that’s actually engaging. She’s easily the deadliest kid soldier in Sir Jimmy’s arsenal. However, she’s also the one starting to challenge his authority and think for herself. So, when she takes Spike under her wing, it’s an interesting way of mirroring the relationship he had with his mother in the previous one. One of my gripes with 28 Years Later was how Isla (Jodie Comer) was written and her abrupt ending, while wasting Comer’s talent. I also rolled my eyes at her moment with the zombie giving birth because too many movies last year forced pregnant zombies onto us instead of giving women something substantial to do. So, I’m really impressed that Garland gave us such a deadly badass via Jimmy Ink.
Jimmy Ink is by far the coolest and most intriguing Jimmy in the band of Jimmies. She’s giving Battle Royale in a Missy Elliott ‘Work It‘ tracksuit and a party store wig. She keeps us guessing as to whether she is a foe or an ally, which makes her a little stressful. However, it is a pure delight to watch her take people down in the blink of an eye.
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple makes its predecessor seem like a prologue. The meat of the story is here with the broken beings who inhabit this story. We finally get the heart that eluded the previous effort as we watch humans (and infected) rip through each other to satisfy their most basic needs. We also get a couple of shocking reveals that might pull back in even the most jaded fans of the franchise. All that to say, I don’t envy the film that has to follow this one. However, I’ll be damned if I’m not excited to see it after watching DaCosta revive another series.
