28 YEARS LATER: THE BONE TEMPLE is part two of the new 28 Days Later trilogy. This is interesting, but it feels a lot like a spin-off. Still, it’s a movie that makes me look forward to the third part of this trilogy. Especially due to the ending of 28 Years Later Part 2, which should please fans of the horror franchise. Read our full 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple movie review here!
28 YEARS LATER: THE BONE TEMPLE is part two of the new trilogy in the 28 Days Later franchise. This one delves into a certain cult group and focuses on how the disease affects the infected. From the very first movie, we know it’s a “rage virus” constructed in a lab by human beings trying to develop a weapon of sorts.
Well, mission accomplished. So much so that here we are, 28 years later, and the infection has taken over society completely. Due to the nature of the story in The Bone Temple, it felt much more like a spin-off movie than a sequel to the first 28 Years Later movie. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it may not live up to what fans of the franchise are expecting.
Continue reading our 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple movie review below. Find it in theaters from January 16, 2026.
Not at all silly, which I feared
Admittedly, the ending of the first 28 Years Later movie, which introduced Jimmy Crystal (Jack O’Connell) and his little cult of look-alike minions, had me worried. It all felt so silly with that whole Teletubbies vibe and vibrant colors. Well, I’m pleased to report that 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is not silly.
If anything, Jack O’Connell is channeling the same sinister vibe he utilized so well in Eden Lake.
In fact, it’s darker and more sinister than any of the previous movies in the entire 28 Days Later franchise. If you thought the soldiers from the original 2002 movie were bad, then you’re about to see an even more depraved side of human nature. Jimmy and his little cult thrive on bringing pain to humans while making himself out to be the King of everyone and everything.
If I were to compare this franchise to The Walking Dead, then Jimmy Crystal would be Negan. A dictator who rules and demands absolute obedience and loyalty. If you won’t give that, then you have no value to him, and can be discarded… or used in some brutal way, and then discarded.
More spin-off than sequel
Despite having just gone for the whole comparison to The Walking Dead and Negan, 28 Years Later Part 2 feels much more like a spin-off than a sequel. In that sense, we’re in Fear the Walking Dead territory more than the original series. This isn’t a bad thing, but just to give you an idea of what to expect.
I mean, most spin-off stories have some characters from the core story as well, which also goes for The Bone Temple. We have Spike (Alfie Williams), who is now a Jimmy, though to survive and not by desire. Also, there’s the doctor with the title location of the bone temple, Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes).
The story featuring Dr. Kelson was my favorite as he continues to study the Alpha creature he has named Samson (Chi Lewin-Parry). Before long, the good doctor does manage to make a discovery that just might change everything. It also makes it obvious that while the infected are still dangerous, it’s the grossly inhuman behavior of the uninfected that truly threatens survival.
Alongside Ralph Fiennes, Jack O’Connell, Alfie Williams, and Chi Lewis-Parry returning to 28 Years Later Part 2, you can also look forward to seeing Louis Ashbourne Serkis, Erin Kellyman (Willow), Robert Rhodes, Maura Bird, Sam Locke, and Emma Laird (A Haunting in Venice) in key roles.
Watch 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple in theaters
28 Years Later Part 2 comes from director Nia DaCosta, but is still very much based on the world created by Danny Boyle and Alex Garland. Or rather, The Bone Temple is more about expanding the world of the iconic horror franchise. Danny Boyle, Alex Garland, and the star of the original movie, Cillian Murphy, are still also on board as executive producers.
Alex Garland wrote the screenplay for 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, so this stays firmly in the universe created by Boyle and Garland, while Nia DaCosta ensures gorgeous visuals and solid pacing. Nia DaCosta also directed the 2021 Candyman, so she’s no stranger to working on a movie in a franchise that began long ago.
As already mentioned, fans of the 28 Days Later franchise will love the ending of The Bone Temple. As a result, I left the screening feeling extremely excited about the third and final movie to end this new 28 Years Later trilogy. In fact, as much as I wasn’t looking forward to 28 Years Later part 2 due to the ending of the first movie, I am very much looking forward to where this will go next.
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple will be out In Theaters on January 16, 2026
Details
Director: Nia DaCosta
Writer: Alex Garland
Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Jack O’Connell, Alfie Williams, Erin Kellyman, Chi Lewis-Parry
Plot
In a continuation of the epic story, Dr. Kelson makes a discovery that could change the world as they know it – and Spike’s encounter with Jimmy Crystal becomes a nightmare he can’t escape. In the world of The Bone Temple, the infected are no longer the only threat to survival – the inhumanity of the survivors can be stranger and more terrifying.
📺 Watch trailer
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