At a Glance
- 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple opens January 16, picking up seconds after its 2025 predecessor ends.
- Director Nia DaCosta and writer Alex Garland split the story between a murderous cult and a scientist courting an alpha zombie.
- Ralph Fiennes, Jack O’Connell, and Chi Lewis-Parry headline a cast that earned mid-screening applause for a ballsy third-act twist.
- Why it matters: The film works as a standalone horror ride while teeing up the trilogy’s finale without feeling like mere setup.
Horror sequels rarely outrun their predecessors, yet 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple does exactly that by shrinking the canvas while widening the scare radius. Pick up where 2025’s 28 Years Later ended and you’ll find Spike (Alfie Williams) stranded with Jimmy’s pop-culture-worshipping death cult inside the ominous Bone Temple. Meanwhile, Dr. Ian Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) keeps courting the hulking alpha zombie Samson (Chi Lewis-Parry) in hopes of decoding the virus that ended the world.
Two tales, one bloody temple
DaCosta-taking the torch from Danny Boyle-structures the film like parallel freight trains headed for the same derailment:
- Jimmy’s crew preaches Satanic survivalism, decorating their half of the temple with VHS tapes and viscera.
- Spike, a pacifist at heart, masquerades as a convert to stay breathing.
- Kelson logs every grunt and gesture from Samson, convinced science can still fix a faithless planet.
The halves slam together after a midpoint reveal that swaps body-horror revulsion for something approaching hope.
Science vs. salvation
Garland’s script weaponizes ideology without sermonizing. Jimmy needs a devil to blame for the apocalypse; Kelson needs data. Their clash lands in a final movement that made one test screen burst into cheers, according to News Of Fort Worth‘s write-up by Megan L. Whitfield. Expect throat-slasher tension, zombie anatomy you can’t unsee, and a punch-line gag destined for year-end highlight reels.
Cast that commits
- Ralph Fiennes fuses warmth and menace into Kelson, a man who treats a 7-foot infected like a lab partner.
- Jack O’Connell peels back Jimmy’s nihilism to expose the raw grief underneath.
- Chi Lewis-Parry performs almost wordlessly, using micro-expressions to sell Samson’s flickering humanity.
- Erin Kellyman steals scenes as Jimmy’s lieutenant, toggling between lethal loyalty and reluctant compassion.
Stand-alone yet forward-looking
Yes, the closing stinger teases the trilogy’s capper, but the story loops tight enough to satisfy if the next chapter never materializes. January 16 marks your ticket into the temple; bring a strong stomach and an ear for the audience losing its collective mind.
