Review: 28 YEARS LATER: THE BONE TEMPLE is Brutal, Unhinged, and Relentlessly Entertaining
I walked into 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple ready for something intense, but I wasn’t prepared for how confident and bonkers this sequel would be.
This movie reshapes the story that started with 28 Years Later, and it takes the world that Danny Boyle and Alex Garland built and pushes it into darker, more uncomfortable territory, where survival isn’t about outrunning the infected but about enduring other people. I came out of it feeling shaken, impressed, and honestly kind of exhilarated.
What really surprised me is how much stronger this felt than 28 Days Later. Everything feels sharper here, from the performances to the direction to the emotional weight of the story.
Nia DaCosta brings a clear and wild vision to the film, and it shows in how controlled yet unhinged the movie feels. The pacing never drags, the arcs are purposeful, and every major choice works in favor of the story. It isn’t just chaos for the sake of it. There’s thought behind every brutal turn.
The film quickly makes it clear that the infected aren’t the main nightmare anymore. Humans are. The violence is extreme and graphic, and some sequences are hard to stomach, but the real horror comes from how cruel people have become.
It’s savage in a way that sticks with you. You want to look away, but you also can’t stop watching because the story keeps pulling you forward. It’s ugly, disturbing, and deeply effective.
Spike’s journey is the emotional backbone of the movie, and Alfie Williams carries it with raw intensity. Watching this kid get dragged into the world of Jimmy Crystal and his nihilistic death cult of Jimmys is brutal.
He’s forced into impossible situations where survival means doing things no one should have to do, especially at that age. The death cult mentality of the group is horrifying, and Spike’s desperation to stay alive makes every scene involving them feel like a nightmare you can’t wake up from.
Jimmy Crystal, played by Jack O’Connell, is pure chaos. His take on “charity” insnaely unsettling while committing acts of extreme cruelty. He feels more dangerous than any infected creature because he believes in what he’s doing. The group he leads is warped beyond reason, and the way they test Spike is one of the most stressful stretches of the film. It’s cruel, mean-spirited, yet completely gripping.
Then there’s Ralph Fiennes as Dr. Ian Kelson, who steals every scene he is in. I loved his performance swings between intellect, madness, humor, and menace. There’s a moment involving Iron Maiden that sent me and the entire theater into disbelief and laughter, and it somehow works perfectly within the tone of the film.
Fiennes commits fully, and that commitment turns Kelson into one of the most memorable characters in the franchise. I can’t wait for you to see what Fiennes brings to this movie! You seriously have no idea, and you’re going to love it!
I also loved how the movie handles the infected this time around. They’re mostly pushed to the background, and that’s a smart move. When they do matter, it’s because the film is exploring the idea that something might still be happening inside their minds.
The relationship between Kelson and one particular infected character is genuinely fascinating and opens the door to ideas this series hasn’t played with before. It makes the franchise feel fresh again.
By the time the movie ends, it’s clear this story isn’t finished, and it absolutely shouldn’t be. The way The Bone Temple wraps up demands a continuation, and after watching this, it’s good to know the third film in the franchise has been given the greenlight.
I loved this movie. It’s vicious, weird, funny in unexpected ways, and fearless in what it wants to say. Watch it in theaters on the big screen! It’ll be fun with an audience!