Fear and faith converge in Nia DaCosta’s riveting follow-up to Danny Boyle’s 28 Years Later. Boyle’s return to this franchise was noted for its subversive qualities as both a genre film and a sort-of legacy sequel to a beloved movie from years ago. 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple keeps with this trend as DaCosta and screenwriter Alex Garland return with a thematically rich and narratively audacious follow-up.
The film sees Ralph Fiennes return as Dr. Ian Kelson, Jack O’Connell as a terrifying faith-leader, and Alfie Williams as Spike, a young boy caught in his grasp amidst the ever-decaying British mainland crawling with the rage-virus “infected.” As this franchise has always emphasized, the breakdown of civilization is a much larger threat than the infection itself, where people forgo their humanity and justify horrible actions in this bleak new world. The Bone Temple is bleaker than ever for these movies, but DaCosta, Garland, and the stellar cast also inject the film with a hearty amount of humor and an electrifying energy.
Nia DaCosta Ramps Up the Dread in This Subversive Sequel
The Bone Temple picks up right as the last film ended but quickly diverts into uncharted territory as Garland and DaCosta set up the bizarre and horrifying cult of the Jimmies. Spike is immediately plunged into Jimmy’s world, where their Satanic leader is depicted as a blend of childlike, viciously ruthless, and commanding in presence.
DaCosta quickly puts the pedal to the metal showing that The Bone Temple is going to be meaner, bloodier, and deadlier than the last installment. Though Boyle and former cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle’s gonzo stylistic approach is noticeably absent (the panoramic iPhone rig is deeply missed), DaCosta’s more traditional filmmaking style lets the audience stew in the grimy reality of Spike’s situation.
The Bone Temple is more grounded, which makes each moment of horror hit even harder. DaCosta renders the characters better within a more traditional story structure, allowing the performances to hit harder and the violence to feel even more gut-wrenching.
Ralph Fiennes and Jack O’Connell Are On Fire in ‘The Bone Temple’
When O’Connell’s mysterious Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal appeared in the sequel-teasing end of the previous film, there was no telling what Spike would be in store for. O’Connell plays his unpredictable qualities to masterful effect, crafting a performance so hard to anticipate that any moment he is on screen, the fear of what he will do next is paralyzing. O’Connell makes Jimmy a villain for the ages, one of the most effective and memorable antagonists in any movie this decade.
Jimmy’s relentless brutality is contrasted strongly by Dr. Kelson’s empathic nature. Fiennes was a highlight of the prior movie and continues to do incredible, career-best work here as the gentle doctor. Dr. Kelson furthers his memorializing of the victims of the virus by adding to his ever growing and titular bone temple, a striking work of art that redefines death as something beautiful.
Dr. Kelson is devoting time and effort to studying an infected Alpha, who he has named Samson (Chi Lewis-Parry), even developing a wordless but meaningful bond after repeated sedation. These sequences are the heart of an otherwise pitch-black movie that is turned on its head in brilliant fashion when Dr. Kelson and Jimmy cross paths, making way for a delightfully metal-tinged, rip-roaring climax that must be seen to be believed.
Alex Garland’s Story Explores How Faith Can Be Weaponized to Violent Ends
At the core of The Bone Temple is a story about faith being misappropriated to justify terrible acts. Jimmy leads his followers to do abhorrent, sickeningly violent things to other people all under the security of this false god they worship. One of the Jimmy cult members, played by Erin Kellyman, shows the harsh reality of existing in an environment like this, where one’s better judgment, and by extension, one’s humanity, is pushed aside by the commanding, predatory nature of a cult.
Jimmy is himself a victim of circumstance, driven by psychotic delusions that break any sense of reality. But even when he is shown another path by Dr. Kelson, Jimmy doubles down on this awful belief system. Dr. Kelson’s unique relationship with the infected is built on a faith of its own but always informed by observations and scientific reasoning that could chart the way toward a rekindling of humanity.
Though The Bone Temple is at times mercilessly cruel and nihilistic, there is a light at the end of the tunnel, if only we can stop devouring ourselves long enough to make it out the other side. DaCosta and Garland thread a narrow needle with this film that balances hyper-gory trips into the heart of absolute darkness with meditative imagery and a hopeful resolve. The Bone Temple is not the sequel anybody may be expecting, but it is exactly the film that was needed to push this story further along, toward the light.
9 out of 10
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is now playing in theaters.
This article appears in Jan 1-31, 2026.