28 Years Later reinvigorated Danny Boyle and Alex Garland’s beloved zombie film saga, but its new sequel, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, set another high bar for the franchise. Shot back-to-back with 28 Years Later, The Bone Temple follows Dr. Ian Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) as he bonds with the Alpha zombie Samson (Chi Lewis-Parry) and attempts to cure him of the Rage Virus. Meanwhile, young Spike (Alfie Williams) reluctantly joins Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal (Jack O’Connell) and his cult of Satanists.

After 28 Years Later introduced to a vast, new post-apocalyptic story, The Bone Temple pushed the franchise even further with its engaging characters, thought-provoking narrative, and distinctive style. While it’s only January, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple has already proven itself to be one of the best films of 2026.

Nia DaCosta’s direction

Though Boyle wasn’t back in the director’s chair for The Bone Temple, filmmaker Nia DaCosta (Hedda) preserves the punk rock spirit of 28 Years Later in the sequel. The visuals and action scenes in DaCosta’s film are very similar to those in its predecessor, featuring the same shaky camerawork and close, GoPro-style shots. We are also treated to some stunning time-lapse sequences of the titular temple.

However, DaCosta distinguishes herself from Boyle with a more balanced style of filmmaking that builds on where the previous film fell short. For one thing, The Bone Temple doesn’t splice in any old footage of historical battles, making it a less jarring and more immersive viewing experience.

Also, rather than the action-packed zombie adventure seen in 28 Years Later, The Bone Temple is more of a slow-burning horror movie and character study. Instead of relying on high-octane chase scenes and jump scares to hook audiences, the sequel focuses more on developing the characters introduced in the previous film as they face new, terrifying challenges. This approach creates heart-pounding suspense and more grounded human drama.

A game-changing narrative

Like 28 Days Later, The Bone Temple explores the darkness in the human heart brought out by societal collapse. As Jimmy and his servants, the Fingers, wreak havoc and murder innocents in the name of Satan, the franchise shows once again how humans can be even worse than the Infected. The way they go from childish dancing and talk of Teletubbies to skinning people alive makes them especially unsettling.

The Bone Temple also delves deeper into the extremes people are willing to go to to survive and maintain some sense of order. Ink (Erin Kellyman), for instance, clearly doesn’t want to be part of Jimmy’s cult, but she is so afraid of being alone in the zombie-filled wilderness that she desperately clings to Jimmy, carrying out bloody murders for him, and encourages Spike to do the same.

She even accepts Jimmy’s twisted religious views, finding comfort in the more structured world of Satan and demons instead of one of science and chance. However, when Ink accepts Kelson’s more atheistic views, we can feel her horror in her eyes at the thought of being alone in a dark, chaotic universe.

Overall, The Bone Temple further blurs the lines between humans and the Infected, emphasizing greater compassion and understanding toward the latter. 28 Years Later showed how there was hope for the Infected when Isla (Jodie Comer) helped a pregnant zombie (Celi Crossland) give birth to a human child.

However, both Kelson and the audience gain greater knowledge of how the Infected think and how the virus can be stopped. After 28 Weeks Later hinted that a cure could be developed, The Bone Temple delivers on that promise through Kelson, which has strong implications for the franchise going forward.

A world filled with compelling characters

Dr. Kelson was one of the highlights of 28 Years Later, particularly thanks to Ralph Fiennes’s exceptional performance, and the Oscar-nominated actor receives a much bigger spotlight in the sequel. We follow him as he climbs out of his pit of loneliness by bonding with Samson, forming an unusual and heartwarming friendship we didn’t know we needed. Seriously, how often do you see an orange man dance to ’80s music with a nude zombie?

Samson himself is another highlight of The Bone Temple. Thanks to Kelson’s kindness and medical knowledge, we see the hulking Alpha rediscover his humanity as his Rage-induced psychosis fades, regaining the ability to speak and remember his life before the infection. While I questioned why Kelson didn’t kill Samson in 28 Years Later, I now hope we see more of the latter after The Bone Temple.

Spike has a similar journey as he bonds with Ink. Though she encourages Spike to stay with Jimmy, she comes to doubt her leader’s beliefs through her new friendship and ultimately escapes her murderous life, achieving redemption much like Samson.

The Bone Temple also does justice to its main villain, Jimmy, after his brief introduction in 28 Years Later. The sequel peels back the layers of his character, revealing how his tragic childhood shaped him into the Mansonesque monster he is today. We see how he is trying to recreate the family he lost and reconnect with his father, whom he conflated with Satan after seeing him get infected and lead the zombie “demons” in their rampage.

But like many other cult leaders, we see Jimmy lose control of his followers as their faith and numbers diminish. But when everyone thinks Kelson is Satan, his beliefs are shattered, and he resorts to lies and threats in order to maintain power. The egotistical villain has a fitting end when his former followers crucify him, and he imagines seeing his “father” leave him behind.

Jimmy is even more compelling thanks to actor Jack O’Connell’s menacing, charismatic performance. While he proved he could play top-tier villains with his performance in Sinners, his portrayal of Jimmy establishes him as one of the most gifted and terrifying actors in modern cinema.

While The Bone Temple sets a high bar for the franchise, Sony has greenlit a third 28 Years Later film, which could be even better. We have already seen the long-awaited return of Cillian Murphy as the franchise’s first protagonist, the one true Jim, bringing the saga full circle. Hopefully, Spike and Jim’s upcoming adventure can live up to the high expectations set by The Bone Temple.