28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (2026)

Just over six months after the previous entry in this franchise (28 Years Later), we return to the post-apocalyptic world of the "infected" in the UK though this time with a somewhat different focus.  This story focuses on Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) now exploring the possibility of building a bond and possibly even treating an infected "Alpha" named Samson (Chi-Lewis-Parry).  Meanwhile we are following returning character Spike (Alfie Williams) who has now found himself mixed up with a murderous cult roving through the countryside lead by Sir Jimmy Crystal (Jack O'Connell).  And eventually these two stories intersect....directed by Nia DaCosta (2021's Candyman, The Marvels, Hedda), this definitely takes some divergent turns from the previous film, let's see if the journey is worthwhile.....

Host: Geoff Gershon
Edited By Ella Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon  

Transcript

28 YEARS LATER: THE BONE TEMPLE – 2025          Directed by Nia DaCosta

Starring Ralph Fiennes, Jack O’Connell, Alfie Williams, Chi Lewis-Parry, Erin Kellyman, Emma Laird, Sam Locke, Robert Rhodes, Ghazi Al Ruffai, Maura Bird, Connor Newell, and Mirren Mack

Genre: Horror Thriller (Audio clip)

This movie is a strange one for sure, even stranger than Danny Boyle's previous one from last year which I pretty much loved despite some genuinely offbeat choices. Whereas that film was a horror adventure which eventually transformed into more of a post-apocalyptic coming-of-age story...what director Nia DeCosta (2021's underrated Candyman reboot AND previous episode) has done this time around (with Alex Garland returning as writer) actually defies genre description. So much so that the film almost lost me around me around the half-way point....before bombastically winning me back in the third act. :) 

Early buzz has described this film as even more bloody and gruesome than Boyle's spine-ripping dystopian trip last year but I'm not so sure....I actually still believe that the goriest film in this franchise remains 2007's unrelentingly bleak 28 Weeks Later from Juan Carlos Fresnadillo. (Still a solid film overall) The Bone Temple might have actually have less gore than the previous film but what it subtracts with fewer shots of blood and viscera, it more than makes up for with the CONTEXT for what we are seeing on-screen....

We spend at least half of the runtime following around Jack O'Connell's Sir Jimmy Crystal, a demented cult leader introduced at the end of the previous film. He's very much playing an over-the-top dystopian villain right out of "The Walking Dead" but even compared to Negan or The Governor or whomever else I can remember (I stopped watching during Season Six), he's STILL one VERY sick f@#k who puts them both to shame. 🫣 But O'Connell demonstrates once again - as he did in last year's Sinners - that he has knack for portraying a villain who's not only charismatic but compelling. Jimmy has his roving gang of fellow Jimmy's (including two Jimima's I think) doing some pretty gnarly stuff to whomever they encounter....and you get the sense that whether or not he believes the demented tenets that he's selling them to worship him, he desperately WANTS to believe them....

And this comes to a head during the film's standout sequence when he finally encounters the other main lead of this story whom we spend the other half of the runtime with: Ralph Fiennes' Dr. Nelson returning from the last film. I will dare not spoil what happens when these two ideological opposites meet but it's both beautifully acted and written. You see whereas Sir Jimmy is an unapologetic Satanist, Kelson has by this point proven himself to be a full-blown humanist. He's taken towards attempting to study and potentially bond with the returning Alpha "Infected" from the previous film, Samson played effectively in a very tricky performance by Chi-Lewis Parry. The doctor is testing out methods to both temporarily calm Samson (which he already did in the previous film) and hopefully....possibly....maybe CURE him of The Rage Virus?? 🤔

They have several relatively quiet sequences together which on paper might seem familiar to any one who has seen stuff like I Am Legend OR The Walking Dead....but as played by Fiennes, they feel anything but conventional. ;) 

Now back to that aforementioned gore…..even though it’s not excessive, it’s still the scenes featuring Jimmy commanding on screen which is where this film almost lost me.. Following years of The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones and Ari Aster movies, I have found myself increasingly LESS squeamish to most types of gore BUT....I still can't stand for the most part, "torture porn." 🫣 Never a fan, could never really abide Eli Roth movies nor the Saw franchise....and DeCosta comes agonizingly CLOSE to taking us there. She doesn't have the camera linger on the stuff too much nor is there much that's gratuitous but we as an audience spend a LOT of time on the build-up, execution (so to speak), and aftermath of said torture. There DOES end up being a point to it and even a satisfying payoff to it all but I'm not gonna say that it's always an easy watch. 

What she pulls off in the end is an entertaining trip through the opposite ends of humanity....even if that sounds predictable, this film is anything but. I truly had no idea where this story was going but when I finally got there, I felt satisfied....it didn't hurt that we are treated to some FANTASTIC needle-drops along the way. :) 

Best Needledrop (best song cue or score used throughout runtime of film): 

And SPEAKING of what is a pretty fantastic soundtrack – the soundscape for this film is sprinkled with an eclectic collection of well-known needle-drops…..probably most notably from the beloved new wave pop band Duran Duran with I believe THREE different songs.  Fiennes’ Dr. Kelson is apparently a HUGE fan as we will often seeing him performing tasks or just simply dancing to some of their bigger hits… (Audio clip) 

At the very end of the film kicking off and going through the closing credits, we also hear a reprise of what I believe has become the 28 franchises unofficial theme song, used most memorably during the climax of previous episode 28 Days Later, then again in 28 Weeks Later…..just a GREAT tune which says so much, I’m of course referring to John Murphy’s “In the House, In a Heartbeat.” (Audio clip) 

But the TRUE musical highlight occurs about 90 minutes and even though we’re just in the first month of 2026, I have doubts that we watch a more INSPIRED musical sequence than this one for the remainder of the year.  It catches you by surprise in the most delightful way and even better, it’s 100% plot-driven – let’s just say that it has falled upon Dr. Kelson to deliver…..a certain type of presentation to send out a message.  And boy DOES he….just a glorious showcase for Fiennes to truly cut loose but also just a potent scene expertly crafted by DiCosta and crew.  The song comes to us from a band which I have probably not listened to in around forty years – in the ‘80’s as a pre-teen, I had a brief heavy metal phase and these guys were probably my personal favorites besides Motley Crue.  They were not only beloved AND influential for their musical chops but also for their iconic album covers, almost always featuring Eddie, their skeletal mascot.  I’m referring to London’s own metal legends – to the tune of more than 130 million records sold WOW – IRON MAIDEN!  And the title of the song AND the lyrics pretty much explain it all….from their 1982 album of the same name, I’m referring to the face-melting anthem, “The Number of the Beast.” (Audio clip)  

Wasted Talent (most under-utilized talent involved with film):

Likely the third lead but maybe disappointingly not given as much to do this time around is Alfie Williams' Spike returning from the last film as well. Though whereas Spike's journey was THE focus of that film, he's much more of a passive background character this time around. :/ This DOES make sense in the context of the overall story as his character is now ensconced (kind of unwillingly) into Jimmy's gang.....and how could this relatively untested pre-teen possibly share the screen with such an extreme character realistically without shifting into more of a scared, survival mode? And Alfie still delivers a strong performance regardless even as he’s given less to do - he has to witness some truly horrific stuff firsthand....as do we as an audience right alongside him. :o It works for the film but it just felt like a BIT of letdown after seeing this kid REALLY shine in the last film….

Trailer Moment (scene or moment that best describes this movie): 

Now about that film’s standout sequence which I mentioned earlier….it’s basically when this film’s two running plots finally converge and it’s WELL worth the build-up.  It’s more of a thoughtful conversation between Sir Jimmy and the Doctor but there ARE significant stakes involved regardless…..by this point, we have really not only grown to care about Dr. Kelson but also what he’s trying to accomplish and we fear that this VERY meeting will put that at risk.  Beyond that, we know that this conversation will also have significant repercussions for Spike, even though he’s not directly involved.  The conversation also leads to the film’s climax in a very clever way….and I’ll leave it at that. 

MVP (person or people most responsible for the success of this film):

In case it wasn’t already obvious, the TRUE star of this film is Ralph Fiennes whom I just going to keep beating the drum….I STILL think he deserved that Oscar two years ago for previous episode Conclave.  And returning as Dr. Kelson, Fiennes continues to give this inquisitive loner always head-to-toe in red iodine SUCH warmth and humor and sadness....it's a genuinely astounding performance! (The latest in a long line from Fiennes going back to the mid '90's during his Schindler's List/Quiz Show breakout) Like O'Connell, we can't take our eyes off of him but unlike O'Connell's Jimmy, we want to spend more time with him.  Now I don’t want to diminish O’Connell’s performance at all – after this and Sinners, he’s KIND of….not quite there but APPROACHING that Elite Tier of Villain Performers which is where Gary Oldman and Willem Dafoe have been situated for decades.  But STILL his character is not remotely tolerable without the contrast from Fiennes’ Kelson.  Just a SUCH a great character delivering so many grace notes in a subtle manner than only this three-time Oscar nominee can…..for carrying this film over the finish line with another great performance, Ralph Fiennes is the MVP. (Audio clip) 

Final Rating: 4 stars out of 5

This film doesn't quite reach the beautiful, transcendent heights of Boyle's 28 Years Later opus last year (that film remains the best-LOOKING genre film of its type in recent years) but it's not trying to either. It's going for something slightly more grounded, more meditative, and it has me very pumped for the promised third installment of this trilogy.

Now Playing In Theaters

And that ends another FORSAKEN review!