150 Word Review: '28 Years Later: The Bone Temple' (2026)
Extraordinary world
No movie has ever used Iron Maiden better. Director Nia DaCosta takes over from Danny Boyle’s 28 Years Later, the inspired sequel to his classic 28 Days Later zombie franchise. DaCosta is no stranger to Hollywood, having rebooted Candyman and helmed an unfairly maligned Marvel movie. She spawns a spectacle that is gorier, meaner, and more awe-inspiring. Alex Garland’s wild screenplay helps.
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple doesn’t expand on its world, a quarantined England, plagued by enraged, blood-vomiting “infected” and small communities of survivors. It does, however, deepen the story of a boy lost in the woods.
Ralph Fiennes returns as a doctor with a blowgun who lives amongst the monsters. His performance is so weird and human. This is some of Fiennes’ best work. Sinners’ Jack O’Connell is sickening as a sadistic Satanist named Jimmy. Chi Lewis-Parry gives a surprisingly touching performance as Samson, the red-eyed behemoth.
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Hi John - A great summary of a film I enjoyed a great deal. Are you aware of the Jimmy Savile connection? A lot of Americans aren't, which means for us Brits, seeing people cosplay Sir Jimmy Crystal in America is a bit queasy, to say the least. But I still think The Bone Temple is a terrific film. :)
I loved it. It was hard to watch, but as a meditation on the conflict between evil and humanism, it was marvelous. I could enjoy seeing O’Connell and Fiennes go at it (in words) for hours.