28 Years Later represented the triumphant return of one of the vital distinct and storied horror universes, the Rage Virus-infected England from director Danny Boyle and author Alex Garland. Whereas Garland continues the story with 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, it was award-winning director Nia DaCosta who took the reins from Boyle, and if the primary opinions are any indication, she knocked it out of the park.
Every entry within the 28 Days Later franchise has progressed the decimation of England by way of the man-made Rage Virus ahead, analyzing a unique cut-off date on the Virus’ evolution. The Bone Temple marks the primary departure from the numerous time bounce and character change pattern, because it picks up proper after the occasions of its predecessor with the identical characters.
Critics applauded Boyle’s 2025 effort for its distinct visible model and extra aggressive swings so far as the story is anxious, however relying on who you ask, not all of them landed. The brand new chapter seems to be taking its personal dangers and departures from the established lore, but when The Bone Temple‘s record-breaking Rotten Tomatoes rating is any indication, DaCosta and Garland succceeded even within the small methods 28 Years Later could have come up brief.
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Nia DaCosta Breaks From Danny Boyle’s Visible Model (And That is A Good Factor)
Danny Boyle’s extra frenetic, gritty model of capturing helped give 28 Days Later, the opening of 28 Weeks Later, and 28 Years Later a singular visible id, and helped give the world of the Rage Virus its personal dirty, visceral persona. Nia DaCosta pivoted away from that aesthetic in favor of one thing extra cinematic and intentional, permitting the grisly motion unfolding to create pressure and worry.
Rodrigo Perez of The Playlist famous that “DaCosta confidently eschews Boyle’s frantic visible vocabulary, choosing endurance and stillness with out dropping depth.” A part of the trepidation coming into the movie for some was that DaCosta’s work wouldn’t really feel cohesive with what Boyle had established, and whereas which may be the case visually, that is a characteristic, not a bug. DaCosta’s cautious stability of magnificence and desolation has been universally applauded.
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The Violence Is Brutal And Unrelenting
One component of the 28 Days Later franchise that has by no means wavered is the embrace of blood and violence as a strong automobile for storytelling. DaCosta understood the task in that regard, with Josh Korngut of Dread Central particularly calling out the film’s “punishing terror and nightmarish violence” in his overview.
At its coronary heart, the 28 Days Later franchise has all the time been concerning the violence that people are able to inflicting on each other, whether or not they’re contaminated with the Rage Virus or not. Critics agree that The Bone Temple not solely follows the mission to the letter, however could accomplish that higher than some other film within the franchise.
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Ralph Fiennes’ Dr. Kelson Is One Of The Franchise’s Biggest Characters
The Bone Temple‘s 93% Rotten Tomatoes rating signifies that critics are near-universal of their approval of the film on a go/fail scale, however no matter how they rated the film individually I struggled to search out anybody with a damaging phrase to say about Ralph Fiennes’ efficiency. His full committal to the function yields a posh, compelling character that critics argue might be a career-best for Fiennes.
Though he was hinted at as a villain within the early advertising and marketing, Fiennes’ Dr. Kelson was virtually a soothing balm for the burning brutality of 28 Years Later. As a soft-spoken but commanding presence performing as an angel of mercy, he stole each scene he was in, and we supposedly get that and many extra from him in The Bone Temple.
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The Narrative Embraces Darkish, Ironic Humor
Oddly sufficient, for all of the depth of character and bloody violence, critics appear to agree that 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple makes use of humor as a scalpel, chopping in at exactly the fitting instances and in precisely the fitting methods in order to not lose the depth and darkness of the central narrative. Jack O’Connell’s cartoonish villain and his minions are undoubtedly a significant supply of that humor, which is an efficient factor given how unconscionably darkish some components of his story supposedly are.
It would not seem like refined, both. Mark Kennedy of the Related Press famous that The Bone Temple “…mixes darkish, queasy disembowelment and laugh-out-loud humor in a approach that each subverts the style and leads a approach out of it, too.” That is a curious combine for a franchise with decidedly unfunny roots, however by all accounts Garland and DaCosta utterly nail the stability.
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Jack O’Connell’s Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal Is A High-Flight Villain
Jack O’Connell formally introduced his presence to the world because the smooth-talking Irish vampire Remmick within the award-winning cross-genre sensation Sinners, however it’s potential that he has already outdone himself along with his tracksuit-clad villain Lord Sir Jimmy Crystal. We noticed the character ever so briefly on the finish of 28 Years Later, however because the savior of Alfie Williams’ Spike.
Plainly as Crystal, O’Connell unlocks the darkest evil that the 28 Days Later franchise has seen. Clarisse Loughrey of The Impartial famous that O’Connell “…understands what’s wanted to make a vastly complicated and elementally evil character like this work.” Jimmy Crystal is a spotlight (lowlight?) of the film for just about all critics, and there may be alleged to be one scene involving Jimmy that’s so deeply inhumane that it is arduous to look at.
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The Bone Temple Balances Nihilism With Hope
Even within the darkest, most wicked depths of the franchise, one core precept has held true: hope. As Cillian Murphy’s Jim tells Naomie Harris’ Selena within the authentic film, “It is not all f***ed.” We noticed that executed fantastically in 28 Years Later, because the loss of life of Spike’s mom (Jodie Comer in a brilliantly refined efficiency) juxtaposed gut-wrenching heartbreak with the unimpeachable consolation and braveness of affection and reminiscence.
By way of Fiennes’ angelic Dr. Kelson, that hope of magnificence and a life past the darkish veil of the Contaminated world permeates the gore and violence of 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple. As Ross Bonaime of Collider places it, “The Bone Temple finds heat and empathy within the darkest of locations.” That Garland and DaCosta had been capable of mix that with unflinching violence and high-quality humor is a nigh-incomprehensible feat.
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The Sequel Ends Robust And Units Up The Trilogy’s Remaining Chapter
It is vital to recollect going into The Bone Temple that this isn’t only a sequel to 28 Years Later, but additionally the center chapter in a trilogy. Whereas I will not even trace at any spoilers right here, critics applauded the film’s “bonkers” conclusion, and virtually fully agree that it leaves the viewers hungering for the ultimate chapter, which has already been greenlit with franchise star Cillian Murphy set to return.
The ending of 28 Years Later was maybe essentially the most controversial of the 12 months, as audiences had been concurrently perplexed on the drastic tonal shift and intrigued about the place the story may head. There would not seem like any such nuance with 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, as critics agree the conclusion is wild, entertaining, and most significantly units up the finale in a satisfying method.
- Launch Date
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January 16, 2026
- Director
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Nia DaCosta