28 Years Later – The Bone Temple
Review by Mark Woodring
It’s time for the fourth entry in the 28 XXX Later franchise, this time with a direct, immediate sequel to 28 Years Later.
Spike, our young protagonist from 28 Years Later, finds himself taken in by Jimmy Crystal and his gang, and we get to see a non-unidyllic society in place of the nearly normal one he left in the previous film.
Although Danny Boyle has stepped away from the director’s chair once again, replaced by Nia DaCosta, Alex Garland has wielded the writer’s pen once again for the script.
Exciting times.
**NOTE: You can read Mark’s review below, then listen as he and Ryan discuss the film further. Remember, you can listen to all our discussions of this and every other movie directly over on ACAST. Stay tuned.**
109 Minutes, Rated R
Written by Alex Garland
Directed by Nia DaCosta
Synopsis:
As Spike is inducted into Jimmy Crystal’s gang on the mainland, Dr. Kelson makes a discovery that could alter the world.
As young Spike fights for his life (literally) against the Jimmies, we are introduced to one of the most frightening villains in recent cinema: Jimmy Crystal.
A once religious boy leading a small group of psychopaths as their messiah, the sone of Old Nick, who has brought the world to the state in which we find it. He is devout in his belief, conversing with his “father” throughout the film, while traveling with his seven “Fingers” (all named “Jimmy,” except for “Jimmima”) across the land, dispensing his father’s “Charity.”
Trust me: you don’t want it.
Enter Doctor Ian Kelson. Ralph Fiennes returns as the philosophical doctor, building his temple to the fallen. We learn about Samson, the (almost humorously naked) Alpha from the previous film, and are treated to one of the most unconventional friendships in film as Kelson continually drugs Samson in order to avoid death.
The morphine in the tranquilizer darts breeds an uneven truce, during which Kelson learns more about the Infected, as do we. We learn, for example, what the Infected see through their Rage-filled eyes, and it is mind-boggling. Kelson’s dissertation on the various aspects of Infection are maybe the weakest (and unnecessary) part of the script, and if anyone but Alex Garland had written them (as he wrote the previous and following films), it would be easy to discount as a simple plot device. In Garland’s hands, however, these revelations and developments flow naturally enough.
As in the previous film, Fiennes absolutely KILLS IT here, bringing a gentle resignation to a film defined by extreme behavior.
Once Jimmy’s Fingers discover Kelson cavorting with a demon (Samson) and believe him to be Old Nick, Jimmy’s standing becomes somewhat tenuous. When the faith of the follower is shaken, can the fall of the prophet not be far behind?
From here, let me just give you some quick hits:
- Best use of Iron Maiden (Number of the Beast) in film.
- A more humanistic look at post-apocalyptic life than previous films, I think.
- There are 2 types of people who will survive in such an environment:
– Those who will do whatever it takes to survive (Jimmy Crystal)
– Those who will do whatever it takes to remember WHY they survive (Kelson) - The idea that Jimmies exist in this world is hilarious, ridiculous, and not at all unexpected, as is the existence and effectiveness of Jimmy Crystal, though his origins might differ from some “villains” such as a Negan-type from The Walking Dead.
- Erin Kellyman is quietly effective as a Jimmy.
- The bulk of the carnage inflicted this long after the Rage virus was released is perpetrated by MAN rather than by the INFECTED.
- The Samson sub-plot had better become the basis of the final film, otherwise it’s a bit of a dead-end of a philosophical exploration.
- 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is already a favorite film of 2026, and while we have a long way to go, I’m sure I’ll be revisiting it at some point.
It really is THAT GOOD.
Not as a horror film, but as a film. Not “elevated horror,” but quality cinema.
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple rages into theaters Friday, January 16, and stars Jack O’Connell, Alfie Williams, Ralph Fiennes, and Emma Laird.
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