This review contains no major spoilers for 28 Years Later or 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
Just six months after the release of 28 Years Later, which was itself a sequel to the 2002 cult classic 28 Days Later, the continuation of this story has been released to theatres in the form of The Bone Temple.
Never skipping a beat on bringing a remarkable level of creativity to the apocalypse-horror genre, Danny Boyle (director of the original 28DL) returned for last year’s film, utilizing such stylistic choices in the action scenes and otherwise that I had no choice but to put the movie in the top half of my top 10 films of 2025 list.
This placement was also in no small part due to the excellent work of Alex Garland, the franchise’s long-time writer, who seemingly thrived in switching up the pace from the original films to a world where the virus has become an established part of life. In 28 Years Later, Garland introduces Spike (Alfie Williams) a young boy who serves as the protagonist both in that film and in The Bone Temple.
As a concept on its own, it’s already interesting enough for the film to focus on Spike. He’s a pre-teen boy in a United Kingdom that has been overrun by the rage virus for 28 years; he has never known any other life.
But for me, especially in the first 28 Years Later, it’s the execution that fully realizes this idea. Every decision Spike makes, all of his character growth, it’s so clearly shaped by his secluded life in this terrifying world. This makes for, simply put, one of the most fascinating character studies in modern horror.
It’s here, though, that The Bone Temple falters a little bit in what made 28 Years Later so great. While the first film is a grounded look at Spike, what he must do, what he wants to do, and life in the world defined by the virus, The Bone Temple snatches Spike out of this environment, puts him in a bizarre, convoluted situation, and has an entire B-plot that doesn’t involve Spike whatsoever until the very end of the film.
The B-plot in question is that of Dr. Ian Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) as he continues his journey in finding a cure for the rage virus. Through a developing and methodically constructed relationship with a rage-affected ‘alpha’, we get to see Kelson, in all of his peculiarity, attempt to cure what has defined so much of his life.
Kelson’s side of the film is done so well that it is both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, every scene focusing on this character and his journey is phenomenal, up there with the best to ever come out of the 28DL franchise. On the other hand, though, this being such a big part of the movie necessarily means that Spike’s development, the most remarkable part of 28 Years Later, is largely overshadowed.
As much of a criticism as this is, though, and without going into spoilers, I must say that this film ends in such a way where I am incredibly hopeful that the planned 3rd film in the 28 Years Later trilogy will bring together the best of both worlds. As these two plots begun to line up and implicate the future of the franchise, it felt like the best writing in the franchise since Cillian Murphy’s character mirrored the rage virus in his own actions way back in the original 28 Days Later.
Throughout the film, there were multiple moments that made the audience gasp; developments so important to the franchise as a whole that they elicited reactions from the crowd. And for something that I’d still consider to be a cult-classic-esque movie, that was lovely to see.
All in all, it’s sort of difficult to pinpoint exactly where I stand on 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple right now. I definitely loved it, and it’s certainly another worthwhile addition to the franchise, but with time I can see it either being my favourite 28DL film, or my 3rd favourite, only above 28 Weeks Later. Beyond some of the poor pacing and the halt in the development of Spike’s character, there was so much to love here. Whatever happens from here on in, Alex Garland has continued to innovate in the apocalypse subgenre.
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