28 Years Later: The Bone Temple Review: I went into The Bone Temple with low expectations. I’d seen maybe one trailer. That was it. These days, trailers give away the whole movie, and I’ve learned my lesson. So I walked in mostly blind, and honestly, that helped.
Here’s the thing: this movie is technically a spin-off, but it doesn’t feel like one. It feels like a straight-up continuation of 28 Years Later. Same world, same scars, same emotional weight. Just a slightly different angle. And yeah, for a while, it feels like two movies fighting for space.
My Rating: 3.5/5
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Movie Title | 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple |
| Franchise | 28 Days / 28 Weeks / 28 Years Later Universe |
| Genre | Horror, Post-Apocalyptic, Thriller |
| Director | Danny Boyle |
| Writer | Alex Garland |
| Starring | Ray Fiennes, Alfie Williams |
| Runtime | Approx. 1h 49m |
| Release Year | 2026 |
| Rating | R |
The Spike Story: Familiar, But Effective
We pick up with Spike, right where 28 Years Later left him. He falls in with a group that looks like Spinal Tap if they were raised in a nightmare cult. Seriously, leather, madness, dead eyes, and a leader who radiates pure menace.
This section of the movie is tense as hell. Not because it’s original, it isn’t, but because it’s executed well. We’ve seen this setup before: sadistic leader, fear-based control, a kid too scared to make a move. It works because Spike is a kid. He’s not a hardened survivor. When someone tells him, “If you run, I’ll kill you,” he believes it.
You’re not rooting for some clever escape plan. You’re rooting for him not to break. There were moments where I thought, Okay, this is drifting into torture-porn territory, and I won’t lie, 2026 is not pulling punches with that stuff. Still, the tension holds. I never checked my watch.
Ray Fiennes Is the Movie’s Secret Weapon
What actually makes The Bone Temple memorable: Ray Fiennes. He plays the doctor, the man behind the Bone Temple itself, and even though the movie is named after his domain, he oddly feels like a supporting character… at first.
His obsession? Whether the infected still have traces of humanity left inside them. That question shouldn’t feel new in a zombie movie. But somehow, here, it does.
Maybe it’s because this franchise has always treated the infected as something scarier than traditional zombies. They’re not undead. They’re sick. And that changes the moral math. If they’re sick, then the idea of a cure, however remote, becomes impossible to ignore.
Fiennes sells this completely. There’s a dry, matter-of-fact way he speaks, like he’s thinking out loud and forgetting other people are in the room. At one point, the entire theater laughed—not because the moment was a joke, but because his delivery was so blunt and fearless, it looped back around to being fun. Every scene with him elevated the movie. No exaggeration.
Does It All Come Together?
Surprisingly? Yes. I kept wondering how Spike’s survival story and the Bone Temple’s philosophical angle were supposed to merge into one film. By the end, they do. Cleanly. Naturally. Without feeling forced.
And that’s what impressed me most. I was never bored. The movie never fully lost its identity. And unlike 28 Years Later, it didn’t feel like it switched genres halfway through. Is it perfect? Not even close. Is it worth watching? Absolutely.
I walked out realizing something important: I’d completely forgotten it was still January. That’s always a good sign.
Also Read: Greenland 2: Migration Review — The Sequel That Forgot Why the First One Worked
The Good & Bad In The Bone Temple
| What Worked | What Didn’t |
|---|---|
| Ray Fiennes delivers a standout performance that anchors the film | The cult storyline leans heavily on familiar apocalypse tropes |
| Strong tension, especially in Spike’s early scenes | The sadistic leader sometimes veers into cartoonish territory |
| Thought-provoking take on infected vs “undead” | Some plot ideas feel like they arrived 20 years late |
| Dark humor lands unexpectedly well | A few moments flirt with excess brutality |
| Never feels boring or disjointed | Supporting characters outside Fiennes lack depth |
Final Verdict On The Bone Temple
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple isn’t reinventing the apocalypse. It’s not trying to. What it does instead is use old ideas with confidence, backed by one genuinely great performance and a tone that knows exactly how grim it wants to be.
Ray Fiennes carries this movie on his back and somehow makes it fun doing it. If you’re invested in the 28 universe, this is an easy recommendation. If you’re just tired of lifeless zombie movies, this one at least has a pulse.
No alcohol required. Just a strong stomach and an appreciation for dry, fearless acting. Rating: 3.5 / 5
