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Movie Review: ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’
Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) in Columbia Pictures’ ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’. Photo: Miya Mizuno. © 2025 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Opening in theaters June 16 is ‘28 Years Later: The Bone Temple‘, directed by Nia DaCosta and starring Ralph Fiennes, Alfie Williams, and Jack O’Connell.
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Related Article: ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’ Cast Interview

Initial Thoughts

(L to R) Samson (Chi Lewis-Parry) and Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) in Columbia Pictures’ ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’. Photo: Miya Mizuno. © 2025 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

‘28 Years Later‘ is enjoyable for what it is, but one of the biggest takeaways is that it was clearly a set-up for the follow-up film, ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’. While viewers could surely watch the latter without seeing either of the previous films, they will enjoy it much more if they know the lore and backstories of these characters.

Story and Direction

Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) in Columbia Pictures’ ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’. Photo: Miya Mizuno. © 2025 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

The story picks up almost immediately after the events of ’28 Years Later’ as Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal (Jack O’Connell) is seen putting young Spike (Alfie Williams) to the test. This is a brilliant introduction to the villain of the film, as it becomes clear just how deranged and selfish he is during this fight. His fingers, which is what he calls his child followers, know no better to believe in this man who thinks he is the son of Satan. This sets up for some truly dark, twisted, and gory events that are much on par with the previous two films.

On the other side of things, we have Ralph Fiennes’ Dr. Ian Kelson, whom we got to know a lot about in the previous film. This time he strikes up an unlikely “friendship” with the Alpha Infected Samson (Chi Lewis-Parry). Both of these plot points are captivating in their own way, as we move towards the climax of the film (which does not disappoint). The cinematography and Nia DaCosta’s directing choices are the best in the franchise, without a doubt. Being up close and personal with so many characters allows us to feel what they are feeling, whether it be terror, happiness, or peace.

Cast and Performances

Sir Jimmy Crystal (Jack O’Connell) with the Jimmies in Columbia Pictures’ ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’. Photo: Miya Mizuno. © 2025 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Jack O’Connell will always and forever make a great villain. His role in ‘Sinners‘ is unforgettable, but he does something so phenomenal in ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’ that he will surely be remembered for it as well. This is a career-best performance for him. He is a mentally unstable man who is drawn to violence. Throughout the entire movie, he is captivating, yes, but it is the third act where he really shines.

The same can be said for Ralph Fiennes, who has a lot of incredible roles under his belt, but you have never seen him like this before. What he does, especially in that third act, is going to be talked about for years to come. Chi Lewis-Parry is also given a lot more to play with this time around, and he proves why he should be on many studios’ radars.

Final Thoughts

(L to R) Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) and Sir Jimmy Crystal (Jack O’Connell) in Columbia Pictures’ ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’. Photo: Courtesy of Sony Pictures. © 2025 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’ sets the bar high for 2026 films. Thanks to brilliant performances all around, a story that will have viewers on the edge of their seats, and some well placed jump scares, it is an unforgettable movie that ends the beloved franchise perfectly.

While the studio could certainly discover more story to be told, there is no need, as the ending just feels right.

’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’ receives a score of 90 out of 100.

(L to R) Jimmy Ink (Erin Kellyman) and Sir Jimmy Crystal (Jack O’Connell) with the Jimmies in Columbia Pictures’ ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’. Photo: Miya Mizuno. © 2025 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

What is the plot of ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’?

Taking place after the events of the previous film, Spike (Alfie Williams) is inducted into Sir Jimmy Crystal’s (Jack O’Connell) gang of acrobatic killers in a post-apocalyptic Britain ravaged by the Rage Virus. Meanwhile, Dr Ian Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) forms a new relationship with potentially world changing consequences.

Who is in the cast of ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’?
- Ralph Fiennes as Dr. Ian Kelson
- Jack O’Connell as Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal
- Alfie Williams as Spike
- Erin Kellyman as Jimmy Ink
- Chi Lewis-Parry as “Samson”
- Emma Laird as Jimmima
- Maura Bird as Jimmy Jones
- Ghazi Al Ruffai as Jimmy Snake
- Sam Locke as Jimmy Fox
’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’ opens in theaters on January 16th.

List of Films in the ’28’ Franchise:
- ‘28 Days Later‘ (2003)
- ‘28 Weeks Later‘ (2007)
- ‘28 Years Later‘ (2025)
- ‘28 Years Later: The Bone Temple‘ (2026)
Buy Tickets: ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’ Movie Showtimes

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January 13, 2026
’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’ Cast Interview
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Opening in theaters on January 16th is ‘28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’, which is a follow up to last summer’s ’28 Years Later’ and is the fourth installment of the ‘28 Days Later‘ franchise.
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Written by Alex Garland (‘Civil War’), produced by Danny Boyle (’Steve Jobs’) and directed by Nia DaCosta (‘The Marvels’), the film stars returning franchise actors Ralph Fiennes (‘Conclave’) as Dr. Ian Kelson, Alfie Williams (‘His Dark Materials’) as Spike, Jack O’Connell (‘Sinners’) as Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal, and Chi Lewis-Parry (’The Running Man’) as Samson, as well as new addition to the series, Erin Kellyman (‘Eleanor the Great’).

(L to R) Chi Lewis-Parry and Ralph Fiennes star in ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’.

Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Ralph Fiennes and Chi Lewis-Parry about their work on ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’, reprising their characters from ’28 Years Later,’ working together to create their characters unusual friendship on screen, and director Nia DaCosta’s unique vision for this world.

You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Fiennes, Lewis-Parry, and Erin Kellyman.

Related Article: Movie Review: ’28 Years Later’

Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) in Columbia Pictures’ ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’. Photo: Miya Mizuno. © 2025 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Moviefone: To begin with, Ralph, can you talk about having the opportunity to play this character over the course of two films and what were some of the aspects of this character you were excited to explore this time around that you didn’t get a chance to explore in the last movie?

Ralph Fiennes: Well, yes, it’s great. Look, it’s great to play a part over two films. I don’t think I’ve done it before. No, of course I have with Voldemort (in the ‘Harry Potter’ series) and M (in the James Bond movies), I suppose. But this narrative is more in favor of Kelson’s story and Samson’s story together. Alex (Garland) has written a great part. We understand he’s a doctor, he takes palliative care of Jodie Comer‘s character in the last film. We understand he has that doctor’s instinct for care but he’s in a situation where he’s reliant on survival techniques. But I think this heightens his medical curiosity, which is also a human curiosity, isn’t it? If I want to cure someone, it’s because I believe in the value of mending a fellow human being. I think that’s totally innate to Kelson. His desire to mend, heal, and where he must accept death, it’s a recognition of the life that has been lived by the person who has died. I think he’s profoundly connected to the human experience and what it is to have lived and died. He’s got a mixture of the medic and the philosopher, and I think that’s explored in this. We see his goodness, and in the end, he puts himself on the line to protect young Spike (Alfie Williams). I think he’s a good guy.

Samson (Chi Lewis-Parry) in Columbia Pictures’ ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’. Photo: Miya Mizuno. © 2025 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

MF: Chi, what was your approach to playing Samson and what are the challenges of portraying a character who is infected?

Chi Lewis-Parry: The cold, that was a big challenge. Dealing with the cold while being mostly naked, I found that the cold can really zap your energy. Samson is a very high energy character, and if he’s not high energy, he’s sitting or lying down, and again, exposed to the cold. It’s a mental state. Once the mind gives up, I feel like the body follows and then you’re in an uncontrollable shiver and that’s not good on camera. There was a mental stamina that I had to have to still appear like this big physically imposing destroyer in Samson. It was tough but manageable.

Nia DaCosta (director, ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’) at CinemaCon 2025 for Sony Pictures at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace on March 31, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Photo by Stewart Cook/Sony Pictures via Getty Images.

MF: Ralph, what was it like working with director Nia DaCosta and can you talk about her unique vision for this world?

RF: Well, she was intent to come with a different filming approach. I think she made that clear to Danny (Boyle) and Alex, she didn’t want to ever attempt to imitate Danny’s directorial style. She came with a forensic delicacy. She loves the closeups and what’s going on inside the face of someone. The closeup is a great magnifier of human thought in a life and I think she’s edited the film to allow the closeups to breathe and I like that.

(L to R) Samson (Chi Lewis-Parry) and Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) in Columbia Pictures’ ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’. Photo: Miya Mizuno. © 2025 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

MF: Chi, can you talk about Samson’s unusual friendship with Dr. Kelson and what it was like working on the relationship with Ralph?

CLP: It was a complete dream come true. The relationship on screen is very much the relationship we have in real life because I have an affection for the man. I don’t hide it. If anything, I celebrate it. I think to have discovered a friend in this medium, I suppose, is odd and rare, especially one with such affection because I adore him, and he knows that. I’m so proud of being a part of this wonderful experience, and this wonderful film. I can’t wait for the universe to see it.

Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) in Columbia Pictures’ ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’. © 2025 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

MF: Finally, Ralph, what was your experience like working with Chi on this project?

RF: Working with Chi was wonderful. He’s generous. He’s committed. He’s always present, ready to go, and ready to give of himself in the moment. That’s what you want with a good screen partner is that we dance together literally but we also dance together in our energies. He doesn’t speak much but all these scenes, he was transmitting feelings and thoughts and interior impulses which I could see in his face. That’s stuff just emerged between us. He comes onto the set with this wonderful generosity of spirit, and that’s rare.

(L to R) Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) and Sir Jimmy Crystal (Jack O’Connell) in Columbia Pictures’ ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’. Photo: Courtesy of Sony Pictures. © 2025 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

What is the plot of ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’?

Taking place after the events of the previous film, Spike (Alfie Williams) is inducted into Sir Jimmy Crystal’s (Jack O’Connell) gang of acrobatic killers in a post-apocalyptic Britain ravaged by the Rage Virus. Meanwhile, Dr Ian Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) forms a new relationship with potentially world changing consequences.

Who is in the cast of ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’?
- Ralph Fiennes as Dr. Ian Kelson
- Jack O’Connell as Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal
- Alfie Williams as Spike
- Erin Kellyman as Jimmy Ink
- Chi Lewis-Parry as “Samson”
- Emma Laird as Jimmima
- Maura Bird as Jimmy Jones
- Ghazi Al Ruffai as Jimmy Snake
- Sam Locke as Jimmy Fox
’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’ opens in theaters on January 16th.

List of Films in the ’28’ Franchise:
- ‘28 Days Later‘ (2003)
- ‘28 Weeks Later‘ (2007)
- ‘28 Years Later‘ (2025)
- ‘28 Years Later: The Bone Temple‘ (2026)
Buy Tickets: ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’ Movie Showtimes

Buy Ralph Fiennes Movies On Amazon
January 12, 2026
Sony Moving Forward with Third ‘28 Years Later’ Movie
(L to R) Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and his son Spike (Alfie Williams) in Columbia Pictures’ ’28 Years Later’. Photo: Sony Pictures. © 2024 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Preview:
- Sony is giving the thumbs up to a third ‘28 Years Later’ movie.
- Alex Garland is writing the script.
- Cillian Murphy may appear in the film.
Good news for anyone who enjoyed director Danny Boyle’s return to the world of ‘28 Days Later’ with this year’s ‘28 Years Later’: he and collaborator Alex Garland will get to complete their trilogy, according to Deadline.
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The news comes as studio backers Sony are seeing very positive early buzz for the second film in the planned trilogy, ‘28 Years Later: The Bone Temple,’ directed by Nia DaCosta.

Related Article: ’28 Years Later’ Ending Is Dividing Audiences, But Here Is Why It Works

What’s the story of ‘28 Years Later’?

(L to R) Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and his son Spike (Alfie Williams) in Columbia Pictures’ ’28 Years Later’. Photo: Sony Pictures.

‘28 Years Later,’ as the title suggests, picks up nearly three decades since London –– and the rest of the UK–– was overtaken by a virus that turned its victims into rage-filled monsters who savage their victims in 2002’s ’28 Days Later’.

While the “Z” word is never used, the Infected, for all their fast speed, are certainly a take on the zombie genre.

‘28 Weeks Later’, which was directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, picked up the story months later as the country is slowly cleared of the infected, with evacuated civilians returning –– even as the danger persists.
Boyle’s recent movie explores what life is like for the people who are making a go of living in the country –– and the fact that while the Infected are still a threat, the original movie’s theme of man’s inhumanity to man, even in the case of a unifying situation, also emerges.

The story of young Spike (Alfie Williams), the main survivor we met in that film will continue in the ‘Bone Temple’ alongside that of Ralph Fiennes’ Dr. Kelson, who has his own dealings with the infected. And it’ll also have more of a focus on the weird Sir Jimmy Crystal (Jack O’Connell), the weird warrior who pops up at the end.

Who is involved in the third ‘28 Years Later’ movie?

Cillian Murphy in 2002’s ’28 Days Later.’ Photo: Fox Searchlight Pictures.

Alongside the returning cast, Garland –– who has written and produced the movies so far –– is back on script duty, and there is the distinct possibility that Boyle might also direct this one.

Plus, Oscar winner Cillian Murphy –– who played Jim in the original ‘28 Days Later’ (and –– spoiler alert –– shows up in ‘The Bone Temple’) is likely to have a meatier role in the new film.

When will the third ‘28 Years Later’ movie be in theaters?

The third movie has yet to be formally announced by Sony, but since ‘The Bone Temple’ was shot shortly after ‘28 Years Later,’ that will be in cinemas sooner rather than later: January 16, to be exact.

Nia DaCosta (director, ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’) at CinemaCon 2025 for Sony Pictures at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace on March 31, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Photo by Stewart Cook/Sony Pictures via Getty Images.

List of Films in the Franchise:
- ‘28 Days Later‘ (2003)
- ‘28 Weeks Later‘ (2007)
- ‘28 Years Later‘ (2025)
- ‘28 Years Later: The Bone Temple‘ (2026)
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December 12, 2025
’28 Years Later’ Ending May Be Divisive, But It Works
(L to R) Spike (Alfie Williams), Isla (Jodie Comer) and Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) in Columbia Pictures’ ’28 Years Later’. Photo: Sony Pictures. © 2024 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Preview:
- ’28 Years Later’ has an ending that is dividing audiences.
- The ending is a perfect transition into the next film, ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’.
- The final scene could have been an end-credit scene.
SPOILER ALERT: Some spoilers for ‘28 Years Later’ below.

The ending of ‘28 Years Later‘ is getting people to talk about the movie, that’s for sure. Some love it, some hate it, some are indifferent to it, but either way you look at it, that final scene is splitting audiences. People online have gone so far as to say that the end completely ruined the movie for them.

While it does shift the movie tonally, it feels as if there is a reason for that. Nia DaCosta‘s follow-up, ‘28 Years Later: The Bone Temple‘, releases January 16, 2026, and this is likely a transition into that. It also ties together the opening scene as well as hints that were sprinkled throughout the film in an interesting way.
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’28 Years Later’ takes place, you guessed it, 28 years after the infection prominently featured in ‘28 Days Later‘ and ‘28 Weeks Later‘ started. It is not necessary to have seen the other movies, as this one follows a new group of people and does a decent job of catching viewers up on where they need to be to understand it.

Spike (Alfie Williams) has turned twelve and his father Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) believes it is time for him to go zombie hunting on the mainland and get his first kill. His mother, Isla (Jodie Comer), is very sick, although they do not know with what. After discovering there is a doctor on the mainland, he leaves the safety of his community with her to try to help her.

What follows is a terrifying adventure as they navigate a plethora of zombies and threats – including a pregnant zombie who births a non-infected child, something that will surely come back around later.

Related Article: As Intense As Ever, it Feels Like No Time Has Passed in ’28 Years Later’

’28 Years Later’ Ending Explained

(L to R) Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and his son Spike (Alfie Williams) in Columbia Pictures’ ’28 Years Later’. Photo: Sony Pictures. © 2024 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

After Spike drops a newborn baby off at his community, he decides that he needs some time to clear his head and wander the countryside. You see, this movie has always been about him. About his relationship with his parents and his journey into adulthood. The trailers showcased Spike and Jamie, but that was in an effort to keep a lot of surprises, twists, and turns hidden so audiences can experience them on the big screen.

As he is cooking fish and relaxing, a zombie horde attacks. He holds his own for a while, but thankfully Jimmy (Jack O’Connell) shows up with some friends to take down the rest of the horde in a wild, ridiculous, over-the-top, yet extremely fun action sequences. The internet is calling this group Power Rangers and the Tracksuit Mafia, because they all wear brightly colored outits. Jimmy wears a crown on his head and definitely a weird guy, but this is not the first time we have seen him.

The opening scene showed a young Jimmy at the start of the infection. His father was a priest and welcomed the zombies, claiming that it was a prophecy being fulfilled. Jimmy hid in the church as he watched his father be devoured, so it makes sense that his brain might have snapped a little at that moment.

While we did not see him at all throughout the rest of the movie, we did see his name a few times. It was carved into the hanging zombie that Spike and his father come across early on, as well as written on one of the walls that they passed. There are likely even more references to him that eagle-eyed viewers can spot.

There Is A Method To The Madness

(L to R) Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) and Spike (Alfie Williams) in Columbia Pictures’ ’28 Years Later’. Photo: Sony Pictures. © 2024 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

It might seem like this final scene comes completely out of left field, but it instantly felt like a transition into the next movie. Looking around the internet, so many have forgotten about Nia DaCosta’s ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’ and the fact that it not only was shot together with this movie, but that it is releasing in January.

When a director takes over the franchise for another director, often they collaborate on the pivotal scene that leads from one to another. For example, The Russo Brothers directed the end-credit scene in ‘Thunderbolts*‘ because it is going to lead into ‘Avengers: Doomsday‘. Surely she had some involvement, and potentially even directed this divisive scene.

Jack O’Connell shined in ‘Sinners‘ as Remmick, a cenuries-old vampire who has some quirks of his own. He is a little weird and a little twisted, so it should come as no surprise that he is channeling a little bit of that into his ’28 Years Later’ character, Jimmy. Plus, it makes sense storywise for him to be a little off.

The Ending Would Have Been Easier To Digest As An End-Credit Scene

Nia DaCosta (director, ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’), (L) and Danny Boyle (director, ’28 Years Later’) at CinemaCon 2025 for Sony Pictures at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace on March 31, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Sony Pictures via Getty Images.

All of this to say that the final sequence should have been an end-credit scene. This would have helped audiences separate the two with it not being such a stark difference from the majority of the movie, and certainly the third act. The tonal shift seems to be what it holding a lot of people back from allowing themselves to not only enjoy it, but to get excited about what is coming next.

It would have been easy enough to start rolling the credits when Spike was cooking the fish, but then during a mid-credit or end-credit scene show the zombie horde attacking with the lead-in to him meeting Jimmy and his crew. This would have helped viewers to see this as the start of the next movie, rather than an ending that comes out of nowhere for this one.

(L to R) Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes), Isla (Jodie Comer) and Spike (Alfie Williams) in Columbia Pictures’ ’28 Years Later’. Photo: Sony Pictures. © 2024 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Who is in the cast of ’28 Years Later’?
- Jodie Comer as Isla
- Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Jamie
- Ralph Fiennes as Dr. Ian Kelson
- Alfie Williams as Spike
- Christopher Fulford as Sam
- Edvin Ryding as Erik Sundqvist
- Chi Lewis-Parry as Samson
- Jack O’Connell as Sir Jimmy Crystal
(L to R) Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and his son Spike (Alfie Williams) in Columbia Pictures’ ’28 Years Later’. Photo: Sony Pictures.

Movies Similar to ‘28 Years Later’:
- ‘Night of the Living Dead’ (1968)
- ‘Dawn of the Dead’ (1979)
- ‘Day of the Dead’ (1985)
- ‘28 Days Later‘ (2003)
- ‘Dawn of the Dead‘ (2004)
- ‘Shaun of the Dead‘ (2004)
- ‘28 Weeks Later‘ (2007)
- ‘Zombieland‘ (2009)
- ‘World War Z‘ (2013)
- ‘Warm Bodies‘ (2013)
- ‘Army of the Dead‘ (2021)
Buy Tickets: ’28 Years Later’ Movie Showtimes

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June 27, 2025