A zombie franchise that gets better and better
When we last saw young Spike (Alfie Williams) in “28 Years Later,” we found him finding the doctor Dr. Ian Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) at his bone and skull memorial, losing his mother to cancer, delivering the zombie’s uninfected infant to his island, and meeting the Satanic cult known as the Jimmys. Their leader is Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal (Jack O’Connell) and they also consist of Jimmy Shite (Connor Newall), Jimmy Ink (Erin Kellyman), Jimmy Jones (Maura Bird), Jimmy Snake (Ghazi Al Ruffai), Jimmy Jimmy (Robert Rhodes), Jimmima (Emma Laird), and Jimmy Fox (Sam Locke). Don’t let their blond wigs, “Teletubbies” fan base, and colored jumpsuits fool you. You can tell they’re evil, especially by the way the leader wears his crucifix necklace upside down.
That continuation of Danny Boyle and Alex Garland’s “28 Days Later” made my Top 10 Best of 2025 list for its ability to ask questions, have bloody zombie attacks, and conjure up powerful emotions. And now that we immediately have a continuation with subtitle “The Bone Temple,” I think it’s safe to say: not only should have both movies been released on a double bill last year, but if this great sequel came out in January, then we have a lot more to look forward to in 2026.
I’ve been hearing a lot of ambition from movie-goers online about “Avengers: Doomsday,” “Scream 7,” “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie,” “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” and “Toy Story 5,” among others. We’re even getting a fifth “Jackass” movie this June. But for now, let’s talk about “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple.”
As the film begins, the Jimmys force young Spike to engage in a fight to the death orientation, which he wins and earns his blonde wig. Besides zombies, they also murder uninfected people to appease as a sacrifice to Satan. As for Spike, Jimmy Ink is the least evil of the cult, based on how she sympathizes with his situation, thus making her a nominal good girl.
And next, Kelsing manages to tame an infected Alpha whom he names Samson (Chi Lewis-Parry), based on his size and hair. He might be able to cure him of the Rage Virus, but it’s hard to say at this point. The doctor does, however, cross paths with Sir Lord Jimmy, who thinks he’s the devil, if he’s covered in iodine and has a memorial out of bones and skulls. That’s why he gives them a drug trip to the tune of Iron Maiden’s “The Number of the Beast.” And that’s the most visually skilled moment in this sequel.
Boyle is the producer, while Garland is the writer and co-producer, and the new director is Nia DaCosta. And even the original “28 Days Later” star Cillian Murphy is an executive producer and reprises his role as Jim. They all develop a zombie sequel that questions about whether or not the Rage Virus will have a cure, and shows us the insanity of the Jimmys. Through DaCosta’s direction, the zombie attacks are as loud and bloody, the doctor segments keep pushing themselves to new limits, and the cult’s behaviors are as haunting and wickedly entertaining as one might expect. Kudos to the great performances from Fiennes, O’Connell, and Lewis-Parry, and their abilities to merge well within the genre.
I think “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple” is the sequel I wanted out of “Avatar: Fire & Ash.” It knows how to develop on the world these people now live in, it doesn’t always take the easy way out, it doesn’t rely on the same old tricks to keep the spirit alive, and it uses great visuals and performances to ignite everything. And believe me, there will be flames.
