28 Years Later: The Bone Temple Review
- Viktoria
- Apr 14
- 5 min read
Director: Nia DaCosta
Year of release: 2026
Countries of origin: United Kingdom, United States, Canada
Spoiler status: No spoilers
Genre: Slow-burn horror
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple was one of the most anticipated movies of the first quarter of 2026. Coming as a new addition to one of the best-known zombie franchises, this one was highly anticipated. 28 Years Later left fans questioning some of Danny Boyle's directing choices, so I was eager to see whether The Bone Temple would address those issues. The movie was nicely balanced and clear, without any weird shifts in tone. The writers created a captivating, intense story that puts humans in the role of the monsters. I've never rooted for a zombie before, but this movie changed that. Samson's story was definitely one of the highlights of this movie, showing that a little bit of humanity can go a long way.
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple isn't your typical zombie movie, so if you expect hordes of brain-eating creatures attacking people, this won't be a good fit for you. This one is for the people who don't mind a more human-centered take on the zombie subgenre.
The Good
When one thinks of a zombie movie, they probably think of the military presence, killing the infected, and focusing on finding the cure. Even though these were all major elements in previous installments of the franchise, Nia DaCosta took this one in a completely different direction. The bloodthirsty creatures barely show up in the movie. Instead, DaCosta decided to show humanity's dark side, turning them into the true monsters of this story. The Jimmies are a crazy, delusional group of people who enjoy terrorizing anyone they come across. They represent everything that's wrong with humanity, or better said, everything wrong with the human potential. Humans are capable of doing terrible things even with active authority. Imagine what would happen if that authority disappeared. I guess we don't have to, since it's shown in detail in the movie. But we all know that every coin has two sides. In this case, the other side would be Dr. Kelson, played by the wonderful Ralph Fiennes. He represents everything good in humanity. He survived 28 years of this hell, building his bone monument and focusing on the beauty of chaos. In a world where everything is doomed, a character who still dares to be optimistic and kind is a breath of fresh air. This movie shows the duality of existence without making it super existential or cringeworthy. And even though this movie has a lot of good things going for it, unfortunately, I can't say it's perfect.
The Bad
The Bone Temple doesn't have many flaws. In fact, the only real flaw I can think of is the pace. It either felt rushed or snail-paced; there was barely any in-between. I definitely understand the need for the slow pace. It's needed for building dread and the feeling of helplessness in the audience. But was dragging it out to this extent really necessary? For me, it took away from the horror aspect of the movie. Moments that could've been intense and/or dreadful turned into boring. Let's take the flaying scene in the barn, for example. I have a nagging feeling that by making it last longer than it should have, they tried to maximize the feeling of unease and disgust. The scene still would've had the same effect even if it were a bit shorter and snappier, but instead they dragged it out, and it lost a bit of intensity in the process. Also, making Cathy sit through the horror that unfolded in that barn just so she would kill one person, beat up a kid, and then disappear for the rest of the movie doesn't exactly make sense. I'm sure she'll have a bigger role in the third installment of the new trilogy, but this kind of introduction was sudden, rushed, and honestly just clumsy. Luckily, the pacing issues didn't stop the actors from doing an incredible job.
The Performance
We already knew Ralph Fiennes would do a great job. Any team that casts him is in for a treat, because this man is an incredible actor with a wide range. The actor who actually surprised me was Jack O'Connell, who played Sir Jimmy Crystal. I'm not entirely familiar with his work, so I didn't know what to expect from him in The Bone Temple. And boy, was I pleasantly surprised. When you start feeling actual hate towards a character in a movie, you know the actor did a great job. And let me tell you, the amount of hate I felt for Jimmy's character while watching the movie was through the roof. Another mention-worthy performance came from Chi Lewis-Parry, who played Samson. One would think that playing a bloodthirsty beast is pretty easy, yet somehow Lewis-Parry took this role and elevated it. From his first scene in the previous movie, he captured the audience's attention. Maybe not with his acting, at first, but we definitely got there in the end. I think we can all agree that Samson is one of the best things about The Bone Temple.
Is 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple worth watching?
Yes. This movie isn't your typical zombie horror. It touches on some deeper topics and issues that usually aren't mentioned in this type of media. And I get it, when you decide to watch a sci-fi horror with brain-eating creatures, you want them to be the center of attention. But on the other hand, this movie depicted the other, more real horrors of our world. A group of easily impressionable people in the hands of a psychotic leader can be deadly. Just turn on the news, and you'll see it yourself. That's why this movie is so scary; it has some extremely realistic elements that will affect you subliminally. It's a commentary on modern-day society. If you want to watch something that has great actors, isn't so on-the-nose, and has a great story, this is the right movie for you. If you haven't watched the movie yet, and you'd like to sneak a peek, you'll find the trailer below.
Rating: 🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple gets a 4/5 because it's enjoyable, and it takes a different approach to zombies and their story. Previous installments were a bit cliché, involving the military, hunting the infected, etc. But The Bone Temple offered a fresh perspective, taking the usual zombie tropes and making them fun again. The only reason it's not 5/5 is the awkward pacing that took away from the horror.
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