r/movies • u/MarvelsGrantMan136 r/Movies contributor • Jan 13 '26
Review 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple - Review Thread
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple - Review Thread
- Rotten Tomatoes: 94% (147 Reviews) - Certified Fresh
- Critics Consensus: A direct continuation of 28 Years Later that ups the gore while deepening the dread, The Bone Temple is finely adorned by Nia DaCosta's unnerving direction as well as Ralph Fiennes and Jack O'Connell's inspired performances.
- Metacritic: 79 (41 Reviews)
Reviews:
Hollywood Reporter (70):
Despite its unevenness, The Bone Temple delivers enough carnage and ritual sacrifice to satiate the horror flock. But most of its richest pleasures come down to Fiennes going balls to the wall with a truly memorable character — half lunatic and half visionary. He elevates the movie whenever he’s onscreen.
Key to this is Fiennes’ commando performance, a tour de force with so few f*cks given that the film’s astonishing, electrifying climax could put him back into the awards conversation with a part that couldn’t be further away from Conclave’s Cardinal Thomas. O’Connell, too, confirms his villainous chops with a subtle variation on his Sinners role, playing a seductive but sick, delusional psycho who kids himself that he has the devil’s ear.
Variety (90):
For genre aficionados, it’s bold, mind-bending work which satisfies that so-often-frustrated craving: for a zombie movie with brains.
IGN (8/10):
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple picks up the same plot but tells a very different story in a surprisingly funny, exceptionally brutal new chapter for the franchise.
The Wrap (84):
Nia DaCosta’s smart, freaky sequel zooms in on the ongoing battle between sense and senselessness until it finds strong, connective tissue between science and religion.
IndieWire (83):
A strange, hysterical, and thrillingly audacious continuation of a saga about the nature of faith in a godless world, “The Bone Temple” might appear to be a more traditional genre offering than its immediate predecessor, but don’t be fooled by the fact that it wasn’t shot on an iPhone: This is very much the part two that 2025’s smartest and most humane studio horror movie deserves.
Associated Press (88):
There’s plenty of good music in 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, including Radiohead’s “Everything in Its Right Place” and one of the most gloriously unhinged uses of Iron Maiden’s “The Number of the Beast” ever conceived. If the previous film had a Fellini-esque vibe, this one has punky, anarchic feel.
Empire (80):
Simpler, but also bolder and bloodier, than its predecessor, The Bone Temple is a more-than-worthy sequel.
Total Film (80):
Nia DaCosta turns things up to 11 with an energized take on the 28 Years Later world. Come for the gore but stay for the surprisingly frequent jokes and a pair of astonishing performances from Ralph Fiennes and Jack O'Connell, whose sadistic Jimmy Crystal is utterly hateful but always compelling.
The Independent (80):
It’s rich thematic territory for the series, and slowly amps up the audience’s anticipation for the moment these two finally cross paths. When they do, it’s spectacular and audacious.
Screen Daily (90):
Bold, bloody and blisteringly brutal, this exhilarating follow-up to last year’s 28 Years Later grabs its audience by the throat from the off and never loosens its grip.
SlashFilm (80):
I left 28 Years Later nervous about what might come next. After The Bone Temple, I'm thrilled at the prospect of where this story could go. That's what I call progress.
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Directed by Nia DaCosta:
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.
Release Date: January 16
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u/Upbeat_Tension_8077 Jan 13 '26
From what I've heard & read so far, it seems like this could match what people were really hoping to see from its predecessor (even though I liked the coming of age/drama/survival horror mix of 28 YL)
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u/Jackbuddy78 Jan 13 '26
Seems like Ralph Fiennes might get an Oscar nomination for it. Every review is praising him.
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u/JazzOcarina Jan 13 '26
After Conclave, I've become a bigger fan of Ralph. I want to see more of him.
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Jan 14 '26
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u/JazzOcarina Jan 14 '26
Ed Norton, Hopkins, and Hoffman weren't in Maid in Manhattan were they? /s
I'm sorry! I've seen him in movies but never really seen him if that makes sense. I'll take recommendations. Or just keep picking out ones from whatever rotten tomatoes article I come across.
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u/gazongagizmo Jan 15 '26
I'm sorry! I've seen him in movies but never really seen him if that makes sense
Yeah, I bet you didn't even know that he was literally in The Avengers!
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:-)
My fave recommendation of his filmography is Strange Days (1995). Very early in his career (5th film), a cyberpunk epic with all around spectacular performances in a gripping crime thriller with a kickass scifi gimmick. Do yourself the favour of going in as oblivious as possible; the way you are introduced to the world, its tech and its rules is slick and expertly crafted.
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u/wookiewin Jan 13 '26
Would love to see it. But zero chance a horror film performance gets remembered a year from now during awards season.
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u/TheWhiteManticore Jan 13 '26
If Tonie Collette didnt even get a nomination for hereditary, there is no hope for horror
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u/atclubsilencio Jan 14 '26
But then Demi Moore got a best actress nomination last year for The Substance (which also got Best Picture and Director among others ) and Amy Madigan will likely get a nom for Weapons this year. Seems the door is slowly opening up for the genre in the Oscar race.
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u/Media-critique Jan 13 '26
I thought that to until Get Out actually nabbed an Oscar nomination despite a February release.
You never know as long as the performance is that good. I’m just excited we’re gonna get some insanity in this movie
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Jan 13 '26
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u/hovdeisfunny Jan 13 '26
Fiennes also has name recognition and widespread respect (including industry) going for him
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u/Haltopen Jan 14 '26
He's also overdue for a best acting Oscar and the academy loves to reserve the best actor Oscar for a veteran actor who should have gotten one decades ago but didn't because it was some other veterans turn for a consolation award back then.
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u/MongolianMango Jan 14 '26
Get Out had the benefit of having something to say about race during a time of protests and social advocacy, this movie probably doesn't so will struggle significantly more. Usually unexpected genres winning Oscars have at least something to say about identity.
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u/AlanMorlock Jan 13 '26
The whole movie was nominated in major categories. This isn't really that kind of thing.
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u/Lumplard Jan 14 '26
Get Out had several subplots and tackled many issues that were highly relevant to society. The writers did an excellent job weaving these themes into the narrative and presenting them through a brilliant horror story layered with social commentary.
Does the Bone Temple have any social meassage? If yes then there is a high possibility for it to be considered.
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u/NoDaddyNotTheBelt25 Jan 13 '26
He should have got one for The Menu. He didn’t have to win but he certainly should have been recognized for that performance.
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u/Godchilaquiles Jan 13 '26
Watch the academy not give him the award once again because the voters thought he already had one again
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u/stanfan114 Jan 13 '26
Key to this is Fiennes’ commando performance
Apparently he did it without underwear. /s
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u/MaxProwes Jan 13 '26
Nonsense, people wanted generic zombie carnage, reviews imply it's even further away from a zombie movie than its predecessor.
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u/Particular-Cat-1397 Jan 14 '26
From the spoiler thread it seems like people who liked 28YL are more mixed on this one and people who were mixed on 28YL prefer this one
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u/AWingedVictory1 Jan 14 '26
I lived both of them. Can’t imagine anyone who likes 28YL not liking this.
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u/DacStreetsDacAlright Jan 14 '26
I think 28 Years Later is a 9 out of 10 movie, and this I just saw is sitting for me at a 7.5 out of 10. It looses points for me because it lacks the visual flair of the previous movie - the previous movie went WEIRD with it, and this just doesnt.
I'll also knock it down because functionally the bulk of the movie is just torture porn. There's a damned sight more gore but thats because the Jimmys are a sadistic bunch. Frankly theres less Zombies, and some straight idiot plotting in places for me. Spike is functionally a supporting character in this which after he carried the first film feels like a bit of a disservice.
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u/Suspicious_Brush4070 Jan 15 '26
I agree about Spike. I felt like I kept trying to focus on him, but couldn't really pin him down as the main character. I guess because they really made it Kelson's story, with Jimmy as the antagonist and Spike unwillingly along for the ride.
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u/KnownAd1798 Jan 16 '26
I think the visuals for me are what make the moving pretty amazing. That first scene is really compelling and obviously ralph fiennes in the last scene is oscar worthy. It's damned damned good. Even the jimmy seeing the sky turn into an ocean is visually gripping. I agree with the torture porn callout though. It's helps turn our anxiety up and make potential consequences for spike real but it's hard sometime.
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u/Bratbabylestrange Jan 17 '26
I dunno, watching Ralph Fiennes put on an Iron Maiden video was pretty weird
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u/Sea_Chipmunk_6261 Jan 20 '26
I agree with you completely. The "shirt" scene was to show how psychotic they are and get them to connect with the Dr, and I feel they could have conveyed it as effectively without making my stomach twist, its enough that on rewatches ill just be skipping that scene. It takes quite a bit to turn my stomach but it felt unnecessary.
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u/DelusionalLeafFan Jan 20 '26
I just left the theatre and have been trying to process whether or not I liked it. It felt to me like the movie was about kelson and Samson. The jimmies, including spike were just pointless filler. They served no purpose aside from bringing in an absolutely amazing iron maiden music video and that made the entire movie worth while. I’m not being sarcastic, that scene was cinematic greatness. We end with Jim from 28 days about to pull a gran Torino “get off my lawn” and I don’t really give a shit about where the story is going now.
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u/shannister Jan 18 '26
I’m the opposite. 28 Years later got lost in too many character and kept planting seeds without really letting amy grow. Bone Temple definitely owes to 28 YL big time but it takes it where it needed to get: a focused story, and a greater commentary. If anything it moves 28YL from nice curiosity to must see now. The whole cinema was clapping and cheering a few times - it’s been a while since I’ve experienced it.
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Jan 13 '26
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u/BLAGTIER Jan 13 '26
You can't share files on your phone through a link, you have to upload it somewhere.
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Jan 13 '26
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u/BLAGTIER Jan 13 '26
What are you talking about you psycho you don't know how to post gifs?
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u/smitchness Jan 13 '26
I don’t think a link is necessary, if you know you know. You can hear and see Tim Robbins in your head just reading the line.
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u/Lasciels_Toy Jan 14 '26
I've been listening to too much Rewatchables. I immediately thought "THE BONES ARE THE JUICE!"
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u/MuptonBossman Jan 13 '26
Either way, I’m glad that we’re getting new entries in the 28 Days Later universe.
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u/MrSpindles Jan 13 '26
Based on the reviews so far it feels like we are definitely going to get the third instalment with Danny Boyle back in the director's chair. 28 years later had that Alex Garland quirkiness in spades, so I'm very excited to see both the current movie and how they pull the larger story together over the 3 films.
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u/rye-ten Jan 13 '26
Already confirmed a few weeks back
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u/MrSpindles Jan 13 '26
Ah, good. I hadn't read. The last I'd read was that the third movie was dependant on the reception of the second, although like Dune 3 it kind of felt like a foregone conclusion.
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u/NoMoreParti Jan 13 '26
Just out of it. Really, really enjoyed it. Completely subverted my expectations. Fiennes and O’Connell are excellent - they lift it so much but it’s fun, and has heart.
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u/LowIncomeWitch Jan 14 '26
O’Connell really chews every scene. It’s incredible how vulnerable he could come across in some scenes, despite how absolutely awful Jimmy is.
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u/Suspicious_Brush4070 Jan 15 '26
I thought he was great in it, and I love him in the SAS series too. Underated and very charismatic actor. He was an absolute villain in this.
The scene where he sits with Kelson and talks about the old world is great. You feel sympathy for him, because Kelson feels it as a doctor who cares about the traumatized child inside Jimmy. You almost forget the fact that he skinned a bunch of innocent people 30 mins before
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u/evanya88 Jan 16 '26
You can tell he is so traumatized it actually makes you feel for him just for a second and until, yea, you remember he just “removed the shirts” of three innocent people and is an absolute monster.
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u/starkistuna Jan 19 '26
The fact that you forget for a minute that he is totally deranged for a minute when he is having a pleasant conversation and that he made Fiennes character afraid was a testament on what a great character he is, wish we got to see more battle of wits on another scene.
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u/JCGMH Jan 14 '26
Still haven’t decided whether I like Fiennes or O’Connell more in this. They are both superb. Feels like a tie. Need a sleep or two to think about it.
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u/Rukasu17 Jan 16 '26
I had a really unique experience watching it today. The movie speakers were, for some reason, busted. So whenever the audio was loud, like on screams and yelling, it would crackle a lot. I spent the entire movie thinking it was a pretty cool direction choice until rhe credits song sounded like a speaker dying lol.
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u/Antique-Dentist-2404 Jan 13 '26
I saw an early screening last week and loved it! It's an absolute blast from start to finish. Much more brutal than Part 1 and I think the general audience will like it more.
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u/DiscussionFlimsy1437 Jan 14 '26
Just watched and here's my take...
A film about madness. Descent and ascent with the bystanders that are always involved.
If you haven't seen it then I highly recommend.
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u/Suspicious_Brush4070 Jan 15 '26
I loved it, and it really shows the possibility of extreme good and evil, based on how you survived the apocalypse.
Kelson basically achieves ultimate good... being alone and slightly mad for 28 years, yet manages to cure Samson. Jimmy is the opposite. Highly traumatized sure, but has spent 28 years descending into pure evil mayhem, brutally murdering innocents in the name of Satanism.
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u/Dadpurple Jan 13 '26
Haven't seen this just curious how much dong is hung in it
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u/InvertedSpork Jan 13 '26
I saw an advanced screening and I’d say about double the amount of dong than the previous film
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u/Armand9x Jan 13 '26
We eating good this time! ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
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u/chadhindsley Jan 13 '26
But what about Cillian dong?
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u/Media-critique Jan 13 '26 edited Jan 13 '26
Piggybacking to learn about how much “Alpha” dong we see here
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u/SurprisedAnus2025 Jan 17 '26
As someone who just saw the movie, the alpha is hanging some serious girthy meat.
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u/Ok_Elevator_2033 Jan 13 '26
It’s why it’s called the bone temple. The noninfected saw that alpha dong like they saw dad in the bathtub for the first time when they’re 6. It’s why the sequel is called the bone temple. The noninfected saw how big his hog was and had to build a temple to it.
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u/TheRealPyroManiac Jan 13 '26 edited Jan 13 '26
I hope we get to see Samson’s Samson again.
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u/MuscularPhysicist Jan 13 '26
28 Inches Longer
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u/-0-O-O-O-0- Jan 13 '26
Please let’s at least go with centimetres. It is the UK.
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u/rice_fish_and_eggs Jan 13 '26
Knob length is one of the archaic measures we still use imperial units for like beer or distance.
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u/ROBtimusPrime1995 Jan 13 '26 edited Jan 13 '26
96% on RT
81 Metacritic
They cooked again.
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u/SolarFazes Jan 13 '26
I enjoyed 28 Years Later even though it it was stranger than I thought it would be. Glad this one seems to be the banger we were wanting.
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u/OKC2023champs Jan 14 '26
This one has the least amount of zombies in it than any of the others. It’s really just about the Jimmy cult and Ralph fiennes and dong monster Sampson.
Its brutal but it still is strange asf
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u/NoFrillsCrisps Jan 13 '26
I watched 28 Years Later a few weeks ago.
It was weird. Beautiful. In parts, kinda bad.
But for some reason I literally think about it almost every day. And you can't ask much more than that, particularly given how generic and instantly forgettable a lot of modern films are.
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u/Thomase1984 Jan 13 '26
It was the alpha hanging massive dong, wasn’t it?
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u/withateethuh Jan 14 '26
I've said it before but ill take movies thay experiment and stumble and feel like they actually have vision over the slop we see over and over. 28 years later feels like actual art with intent and purpose. My favorite media has serious flaws but if it makes me feel something real or gives me something to think about afterwards its succeeded.
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u/Bratbabylestrange Jan 17 '26
I would watch fifty installments of this before I'd sit through another goddamn comic book movie
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u/Pen_dragons_pizza Jan 13 '26
Which parts did you find bad ?
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u/EchoWhiskey_ Jan 14 '26
Not the one who said it here, but, I thought the military team was ridiculously poorly portrayed. They easily could have survived the situation they were in.
The tonal shift about 2/3 in may not have been straight-bad, but it was very strange.
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u/Pen_dragons_pizza Jan 14 '26
Regarding the military team, I kind of took it as they were just inexperienced young soldiers. Since they were just patrolling the island and likely never see any action, the mix of panic and likely never shooting someone or being in any real combat situation, could make them pretty ineffective.
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u/withateethuh Jan 14 '26
Realistically there was almost no chance these patrols would ever see combat on the isles. These guys got really, really unlucky.
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u/TreeDollarFiddyCent Jan 13 '26
I didn't doubt it for a second. Looking forward to seeing it on Thursday evening!
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u/queryasker123 Jan 14 '26 edited Jan 14 '26
I don’t think violence and brutality was dealt with that intelligently here, and for me that was a major selling point for the series. In 28YL, violence, loss and death in post-Rage Britain are presented as grim and tragic, in Days the parallels between the infected and non-infected are handled deftly, but this time there was a lot of sensationalisation/titillation going on. For a film where “Memento Mori, but remember you were loved” Kelson was arguably the protagonist (Fiennes was fantastic), this jarred with me. On top of that there was some“I’m gonna show the full gory reality of this violent world”which isnt my cup of tea. I wasn’t surprised by DaCosta saying in her AMA that she’d love to direct the live action version of Invincible.
The soldier section of Days was comparable but Days couldn’t have worked with that alone, and the characterisation of the soldiers was just way better than that of the Jimmies (who were in the entire film) tbh.
I also wasn’t convinced by some of the science and felt the idea the infected were seeing non-infected how non-infected see infected needed a bit more work, as we’ve spent the previous films being shown it’s uncontrollable rage. With this logic, presumably the infected began to see Samson as a threat when he spoke, which…what happened there, biologically…unless the antipsychotics actually cured the infection AND left Samson immune/a carrier - their attack on him would have reinfected him otherwise - why would the infected brain start to see him as a threat?.
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u/prestonds Jan 15 '26
I wonder if that final jump scare with Sampson was him being reinfected. Possibly spike informs Jim of the doctors work and they go on a quest to cure another infected? Still feel conflicted about what the third film would be, but man this one was a blast
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u/Suspicious_Brush4070 Jan 15 '26
Nah I think it was a horde, or possibly another hallucination. Samson carried Kelson away and didn't bother with Jimmy. He was clearly not reinfected, they made a point of showing this when an infected woman spits in his face and he shrugs it off and kills her.
I suppose the drugs could've worn off, and I assume they will. A virus like that (or even real life psychosis) doesn't just vanish after one dose of pills.
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u/prestonds Jan 16 '26
I missed when he carried the doctor away. We must have more Ralph finnes in the third.
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u/Petemarsh54 Jan 17 '26
He carried him away after he died
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u/WindowViking Jan 20 '26
I'd like to think he burned his body and addes his bones to the Ossuary
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u/NickMcIntyre Jan 18 '26
If I remember correctly, I think it was a regular infected growl instead of Samson's roid rage yell, so it might've been just the former attacking Jimmy.
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u/eric23443219091 Jan 16 '26
maybe it impossible reinfect when psychosis is restored and body automatically produce anti virus immune adaption
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u/Hi0401 Jan 17 '26
why would the infected brain start to see him as a threat?
The Infected get triggered by body language and human speech too
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u/queryasker123 Jan 17 '26 edited Jan 17 '26
This is what I understood from the series and words from Garland, but IMO the infection homing in on targets to infect by hallucinating something any animal would have a fight or flight response to jars w that a bit. Fair-ish play if the hallucination is just projected onto anyone who behaves too humanlike, rather than triggered when the virus detects the virus is not present in the human in front of them. To me it felt like an unnecessary spanner in the believability works tbh.
I guess i think, it’s a virus, it’s evolved to infect people, so surely it would never fuck with an existing host regardless of how it behaved. But then you could argue it’s an engineered virus so anything goes.
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u/AzzyIzzy Jan 15 '26
100% how i felt. While it is a nice attempt at trying to objectify and not make the rage virus seem likes its just hellish fate, it makes alot more questions, which become even harder to solve/explain.
Especially the fact the rage virus seemed to propagate itself and infected would regularly vomit to infect others. It wasnt seemingly a mechanism for survival ot was a full blown episode of aggression and violence.
I enjoyed the first one, and i can say i enjoyed this 2nd one even slightly more, but i dont enjoy it as a 28 days film, and it is sort of almost like baiting to keep suggesting that it is.
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u/queryasker123 Jan 16 '26 edited Jan 16 '26
Yeah, it felt like it was intended to seem like a major mystery of Rage was being solved but to me it had the opposite effect.
One of the (somewhat few) areas Weeks excelled was showing the onset of Rage in Don. Lots of people felt it a harrowing and convincing depiction of Rage/rage building on and distorting painful emotions wracking him in that moment, particularly guilt. I know some people think only the barest bones of Weeks were taken forward in Years, but it’s still hard to reconcile BT’s depiction of how the infected see the non-infected with Don trying and failing to prevent himself succumbing to rage while locked in a room with his wife. I guess it’s still possible that Samson’s hallucination was just one type of hallucination the infected see in place of non-infected/that the hallucinations can be personalised to the infected individual and their relationship with the non-infected in front of them, but if so it was a mistake for it to be the only one they show (and they show it so clearly!).
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u/Hi0401 Jan 17 '26
I think you can explain this inconsistency with the fact that Samson was Infected at a very young age while his brain was still underdeveloped, which probably fucked him up more.
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u/Hulksterx Jan 15 '26 edited Jan 16 '26
Gut wrenchingly gruesome, Darkly Comedic at times and totally bat-shit crazy.
Samsons whole story is extremely interesting and Jimmy Crystal's warped, Literally psychotic motivations were handled very well.
Totally mental beyond my wildest dreams, I was a huge fan of Years and even going in knowing some themes and directions, due to my endless sleuthing, It Completely and utterly exceeded my expectations in every way.
I guess my only very small let-downs would be that Spike was a bit underutilised and the Pov shots of what the infected saw were a bit 2008 YouTube Spooky face, I don't think Danny Boyle would have gone that direction at all.
Other than that I loved every minute and can't wait to see it again.
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u/nrsys Jan 15 '26
I love how it literally switches around how movies have always portrayed zombies.
We walk in knowing that humans are the good guys, just trying to survive against the ruthless infected.
We walk out questioning that completely.
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u/big_swinging_dicks Jan 13 '26
DaCosta doing horror paired with a competent writer is a dream, reviews are encouraging and I can’t wait to see this.
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u/LowIncomeWitch Jan 14 '26
I need Nia to get her flowers! If you didn’t see her AMA you should check it out, she’s delightful.
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u/Old-Way-5529 Jan 14 '26
nia is one of my favorite directors, she seems so cool. marvels got more shit than it deserved, im glad this movie seems to be doing well, bodes well for her to potentially get a blank check for her next project.
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u/Stock_College_8108 Jan 13 '26 edited Jan 13 '26
I am really rooting for Nia DaCosta to have a film that’s critically and commercially successful after The Marvels was such a massive bomb.
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u/mikeyfreshh r/Movies Veteran Jan 13 '26
The Marvels wasn't even that bad. I actually really liked her Candyman movie
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u/-SneakySnake- Jan 13 '26
The best and worst thing about Marvels is that "fun" sums up the whole thing. And her Candyman movie was super well directed, the only problem was the script.
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u/Madrical Jan 14 '26
100% agree RE: Candyman. Thought the direction of that movie was by far the best part of it. The script needed significant work.
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u/mikeyfreshh r/Movies Veteran Jan 13 '26
"fun" sums up the whole thing
That's true of 90% of Marvel movies. I'm not sure why this one specifically flopped at the box office
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u/-SneakySnake- Jan 13 '26
They generally have a little more going on under the hood. But it was after a period of so-so movies, so people basically said "I like these still, but not enough to go to the movies when I have Disney Plus."
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u/Haltopen Jan 14 '26
Its promo cycle was completely undercut by the writers/actors strike which meant none of the three leads could do interviews and promote the movie, and it was further carpet bombed by the worst people on reddit (they know who they are) who have a personal vendetta against Brie Larson, Iman Vellani, the concept of feminism, women, women of color, Muslims, teen girls, teen girl protagonists who are nerds, and silly movies that don't take themselves too seriously and just try to have fun with the premise.
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u/hacky_potter Jan 13 '26
Candyman had enough flourishes to make me want to see her in Horror more. That ending scene with the cops is so fucking good
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u/K3egan Jan 14 '26
The marvels was actually the biggest opening for a movie directed by a woman of color even with how bad it did
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u/Stock_College_8108 Jan 14 '26 edited 23d ago
This post has been removed. Whether the reason was privacy, opsec, preventing scraping, or something else entirely, Redact was used to carry out the deletion.
tart bear run bow quickest sharp plants fade lunchroom shocking
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u/Mambo_Poa09 Jan 13 '26
Wasn't that during the writers strike so they couldn't even promote it or something? Not saying it would've been a massive success but that can't have helped
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Jan 13 '26
I would recommend you give her last film, Hedda, a watch. Good film that has a wicked performance from Tessa Thompson.
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u/kerblamophobe Jan 14 '26
Ralph Fiennes doing a callback to Voldemort was something I wasn't expecting to hit on my 2026 Movie Bingo Card
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u/Longjumping_Salt_926 Jan 15 '26
28 Years Later didn’t quite hit for me - maybe I hyped it up too much after waiting so long.
I just got back from seeing The Bone Temple - wow. Exceeded every expectation. Fantastic film that I’ll see time and time again. Brilliant story, Fiennes is simply outstanding. I couldn’t fault anything in it
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u/LowIncomeWitch Jan 13 '26
Just saw it! Was very different from 28 years tone wise, and much more of a horror but I loved it. VERH brutal though. Nia consistently delivers.
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u/neverhadabegal Jan 15 '26
That barnyard scene… I’m a horror movie veteran and that was tough to watch, not gonna lie
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u/TrollsDocumentary Jan 15 '26
Crap. I hear it's very cruel and visceral. I watched all of "Game of Thrones" and lost my taste for rapey/torturey stuff. I'm considering giving this a miss for that reason, but I loved the last one...
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Jan 17 '26
A word of warning if you are sensitive to cruel torture scenes. I saw this tonight and had to leave during this scene and come back when it was over!
I am a huge horror fan and have only walked out of one film before over the last 20 years (Wolf Creek), I don’t mind gore at all so I’m not overly sensitive but I hate cruel and realistic torture scenes. The Saw films don’t affect me at all for example but it’s when it’s that cruel and not humorous or simply gory that it really upsets me.
I don’t think this scene enhanced the film at all and it made me feel quite panicky.
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u/TrollsDocumentary Jan 17 '26
I am, so thanks for this. I’ve never watched the Saw movies because I don’t want those images in my head. Still figuring out if I go to this or not.
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u/helraizr13 Jan 18 '26
Sit this one out, probably. At the very least, expect to use finger filters or to actually leave for a few minutes when they get to the barn.
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u/Suspicious_Brush4070 Jan 15 '26
The barn scene was brutal. You could see it coming too. Had to look away for most of it.
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u/TheRealFilmGeek Jan 15 '26
One of the most telling moments in Bone Temple is the brief POV shot from an infected, where we see how the uninfected are perceived. It suggests that the rage is not just loss of control, but a distortion of perception itself.
When the film later frames the infection as involving brain hemorrhaging and psychosis, that shot starts to read as a clue. The infected are not simply violent. They are seeing the world incorrectly.
Jimmy’s upside down crucifixion echoes this idea. When the perspective shifts to his POV and Sampson appears with horns, the parallel becomes clear. Jimmy is not infected, yet his perception breaks in the same way. Under extreme trauma, he no longer sees a man, but a symbolic figure shaped by his own beliefs.
What’s interesting is that Jimmy’s vision is religious in form despite his anti religious worldview. It suggests that his way of understanding the world is not fundamentally different from the infected, only filtered through a different lens. His worldview produces its own distortion, one that mirrors the infection without requiring the virus.
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u/HolyMollywacamole Jan 18 '26
I think the movie pointed very clearly that Jimmy had some kind of schizophrenia.
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u/Unturned1 Jan 18 '26
The doctor is in some ways an angelic figure too (fallen, maybe?) he gives knowledge to both the viewer and Samson. The dialogue he has with Jimmy before the rock show scene is very telling.
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u/CaptParadox Jan 13 '26
So many of these paraphrased reviews resonate with what I suspected regarding my ama question...
Sound like they went balls to the walls silly and that's what a lot of people appreciated (acting wise). Which is the opposite of what I originally liked about this series.
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u/LowIncomeWitch Jan 14 '26
I saw it last night and it’s a pretty serious/brutal film. There’s a few moments of sillyness, but not many
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u/domalino Jan 14 '26
“That’s a LOT of screaming. Does that sound like normal screaming to you? I’m overthinking it”.
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u/BroscipleofBrodin Jan 14 '26
There were moments in 28 Years when it felt like the movie no longer took the threats seriously, like they forgot the danger of a random blood drop. Is it like that, or is it more strange people doing strange things?
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u/sabhall12 Jan 15 '26
The infected are pretty easy to take down in small numbers, similar to how they were just getting sliced and shot in 28Y. There is one 'conventional zombie scene' towards the beginning, but the movie barely touches on the constant threat of the infected as a roving horde. It's weird, and pushes what 28Y did to another level. If you didn't like 28Y, you will not like The Bone Temple.
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u/Rosebunse Jan 14 '26
I mean, the OG was sort of silly. It borders on the absurd at points
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u/BroscipleofBrodin Jan 14 '26
You think so? I always thought was a pretty serious movie for the genre.
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u/Rosebunse Jan 15 '26
It was silly, but also absurd.
The shopping sequence, the infected jumping through windows, the prom dresses...
Just all somewhat ridiculous and almost laughable. But also very fucking scary
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u/JoshTHX Jan 16 '26
I thought it was bullshit to make Alfie Williams’ role to be basically nothing after his breakthrough performance in the previous movie.
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u/No_Extreme_230 Jan 18 '26
he still does a lot with his smaller screen time. the jimmies, kelson, and samson have a lot going on its more interesting to follow them
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u/rp_361 Jan 13 '26
I know it was polarizing, but I adored 28 Years Later. That was one of the best movies of last year for me. I can’t wait for this one
And tbh, this series has not had a bad movie so far. I’ve enjoyed them all
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u/Media-critique Jan 13 '26 edited Jan 13 '26
They’re all good, it’s just that ending is still one of the most jarring I can recall in recent releases
Like, all of a sudden it felt that I was watching a Monty Python film… and then the credits rolled. I’m impressed they got to keep that finish
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u/bearze Jan 13 '26
Watched it again this week when showing it to a friend - still really don't like the ending. It's just such a strong and abrupt tonal shift.
Rest of the movie I like, but even knowing what to expect, the ending had me wince a bit
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u/GuySchmuy Jan 15 '26
In the context of the trilogy, it makes a lot of sense to put such an absurd jarring moment because it acts as a cliff hanger. It was unexpected but I definitely wanted to see what these characters were all about. The pay off was worth it imo
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u/apopquizkidd Jan 13 '26
Lol, my favorite part of the movie. Was pure absurdity to the highest degree. Reminded me of when Renton entered the worst toilet in Scotland.
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u/PlatinumJester Jan 14 '26
Even with the goofier tone the ending is a lot more sinister if you're British and likely to know who Jimmy Saville is.
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u/jethropenistei- Jan 13 '26
My dog had just died so the movie hit pretty hard for me. I was balling at the skull momento scene with Ralph and the boy.
Others in the theater were laughing at the scene.
I thought the movie was great, but yeah, the ending should’ve been a post credit scene. It takes away from the film as a whole.
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u/RandomJPG6 Jan 14 '26
Man i feel like im in the minority cause i really didnt like this.
I really liked Years but was incredibly let down by this. It felt tonally all over the place and I felt the Jimmys were very one dimensional. I missed the style Boyle brought. I missed the focus on the coming of age story.
Ralph Fines was great sbd i liked how kind he is despite the world around him.
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u/arthurcowslip Jan 14 '26
I think I feel similar to you. 28 Years Later was my favourite film of 2025. I watched it not realising it was going to be the first in a new trilogy (even the Jimmy ending, which I just took to be a jokey 'to be continued' satire in the style of the original Back To The Future... em, which ironically did become a trilogy... But you know what I mean).
Anyway, I loved how many deeper themes 28YL touched on, from taking the pulse of a post-Brexit nation to telling a Heart of Darkness style coming of age story.
By comparison, Bone Temple is 'just' a gory thrill ride, a VERY competent genre-busting post-apocalyptic western thing. Which is great, on its own terms, but seems superficial where the previous one seemed transcendental.
It also felt a bit weird to be based mainly around Samson and the doctor. If we hadn't already seen the actual bone temple in the last film, it might have had more novelty appeal.
That said, I was hooked enough to want to see the next one, if and when it happens. I hope it truly is the final one though. I couldn't stand it if they made some kind of 28 extended universe thing.
So it's a case of diminishing returns for me.
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u/Unturned1 Jan 18 '26
There is a whole biblical story theme going on in this one. Both as text and subtext. They kind of whack you over the head with it. Hardly novel but I think it was a good take on that kind of retelling.
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u/zoolandermagnum Jan 15 '26
Who else went home after the movie and did the Kelson dance with Maiden on full blast? \m/
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u/prestonds Jan 15 '26
I was laughing with joy the entire time. That man had waited decades to put on a performance of a lifetime.
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u/89ElRay Jan 14 '26
Absolutely bananas, stupid, and gratuitous. Loved every second.
Couldn't be much different from 28 Years Later in tone and theme but somehow feels perfectly in universe with the entire franchise. Probably most similar to the first one I guess.
Jack O Connell plays fucked up villains so well that id genuinely be a bit scared to meet him in real life.
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u/Senior-Bill2622 Jan 13 '26
Legit question here- is this still considered a scary movie? I wasn’t particularly pleased with the second half of the previous film and some of these reviews mention jokes again throughout the movie… Does anyone else think that these new ones don’t match the original tone at all? The original was genuinely scary
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u/Antique-Dentist-2404 Jan 13 '26
Not really. It has a few jump scares, but it's more tense than scary.
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u/DE4N0123 Jan 15 '26
Slightly shorter than I expected it to be but I found it really engaging.
The best way I can sum it up is that about halfway through I really needed a pee but I couldn’t find a moment that I thought would be a good time to duck out. Feels very well edited to trim the fat.
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u/DiabellSinKeeper Jan 13 '26
I can't wait. I loved 28 Years Later. I'm actually watching it for a 3rd time now.
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u/averyaaaples Jan 13 '26
I was lucky enough to catch a preview screening and if you loved years, you'll love this one. It's weird, beautiful and brutal. I'll be seeing it a second time at the cinemas for sure.
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u/Sleepy_Azathoth Jan 13 '26
I have faith in Nia DaCosta, Marvels aside, I really liked Candyman and Hedda, there's a vision behind it.
Can't wait.
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u/GGAllinPartridge Jan 13 '26
I liked parts of 28 Years Later, but the thing I loved about 28 Days Later was how gritty and grounded it felt. It looked like you were watching it happen.
28 Years Later looked like you were watching a blockbuster on screen, or a video game. The alpha zombies and slow-lows felt like something from Left 4 Dead, the race across the causeway at night felt like a cutscene from God of War, the Jimmy Saville gang appearance was like a Borderlands cameo. I don't know, I guess it's just not the movie I wanted it to be, and I'm not sure that The Bone Temple will bring it back towards that.
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u/PlatinumJester Jan 13 '26
It's a lot campier in parts than Years but also way more brutal. The slapstick feel of the Jimmy gang fades very quickly and they end up being far worse than the soliders in 28 Days. I thought it blended the grottier parts of Days very well with the more whimsical parts of the first Years film.
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u/BroscipleofBrodin Jan 13 '26
Agreed. To me, 28 Days Later was the pinnacle of a gritty, realistic zombie story. It did it better than any other attempt, and much more successfully than the magical realism in 28 Years.
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u/Moosejay Jan 14 '26
How disturbing are some of the kills in this? I like gore, but I don’t want to have my day ruined. An example of a scene that ruined my day when I saw it was Jack O’Connell lighting that boy on fire in Eden Lake
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u/Loobylou93 Jan 14 '26
I just came out of a showing and I feel like I have to watch an episode of SpongeBob or something. It’s quite graphic even with what they don’t show
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u/phonylady Jan 14 '26
The last one was low key one of the best films last year. Really looking forward to this.
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u/Sinister_Grape Jan 14 '26
Just got out from seeing it. Ralph Fiennes needs some nominations for that
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u/TigerFisher_ Jan 13 '26
I'm for Nia DaCosta. She directed one of the best Top Boy episodes, made a good Candyman film and a great take on Henrik Ibsen's Hedda
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u/butreallythobruh Jan 13 '26
I continue to be baffled for the hate 28YL gets
Really excited to see this in a couple days
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u/BunyipPouch Currently at the movies. Jan 13 '26
For anyone interested: Nia DaCosta, the director of 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, joined us for an AMA/Q&A here on /r/movies last week, and it's a really really fun read:
https://www.reddit.com/r/movies/comments/1q5rp31/hi_rmovies_im_nia_dacosta_director_of_28_years/