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First Reactions to “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple” Praise Nia DaCosta’s Brutal, Bold, & Brilliant Sequel

By The Credits  |  December 10, 2025

The first reactions to Nia DaCosta’s 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple are in, and, unsurprisingly, critics say DaCosta’s film hits the mark. The talented filmmaker behind Candyman and Hedda expands the world created by Danny Boyle and Alex Garland in 28 Days Later. “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is beautifully chaotic, breathtaking, and everything I wanted it to be,” wrote Collider’s Rachel Leishman on Twitter. This is pretty much the tone and tenor of all the reactions, with critics praising DaCosta for not only carrying on the story with aplomb, but creating a truly original, bracingly weird, and oddly touching horror film.

28 Years Later ended with Spike (Alfie Williams) choosing not to return to his relatively safe tidal island, where his father, Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), was waiting, growing increasingly paranoid that Spike wasn’t coming back. Spike had ventured onto the mainland with his sick mother, Isla (Jodie Comer), in a desperate attempt to find a cure for her illness. When they found Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes), the mad doctor of the Bone Temple, all he could offer was a quick, painless death for the dying Isla. Spike, devastated and disillusioned by his father’s lies and lifestyle, decides to stay out on the dangerous mainland.

DaCosta picks up the story and finds the brilliant (if deeply odd) survivor Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes), finding himself in one of the most shocking relationships one could imagine, with world-shaking consequences. Boyle and Garland’s 28 Years Later ended with Spike (Alife Williams) being “saved” by Jimmy Jimmy (Robert Rhodes) and his nightmarish gang of blonde hooligans, the Jimmy’s. Spike is taken to their leader, Jimmy Crystasl (Jack O’Connell), and finds himself in a horror that might be more unsettling than the rampaging world of the infected.

Joining the aforementioned cast are Erin Kellyman, Emma Laird, Chi Lewis-Parry, Maura Bird, Sam Locke, and Ghazi Al Ruffai. You can also expect some surprise inclusions. The Bone Temple is the second film in a new trilogy, all penned by Garland, with Boyle set to return to direct the final installment. It’s due in theaters on January 16.

 

Let’s have a peek at what some of the critics are saying:

For more on 28 Years Later, check out these stories:

Death Metal Vocals & Brutalized Cabbages: How Sound Designer Johnnie Burn Crafted “28 Years Later” Sonic Terror

Inside the Bone Temple: How Designers Carson McColl & Gareth Pugh Crafted the Pagan-Apocalyptic World of “28 Years Later”

Flesh-Eating Evolution: VFX Supervisor Adam Gascoyne Reveals How “28 Years Later” Zombies Got Scarier

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The Credits

The Credits is the Motion Picture Association's online platform that profiles below-the-line filmmakers and TV creators. Through in-depth interviews and coverage, we shine a spotlight on all the individuals who are indispensable to the entertainment industry and create the films and series we love.