The 28 Days Later film series began all the way back in 2003 and has been a highly successful franchise, set in a post-apocalyptic Britain where the infected have taken over, and people unaffected are doing what they can to survive. The third film, 28 Years Later, was released in June 2025, only 6 months ago, as it was shot back-to-back with the fourth and latest film, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, now raising hell in cinemas worldwide. 

Shortly after being rescued, Spike remains in quarantined Britain with the Jimmys, a cult centred on charismatic Satanist Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal and reluctantly joins them just to stay alive. To stay in the gang, he must participate in their practices such as killing, torturing, and satanic rituals. Meanwhile, Dr Ian Kelson continues his maintenance of the Bone Temple as a memorial to those killed during the Rage Virus outbreak. He frequently encounters a local Alpha infected, which he names Samson, whom Kelson sedates with a morphine-xylazine dart.

Kelson notices that Samson appears more lucid while drugged and begins to experiment, seeing if he can cure Samson’s virus-induced psychosis. An apparent friendship begins to form between the two, during which Samson has flashbacks to his pre-infection childhood and shows signs of being human again. Jimmy Crystal, the leader of the Jimmys, soon learns about Kelson and the Bone Temple and approaches him about performing a satanic ritual for the Jimmys to boost their morale. 

Alfie Williams reprises his role as Spike, and the film begins with him getting a chance to join the Jimmys. Alfie Williams puts in a great performance as a young boy who doesn’t want to join, but it’s the only way for him to stay alive. He gets put in situations where he must participate or at least watch things that he cannot stomach, literally.

When he is forced to do something against his will, he tries to find a way around it. Spike had a bigger role in the previous film, but surprisingly gets a smaller one in the latest. Even with his reduced screen time, the film still continues his story within the overall plot. 

Ralph Fiennes also returns as Dr Ian Kelson, who maintains the bone temple to honour those whose lives were taken during the outbreak. At first, his purpose may not seem clear, as he’s just living day by day alone in a bunker, but what he does will keep audiences intrigued. Ralph Fiennes’ performance shows that his character has clearly been through a lot and has become desensitised to everything that’s happening.

He also doesn’t look like he’s showered in weeks, is covered in filth and has no clean clothes. Despite all of that, it’s become the norm for him, even when encountering the infected. He develops a fascination with one of the infected in particular, whom he names Samson.

Samson is portrayed by kickboxer and MMA fighter Chi Lewis-Parry, who continues his role as an Alpha leader of the infected from the previous film. Standing at a towering 6’8, Chi is a physically imposing figure both in real life and on screen. He currently has only one loss in combat sports and has dominated most of his matches.

His presence on screen is even more terrifying, not only because of his height, but also his muscular physique covered in dirt and scars, thick long hair, and even his manhood on full display. At first, he’s mainly a mindless brute, but he also shows samples of the human side he once had before getting infected, and he gets more interesting as the movie progresses. 

The Jimmys consist of Erin Kellyman, Emma Laird, Sam Locke, Robert Rhodes, Ghazi Al Ruffai, Maura Bird, and Connor Newell, whose characters all share the first name, Jimmy, plus the aforementioned Spike, who joins the gang at the beginning of the film. One in particular, Jimmima, instead, gets some standout moments. The majority of the group is as sick and twisted as their leader, Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal. 

Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal is played by Jack O’Connell, whose character is modelled after real-life celebrity Jimmy Savile, who was later exposed as a criminal after his death in 2011. Jimmy Crystal is the most outlandish character in the cast, with an eccentric, over-the-top personality and an unpredictable nature.

As wild and bizarre as the character is, Jack O’Connell’s performance will keep audiences engaged and in anticipation of what he does next. He is ruthless, violent and has absolutely no shame or remorse for his actions and decisions, even if it affects the other Jimmys, and it’s interesting to see how they’re drawn to him and always willing to do anything he wants. 

Various others also star in the film as minor characters, including Louis Ashbourne Serkis as Tom, Mirren Mack as Cathy, and David Sterne as George. The film kind of misleads audiences into thinking they’ll have bigger roles before suddenly getting cut short, but surprisingly, they get some memorable moments. It might feel like their roles could have been more, but it actually adds to the film’s unpredictable nature in figuring out who can be trusted. 

As in all the previous films, the infected are a major part of the story, and it shows how their numbers have grown and how rare survivors have become. Strangely, they’re not featured nearly as much this time, as the film focuses more on Dr Kelson studying Samson and the Jimmys committing the most heinous acts imaginable. Some fans may not like the change in focus, but others may become intrigued by the new story elements.

When it comes to violence, there is still plenty of it, especially with the Jimmys. Many of the gory scenes will be hard to watch, as the victims scream in agony. Seeing skin being ripped off, flesh cut into pieces, and spines ripped out of torsos won’t be for everyone, as the film doesn’t shy away from the detailed violence on screen. Even when the camera is looking away from the violent scenes, it’s still hard to watch and even harder to listen to. The 28 Days Later movies are known for their uncomfortable gore scenes, and the latest film is no different. Even though the infected are less prevalent this time, fans of the franchise are still in for a bloody treat. 

Whether it’s daylight or nighttime, the film’s setting is certainly a world nobody would want to live in (unless you have a twisted mind like some of the characters featured. There’s rarely ever a time you’ll see a place that hasn’t been rundown, as humanity is barely hanging on. The Bone Temple itself certainly lives up to the film’s name, with trees covered in human bones and inverted crosses; it is a terrifying sight. The film does a fantastic job of illustrating a world gone mad, not only because of the infected outnumbering living humans, but also because certain people are going insane and abusing their position of power. 

For a post-apocalyptic horror film, it has the kind of music you’d expect to add tension, excitement and dread. Some classic rock songs will be heard as Ralph Fiennes’ character has managed to keep a record collection in his bunker. The rock songs aren’t just background music, but actually part of the story as well. The most notable scene is one that uses Iron Maiden’s “The Number of the Beast”, which is best to let everyone see for themselves. Without going into too much detail, it’s a moment that no one would’ve expected because it’s so out of left field, but it works so well and becomes the most memorable moment of the entire film. It is wild and outrageous, but also keeps you watching. Ralph Fiennes’ performance during this scene is a show-stealer and needs to be seen to be believed. 

The 28 Years Later portion of the franchise is set to be part of a trilogy, meaning another film is already planned, and the final scene in this film, featuring another returning character, acts as a teaser. There’s currently no word on when the next film will be released, but fans will be eagerly anticipating what happens next. 

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple has quite a few unexpected changes and shifts the focus on other aspects that not everyone will like, but it still manages to keep audiences engaged from beginning to end. The returning characters get more development, the new characters are wild and ridiculous in the best way, and the outlandish violence is as gory and uncomfortable to watch as ever, while over-the-top scenes feel out of place but also strangely fit in at the same time. 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple sets things up for the next film and has to be seen to be believed. 

Written by: Sammy Hanson