Weeks before the upcoming horror sequel is due to hit the big screen, the first set of reactions to 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple are already in, and the consensus is overwhelmingly positive.
"This has cranked everything up to 11, and I warn you, you will need a very strong stomach (or a sick bag)," said Metro's Tori Brazier. Nexus Point News' Christopher Mills called the movie "one of the greatest horror movies of the decade, as it takes the first movie and goes 10 extra miles with the brutality and intensity of the world."
Despite the first 28 Years Later being helmed by Danny Boyle, Nia DaCosta takes the reins on the sequel, with many celebrating the new director. "Nia DaCosta brought her unique style to this world in a captivating way," said Collider writer Rachel Leishman. "Yet more evidence that when you let Nia Da Costa cook, great things tend to happen," said Empire's Amon Warmann, and Next Best Picture's Giovanni Lago said, "DaCosta's introversion of this world juxtaposes so precisely with the groundwork laid before her by Boyle."
However, the standouts seem to be Jack O'Connell as the terrifying cult leader Jimmy Crystal and Ralph Fiennes as the eccentric Dr. Kelson. "It's nastier and – surprisingly – funnier than the first part, with mesmerizing performances from Jack O'Connell and Ralph Fiennes," said GamesRadar+'s Will Salmon, and Next Best Picture's Matt Neglia said, "Jack O'Connell, meanwhile, is disturbingly hilarious as the unhinged St. Jimmy, a man fully convinced he's the devil's own son."
Check out more reactions below:
THE BONE TEMPLE is brilliant: a sequel that operates on a much weirder wavelength than its predecessor, tackling the idea of a false god in a surprisingly thorny manner.While not as formally inventive, I found its focused narrative to be stronger and more emotionally acute. pic.twitter.com/OeAqzSvU91December 10, 2025
THE BONE TEMPLE is a brutally audacious follow up to 28 YEARS LATER that largely sidelines the infected to explore cultism, trauma, psychosis and compassion.I really like its uncompromising, idiosyncratic ambition. It’s easily more polarising than 28YL.Video coming in January pic.twitter.com/4KcKGSidmlDecember 9, 2025
So I loved #28YearsLater #TheBoneTemple a brutal examination of faith, control and fear. It’s surprisingly funny while also maintaining absolute tension throughout. I think people will be shocked by how weird it gets. But I loved it. DaCosta nailed it. pic.twitter.com/9ild3AmDxlDecember 9, 2025
#28YearsLater THE BONE TEMPLE is exactly how you do a middle chapter of a trilogy. pic.twitter.com/AeQM9xBZehDecember 9, 2025
The Bone Temple follows on from 28 Years Later's outlandish final scene after Spike's encounter with Jimmy Crystal and his cult, which becomes a nightmare he can't escape. Meanwhile, Dr. Kelson finds himself in a shocking new relationship with consequences that could change the world as they know it. The synopsis continues, "In the world of The Bone Temple, the infected are no longer the greatest threat to survival – the inhumanity of the survivors can be stranger and more terrifying."
The sequel welcomes back Fiennes and O'Connell, as well as Alfie Williams as Spike, and Chi Lewis-Parry as the infected Alpha Samson. DaCosta directed from a script written by Alex Garland, with Boyle on board as producer.
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple arrives in theaters on January 16, 2026. For more, check out our 28 Years Later review, and keep up with upcoming horror movies.
