Director Danny Boyle and screenwriter Alex Garland (alongside producer Cillian Murphy) recently reunited to resurrect their “28 Days Later” franchise with “28 Years Later” earlier in the year, and the second film in a planned trilogy, “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple” is already coming to screens in Jaunary with filmmaker Nia DaCosta (“Hedda,” “Candyman”) behind the camera this time round.
Yesterday, the first wave of reactions for the film made their way online, and the overwhelming narrative coming out of those screenings is that DaCosta and the cast (featuring Ralph Fiennes, Jack O’Connell, and others) have made something special. Even with the limited use of the signature threat of the infected (Garland’s horrific creatures changed biologically, stemming from a deadly virus crafted animal experiments aren’t undead, but still just as dangerous, if not more, given the pathogen angle), as the film aims to focus on the world left behind, including a cult.
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Below is a round-up of those online reactions to “The Bone Temple”:
#28YearsLater: The Bone Temple – Yet more evidence that when you let Nia Da Costa cook, great things tend to happen. So much to love, with Ralph Fiennes walking away with the MVP and tearing the house down with one especially insane sequence that rightfully drew applause. Go see! pic.twitter.com/20s8pU3fLd
— Amon Warmann (@AmonWarmann) December 9, 2025
28 YEARS LATER: THE BONE TEMPLE deepens the franchise’s lore with new questions and some long-awaited answers in the quietest yet undeniably most brutal installment of the series. Ralph Fiennes is truly phenomenal here, adding new poetic layers of complexity to his character,… pic.twitter.com/BJabyCbOqS
— Matt Neglia (@NextBestPicture) December 10, 2025
28 YEARS LATER: THE BONE TEMPLE is beautifully chaotic, breathtaking, and everything I wanted it to be. Nia DaCosta brought her unique style to this world on a captivating way and I would watch Jack O'Connell and Ralph Finnes for hours. Another banger of a film for this franchise pic.twitter.com/7VVr3cBN6s
— Rachel Leishman (@RachelLeishman) December 10, 2025
Excuse my language, but I just got out of the first screening of #28YearsLater: #TheBoneTemple – and holy f*****g s**t. This has cranked everything up to 11 and I warn you, you will need a very strong stomach (or a sick bag). Also, Ralph Fiennes is truly phenomenal. pic.twitter.com/n6TybDXsPf
— Tori Brazier (@dinotaur) December 9, 2025
I got to see #28YearsLater: #TheBoneTemple last month, and what an experience. Deeply unsettling and disturbing, yet also weirdly funny and hopeful. All eyes will be on Jack and Ralph, but Erin Kellyman and Chi Lewis-Parry are amazing and the quiet MVPs of the entire film. pic.twitter.com/t8hod4dZ6i
— Kaitlyn Booth (@katiesmovies) December 10, 2025
#28YearsLater #TheBoneTemple is phenomenal. It takes the story from the last film and evolves it in new, exciting and emotional ways. Funny, gory, quietly profound and very entertaining. O’Connell, Fiennes and Erin Kellyman are standouts. For the love of god green light part 3. pic.twitter.com/8XIAMMeAIC
— Drew Taylor (@DrewTailored) December 10, 2025
#TheBoneTemple runs laps around #28YearsLater, which is really saying something. Unexpected, uncomfortable, unapologetic. I’ve long thought the big screen zombie story was played out – this franchise has given it a millennium of momentum. Make these movies forever. pic.twitter.com/Hzia2GLtO6
— Liam (@LiamTCrowley) December 10, 2025
Nia DaCosta knocks it out of the park with #28YearsLater #TheBoneTemple. The complex tapestry of tones provides the perfect canvas for a brutal and nightmarish study of unchecked power. O’Connell goes all in on maniacal Sir Jimmy while Fiennes eats up needle drops like a demon. pic.twitter.com/yEoXUcz4Rx
— Simon Thompson (@ShowbizSimon) December 10, 2025
Nia DaCosta takes the reins of the #28YearsLater saga and delivers a staggering entry in #TheBoneTemple.
— Phil Roberts (@philthecool) December 9, 2025
Jack O'Connell & Ralph Fiennes deliver phenomenal performances in this gloriously weighted story with more heart & heft than guts & gore. DaCosta delivers! @SonyPicturesUK pic.twitter.com/ULUjoTYkS8
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (2026) –
— Giovanni Lago (@TheGiovanniLago) December 10, 2025
What if isolation is as erosive as the virus flowing through the infected’s veins? DaCosta’s introversion of this world juxtaposes so precisely with the groundwork laid before her by Boyle. Hard to imagine a better start to the new year. pic.twitter.com/8jAM4sNpHl
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is, at times, relentless, deeply cerebral, and a deliciously savage continuation of the story from 28 Years Later.
— Matt Hudson (What I Watched Tonight) (@wiwt_uk) December 9, 2025
Jack O'Connell and Ralph Fiennes are superb, alongside the wonderful Chi-Lewis Parry.#28YearsLater #TheBoneTemple @SonyPicturesUK pic.twitter.com/i9jBzqQx7c
An official logline from distributor Sony Pictures for the new chapter:
Expanding upon the world created by Danny Boyle and Alex Garland in “28 Years Later,” but turning that world on its head, Nia DaCosta directs “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple.” In a continuation of the epic story, Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) finds himself in a shocking new relationship – with consequences that could change the world as they know it – and Spike’s (Alfie Williams) encounter with Jimmy Crystal (Jack O’Connell) becomes a nightmare he can’t escape. 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.
There is still a third installment in the works from Garland (who is writing the new trilogy), but he’s a little busy with his upcoming “Elden Ring” adaptation based on the newish fantasy video game for A24.
Audiences won’t have to wait too much longer before DaCosta’s third installment heads to theaters, with Sony releasing “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple” on January 16.
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