28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (2026)

Alex Garland has a lot to say about society, religion, and healing. Also there’s a lot of gore.

The Bone Temple is Alex Garland’s take on where this franchise is going, and it is such a breath of fresh air. I don’t think normies are going to love it - this is weird, challenging, swerving hard in directions you don’t expect. But I really did. The needle drops are fun. The history and lore are genuinely interesting. And I love how it’s less about zombies and more an exploration of how humans behave when society breaks down.

I’ll be honest - the Jimmys at the end of 28 Years Later Part One were shocking in a bad way. I was laughing, and not with the movie. Those last two minutes did not leave me optimistic. But here, the Jimmys and the Fingers were absolutely enthralling at every step. Garland obviously has a lot to say about society, religion, healing, and whether we should punish those who hurt us or try to cure them. Spending an entire film exploring what the virus actually is and whether it can be cured? Fascinating choice.

I didn’t even realize Jimmy was played by the same guy who played Remmick in Sinners this year. He’s having a phenomenal year - crushed both roles completely. And Ralph Fiennes is insane in this. Balls to the wall, literally naked at points, so great to see a performance this unhinged. He’s a kooky weird guy but the film keeps reminding us he’s a serious man of science. There’s real depth there.

Not all of it resonated with me deeply, but god damn - I’m so excited there are movies going this hard and swerving in such interesting directions. The second act turns into a Funny Games or The Strangers style home invasion thriller, and it works. Two juggernauts fighting it out by the end. I was locked in.

Buyer beware though - this is genuinely gory and difficult to watch at times. Not for the faint of heart. But damn, where this movie goes is insane.

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