By Krystof Gonzalez,
Staff Writer.
Donny Boyle’s film 28 Years Later had debuted in theaters just last year and already a sequel to the film was released on Jan. 16, 2026. 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple directed by Nia DaCosta follows up on the titular protagonists from the first movie: Spike and Dr. Ian, played by Alphie Wiliams and Ralph Fiennes. Currently, this film has a 93% rating on rotten tomatoes and a 7.8/10 on IMDB. This film is certainly entertaining, but does it really add to the franchise? As I watched the movie, I couldn’t help but notice that it felt painfully like a filler movie.
The story has entertaining characters, violence, gore and a fully fleshed-out plot line — the perfect recipe for a blockbuster zombie movie. However, the full film seemed as though it could’ve been condensed into a shorter run-time instead of being a feature length film .It feels stretched and extended despite the relatively short run-time of an hour and fifty minutes. Exacerbating this issue is the slow pacing in a number of scenes. This is how the sequel of 28 Years Later, one of the most anticipated zombie movies of 2025, turned out.
The camera work in this film was spectacular and takes a step back from the overwhelming and experimental camera work by Anthony Dod Montle, the main cinematographer for 28 Years Later. The cinematography in this film feels more stable and calm, allowing the story to be told through the characters rather than a camera but still providing a captivating lens. Next are the characters themselves; Jack O’ Connel makes a truly terrifying performance as Jimmy Crystal, the maniacal evil cult leader and antagonist of the movie, who you feel no sympathy for. Actor, Alfie Williams’ character on the other hand is also played well, making the audience feel more connected to a character who was only briefly focused on in the previous movie. The short cameo by Cillian Murphy, who played Jim the main protagonist in the original 28 Days Later (2002) at the end of the movie, senior Mieke Verschpect said “The ending felt more of a buildup towards a great finale for future movies.” This helped shift the focus onto the build up for a third installment in this series.
