DaCosta’s The Bone Temple praised for its compassion in zombie sequel

Collider says Nia DaCosta’s 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, written by Alex Garland, reshapes the zombie sequel by emphasizing warmth, empathy and small acts of kindness, and the review describes it as one of the first great films of 2026.

The review highlights Ralph Fiennes as Dr. Ian Kelson, who forms an unexpected friendship with the infected leader Samson (Chi Lewis-Parry), while Alfie Williams’ Spike and Erin Kellyman’s Jimmy Ink face Jack O’Connell’s brutal Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal and his gang, the Jimmys. It praises Garland’s surprisingly optimistic script, DaCosta’s steadier direction, Sean Bobbitt’s cinematography and Hildur Guðnadóttir’s score, and says the film subverts genre expectations by treating compassion as a strength.

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple continues the 28 Days Later sequel trilogy and, the review notes, further solidifies the franchise’s legacy among zombie stories; the film comes to theaters on January 16, 2026.

Key Topics

Culture, Nia Dacosta, Alex Garland, Ralph Fiennes, Zombie Film