{"id":2233602,"date":"2026-01-13T22:20:33","date_gmt":"2026-01-13T22:20:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2233602"},"modified":"2026-01-13T22:20:33","modified_gmt":"2026-01-13T22:20:33","slug":"28-years-later-the-bone-temple-review-ralph-fiennes-addictive-horror-sequel-is-so-messed-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/28-years-later-the-bone-temple-review-ralph-fiennes-addictive-horror-sequel-is-so-messed-up\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8217;28 Years Later: The Bone Temple&#8217; review: Ralph Fiennes&#8217; addictive horror sequel is so messed up"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F2%2F2026%2F01%2F118833725.jpg?quality%3D90%26strip%3Dall\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"inline-module inline-module--review alignleft\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__inner\">\n\t\t<span class=\"inline-module--review__eyebrow subsection-heading-semi__label\"><br \/>\n\t\t\tmovie review\t\t<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"inline-module--review__title subsection-heading-semi\">\n\t\t\t28 YEARS LATER: THE BONE TEMPLE\t\t<\/h2>\n<div class=\"rating\">\n<div class=\"rating__stars\">\n<div class=\"rating__star rating__star--filled\"><?php \/**\n * Review star.\n * \n * @package nyp-editor\n *\/\n\n??><\/p>\n<style><![CDATA[\n\t.review-block-star {\n\t\t--review-block-star--empty-color: #585858;\n\t\t--review-block-star--fill-color: #000;\n\t}\n]]><\/style>\n<p><svg class=\"icon-star review-block-star\" stroke=\"var(--review-block-star--fill-color)\" fill=\"var(--review-block-star--empty-color)\" stroke-width=\"0\" viewbox=\"0 0 16 16\" height=\"13px\" width=\"13px\">\n\t<defs>\n\t\t<lineargradient id=\"half-gradient\">\n\t\t\t<stop stop-opacity=\"1\" offset=\"50%\" stop-color=\"var(--review-block-star--fill-color)\"\/>\n\t\t\t<stop stop-opacity=\"1\" offset=\"0%\" 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stop-color=\"var(--review-block-star--fill-color)\"\/>\n\t\t\t<stop stop-opacity=\"1\" offset=\"0%\" stop-color=\"var(--review-block-star--empty-color)\"\/>\n\t\t<\/lineargradient>\n\t<\/defs>\n\t<path d=\"M3.612 15.443c-.386.198-.824-.149-.746-.592l.83-4.73L.173 6.765c-.329-.314-.158-.888.283-.95l4.898-.696L7.538.792c.197-.39.73-.39.927 0l2.184 4.327 4.898.696c.441.062.612.636.283.95l-3.523 3.356.83 4.73c.078.443-.36.79-.746.592L8 13.187l-4.389 2.256z\">\n\t<\/path>\n<\/svg>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rating__star rating__star--filled\"><?php \/**\n * Review star.\n * \n * @package nyp-editor\n *\/\n\n??><\/p>\n<style><![CDATA[\n\t.review-block-star {\n\t\t--review-block-star--empty-color: #585858;\n\t\t--review-block-star--fill-color: #000;\n\t}\n]]><\/style>\n<p><svg class=\"icon-star review-block-star\" stroke=\"var(--review-block-star--fill-color)\" fill=\"var(--review-block-star--empty-color)\" stroke-width=\"0\" viewbox=\"0 0 16 16\" height=\"13px\" width=\"13px\">\n\t<defs>\n\t\t<lineargradient id=\"half-gradient\">\n\t\t\t<stop stop-opacity=\"1\" offset=\"50%\" stop-color=\"var(--review-block-star--fill-color)\"\/>\n\t\t\t<stop stop-opacity=\"1\" offset=\"0%\" stop-color=\"var(--review-block-star--empty-color)\"\/>\n\t\t<\/lineargradient>\n\t<\/defs>\n\t<path d=\"M3.612 15.443c-.386.198-.824-.149-.746-.592l.83-4.73L.173 6.765c-.329-.314-.158-.888.283-.95l4.898-.696L7.538.792c.197-.39.73-.39.927 0l2.184 4.327 4.898.696c.441.062.612.636.283.95l-3.523 3.356.83 4.73c.078.443-.36.79-.746.592L8 13.187l-4.389 2.256z\">\n\t<\/path>\n<\/svg>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rating__star rating__star--half\"><?php \/**\n * Review star.\n * \n * @package nyp-editor\n *\/\n\n??><\/p>\n<style><![CDATA[\n\t.review-block-star {\n\t\t--review-block-star--empty-color: #585858;\n\t\t--review-block-star--fill-color: #000;\n\t}\n]]><\/style>\n<p><svg class=\"icon-star review-block-star\" stroke=\"var(--review-block-star--fill-color)\" fill=\"var(--review-block-star--empty-color)\" stroke-width=\"0\" viewbox=\"0 0 16 16\" height=\"13px\" width=\"13px\">\n\t<defs>\n\t\t<lineargradient id=\"half-gradient\">\n\t\t\t<stop stop-opacity=\"1\" offset=\"50%\" stop-color=\"var(--review-block-star--fill-color)\"\/>\n\t\t\t<stop stop-opacity=\"1\" offset=\"0%\" stop-color=\"var(--review-block-star--empty-color)\"\/>\n\t\t<\/lineargradient>\n\t<\/defs>\n\t<path d=\"M3.612 15.443c-.386.198-.824-.149-.746-.592l.83-4.73L.173 6.765c-.329-.314-.158-.888.283-.95l4.898-.696L7.538.792c.197-.39.73-.39.927 0l2.184 4.327 4.898.696c.441.062.612.636.283.95l-3.523 3.356.83 4.73c.078.443-.36.79-.746.592L8 13.187l-4.389 2.256z\">\n\t<\/path>\n<\/svg>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<p>Running time: 110 minutes. Rated R (strong bloody violence, gore, graphic nudity, language throughout and brief drug use). In theaters Jan. 16.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The final scene of <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2025\/06\/18\/entertainment\/28-years-later-review-zombie-sequel-is-warped-and-fantastic\/\">last year\u2019s \u201c28 Years Later\u201d <\/a>was pretty damn demented, even by the messed-up standards of a post-apocalyptic horror series in which Great Britain is ravaged by a \u201crage virus\u201d that turns them into monsters who indiscriminately rip innocents\u2019 heads off.<\/p>\n<p>After two hours of blood, guts and tears, a flamboyant band of thugs wearing colorful velvet tracksuits and blond Jimmy Savile wigs rolled in. All of them, men and women alike, were eerily named Jimmy.<\/p>\n<p>It was as if a grotesque murder spree had been capped off by Rip Taylor throwing a handful of glitter into the air.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Some audiences found that stark tonal shift too wacky for an already strange movie that had an orange Ralph Fiennes erect a gigantic monument out of human skeletons.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Well, I ate it up. The eccentric crew, a bold addition, was spine-chillingly reminiscent of Alex DeLarge and his violent droogs from \u201cA Clockwork Orange.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module aligncenter\">\n<div class=\"inline-module inline-module--more inline-module--columnist inline-module--more--thirds\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__inner\">\n<h2 class=\"inline-module__heading subsection-heading subsection-heading--single-line \">\n\t\t\tMore From\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"subsection-heading__sub\">Johnny Oleksinski<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>Those \u201cLater\u201d punks go full-bore Burgess in \u201cThe Bone Temple,\u201d director Nia DaCosta\u2019s twisted, more brutal and freakishly funny continuation.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Cult-like, they have their very own lunatic lexicon. For instance, they call the gruesome skinning of their captives \u201ccharity.\u201d And they refer to the god they worship \u2014 erm, Satan \u2014 as Uncle Nick.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Their smirking leader, Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal (Jack O\u2019Connell), whose evil accessory is an upside down crucifix, dubs his deadly lackeys his \u201cFingers.\u201d Yuck.<\/p>\n<p>Peel back Sir Lord Jimmy\u2019s Peter Pan-like boyish pluck and you\u2019ll discover a black hole of morality, fiendishly rendered by O\u2019Connell with a smooth-talking \u201cDevil Went Down To Georgia\u201d sleaze. He\u2019s a baddie for the books.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>And he\u2019s the opposite of his 12-year-old captive \u2014 the sweet, traumatized Spike  \u2014 who just wants to find his way home after the death of his mom in the last flick. To get there, the scamp, played by a heart-wrenching Alfie Williams, must first free himself from the bleach-blond hairpieces.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Ralph Fiennes plays weird Dr. Kelson in \u201c28 Years Later: The Bone Temple.\u201d  <span class=\"credit\">\u00a9Sony Pictures\/Courtesy Everett Collection<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The whole warped thing is captivatingly bizarre. And from the start of the sequel, when little Spike is forced into a knife fight to the death to earn his spot in the group, the Jimmys are revolting and teeming with menace.<\/p>\n<p>DaCosta\u2019s got a real knack for fear, having done a bang-up job <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2021\/08\/26\/candyman-review-a-gutsy-freaky-horror-sequel\/\">bringing \u201cCandyman\u201d into the 21st Century<\/a> back in 2021. She doesn\u2019t conceal much with her gorgeous and unsparing direction as she makes us wince and \u201cOh. My. God\u201d over and over.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal (Jack O\u2019Connell) is the leader of the \u201cFingers.\u201d <span class=\"credit\">AP<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Squeamish, beware. \u201cBone Temple\u201d doubles the savagery of its predecessor. We chomp on popcorn as a crazed dude chows on some poor sap\u2019s brain. But the gore does not come at the expense of emotion. <\/p>\n<p>Two tales are told here. Spike and the Fingers\u2019 monstrous trek to mutilate anyone who doesn\u2019t bend the knee, and the dangerous experiments of Dr. Ian Kelson \u2014 Fiennes\u2019 tangerine-tinted role \u2014 on the snarling \u201cinfecteds\u201d at his haus of bones.<\/p>\n<p>In the previous film, we learned the creepy hermit can temporarily pacify the not-quite-zombies with a morphine dart. That was a major breakthrough. Could he be nearing a cure for the virus that\u2019s cut off the UK from the rest of the world?\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Fiennes is magnificent, and a scene involving him and Iron Maiden\u2019s song \u201cNumber of the Beast\u201d will go down as one of the most buzzed-about sequences of 2026. Were it written for a grisly horror movie, Alex Garland\u2019s climax would fit snuggly into a Shakespearean comedy.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Samson, the alpha infected, is back. <span class=\"credit\">AP<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Fiennes adds fuel to the conversation of why Hollywood hems and haws about showering praise on big, committed horror parts when they\u2019re equally as deserving.<\/p>\n<p>During the current award season, Amy Madigan of \u201cWeapons\u201d has been the latest actor to get the industry to take a long, hard look at their pretentious biases. C\u2019mon guys \u2014 what\u2019s the difference between brilliant creature-ish turns and Gary Oldman strapping on a Winston Churchill fat suit?\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>The Jimmys go on a murder spree through England. <span class=\"credit\">\u00a9Sony Pictures\/Courtesy Everett Collection<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>If I had one qualm with \u201cBone Temple\u201d is that it\u2019s quite brisk. Certain intriguing relationships, like Kelson\u2019s connection to an infected alpha named Samson, could\u2019ve used some extra screen time. However, I prefer a movie that leaves you wanting more to one that leaves you wanting lobotomy.<\/p>\n<p>Since it\u2019s been widely reported, I don\u2019t think it\u2019s a spoiler to reveal that an original star returns. <\/p>\n<p>His satisfying appearance, which is far from cheap fan service, sets up the rare 2020s threequel I\u2019m putting in my calendar instead of on my hit list.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source celebrity.land \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>movie review 28 YEARS LATER: THE BONE TEMPLE Running time: 110 minutes. Rated R (strong bloody violence, gore, graphic nudity, language throughout and brief drug use). In theaters Jan. 16. The final scene of last year\u2019s \u201c28 Years Later\u201d was pretty damn demented, even by the messed-up standards of a post-apocalyptic horror series in which [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2233603,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25174],"tags":[21741,304995,21912,312991],"class_list":["post-2233602","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gossip","tag-entertainment","tag-movie-reviews","tag-movies","tag-ralph-fiennes"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/28-Years-Later-The-Bone-Temple-review-Ralph-Fiennes-addictive.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2233602","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2233602"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2233602\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2233604,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2233602\/revisions\/2233604"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2233603"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2233602"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2233602"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2233602"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}