With 28 Days Later, director Danny Boyle and Alex Garland revolutionized the zombie genre. In 28 Years Later, they reimagined it yet again by abandoning the norms they had set. Zombies (or infected individuals) were no longer simply soulless, rage-fueled beings. Some evolved into clever and formidable Alphas, while others became sluggish and squirmed on the ground. Instead of a metropolis devastated by a virus, viewers were treated to a stunning wilderness and a poignant, yet chilling, coming-of-age tale. Boyle has now handed over The Bone Temple, the second installment of Garland’s 28 Years Later trilogy, to American director Nia DaCosta, who advances this saga with impressive boldness and complexity.

Just as the term “superhero movie” has broadened as filmmakers explore the limits of the subgenre, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple qualifies as a zombie film, but it goes far beyond that. With mesmerizing performances from Ralph Fiennes, Jack O’Connell, Alfie Williams, Chi Lewis-Parry, and Erin Kellyman, this horror flick — mirroring its predecessor and 2025’s other successful horror release, Sinners — rises above the dark facets of the genre to showcase something both gritty and exquisite.

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple reveals the enigma of Jimmy.

After wowing viewers with a vampire dance in Sinners, O’Connell astonished us by showing up at the finale of 28 Years Later as a dubious hero, taking inspiration from the Teletubbies and Jimmy Savile. He presents himself as a prince accompanied by a band of fervent admirers, all clad in his signature look of Lancelot golden locks and a velour tracksuit. They refer to themselves as Jimmy (or variations thereof), and they have taken in runaway Spike (Williams). However, in spite of their grins and abilities to combat the infected, this is not a secure haven for Spike.

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We first encountered Jimmy at the beginning