THE BONE TEMPLE is the kind of movie that makes you want to grab a studio executive by the lapels and ask why on earth they picked this release date. This thing is too good to get lost in the Q4 awards dust cloud, and yet that feels like exactly what could happen. That would be a shame, because Ralph Fiennes absolutely deserves to be part of the Best Actor conversation. The film is directed by Nia DaCosta, written by Alex Garland, and serves as the follow-up to 28 YEARS LATER, with Fiennes leading a cast that also includes Jack O’Connell, Alfie Williams, Erin Kellyman, and Chi Lewis-Parry.

Plot-wise, this latest chapter drops us back into a ravaged, infected world where survival is still the first language and hope is spoken only in whispers. It’s a post-apocalyptic horror movie, yes, but it’s also a grief-soaked character piece that gives Fiennes room to do what great actors do: make devastation feel intimate. He’s not playing for showy moments. He’s just excellent, scene after scene, and the movie is stronger for it.

What I loved is how confidently the film commits to mood, dread, and performance instead of just trying to top itself with louder mayhem. It’s smart, unnerving, and emotionally grounded in a way a lot of horror sequels aren’t. I loved this movie. I just hope enough people remember it when ballots start floating around later this year.

Click here to listen to the KVNU For The People Movie Show where Jason and I discussed THE BONE TEMPLE, and click here to listen to past shows.

No idea what we’re talking about? That’s okay, too! Check out the trailer for THE BONE TEMPLE below.