The 28 Days Later saga is no stranger to controversial endings. The initial film’s conclusion was modified to offer a more hopeful outlook, suggesting the survival of three key characters, including Cillian Murphy’s Jim. Initially, director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland intended for Jim to meet his demise—a fate later revealed in a post-credits scene during the movie’s theatrical run, and alongside two other grim endings, on the DVD release. 28 Weeks Later concluded with the unsettling spread of the zombie virus to France after its apparent containment in England. However, the subsequent sequel, 28 Years Later, redefined this narrative by stating that the infection was successfully controlled and quarantined within England, preventing global devastation.

28 Years Later itself left some viewers puzzled with its conclusion. Delving deeper into its narrative, the film follows young Spike (portrayed by Alfie Williams) on a journey of self-discovery, culminating in a cliffhanger as the “Jimmy gang” intervenes during a zombie confrontation. This gang, dressed identically, poses a new threat, overshadowing the zombies. Enter 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, the first in the series to forgo a time jump, picking up immediately where its precursor left off. Spike is coerced into joining the Jimmy gang’s reign of terror, revealing their sinister motives extend beyond mere zombie slaying. While the storyline is more linear compared to 28 Years Later, it closes with another enigma. Fear not, as the zombie aficionados at Decider are ready to unravel the mystery without causing harm!

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple Plot Summary

As highlighted, the narrative in this sequel, penned again by Garland and directed by Nia DaCosta, is more straightforward. It revisits familiar faces from the previous film: Spike, now a captive of the ruthless Jimmy Gang led by Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal (played by Jack O’Connell), who was introduced as a child in 28 Years Later. The gang traverses the landscape, capturing and sacrificing people to Satan, whom they refer to as “Old Nick,” while Crystal maintains control through intimidation. Spike, desperate to escape, is trapped in this violent world.

Simultaneously, Spike’s old acquaintance, Ian Kelson, portrayed with brilliance by Ralph Fiennes, is engrossed in constructing the Bone Temple, a tribute to those lost to the zombie outbreak. He encounters Samson (Chi-Lewis Parry), an “alpha” zombie from the previous film, who possesses enhanced physical abilities yet displays traces of humanity under the influence of morphine administered by Kelson. This interaction sparks a fragile camaraderie, and Kelson speculates that a cure for the virus might be possible.

The stories converge when the Jimmy gang mistakes Kelson, due to his iodine-covered body—a zombie deterrent—for Old Nick. In a private discussion, Jimmy Crystal realizes the truth but coerces Kelson to continue the charade to consolidate his gang’s loyalty. Kelson stages an elaborate spectacle, complete with Iron Maiden tunes and makeshift pyrotechnics, convincing the gang he’s Satan—a scene that stands out as one of the most entertaining and adrenaline-pumping moments of the year. Upon recognizing Spike among the gang, Kelson manipulates the group to rebel against their leader and free Spike. In the ensuing chaos, Jimmy Crystal kills Kelson, Spike retaliates by killing Jimmy Crystal, and the gang members turn on each other, leaving only Spike and “Jimmy Ink” (Kellie, played by Erin Kellyman) alive. They abandon a dying Crystal, while a seemingly cured Samson carries Kelson’s body away.

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple Ending Explained: Where Does It Leave Off and What Does It Mean for a Third Film?

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple also ends with a cliffhanger of sorts, but one far less immediately confounding than its predecessor. After the Spike/Kellie/Kelson/Jimmy stories are more or less resolved, the film cuts to a quiet outpost in the mountains, presumably some time after what has transpired. Shots of the exterior and interior reveal something resembling a farmhouse, which looks comfortably lived-in. The first person we see is a young woman named Sam (Maiya Eastmond), seemingly around 13 or 14, taking notes from an unseen lecturer. Then, he enters: It’s Jim (Cillian Murphy) from the first film, bearing tea and talking about World War II as his daughter’s teacher. Specifically, he’s discussing the hope that helping Axis countries rebuild following the war would avoid the postwar mistakes of World War I and “allow the ideas to go bankrupt,” rather than the countries. “Fascism, nationalism, populism… totally dismantled, never to return,” he says, creating a grim irony with our current state of affairs. (Churchill’s famed aphorism “Those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”)

Now, remember, this is an alternate present (ish) for Britain, which is 28 years into a zombie-like virus outbreak. We haven’t seen what’s become of the rest of the world beyond the vague knowledge that it’s been spared the virus. We don’t know whether it bears some resemblance to our 2026 or if the virus has set history on a different path for the rest of the world. On a more micro level, we might presume that Sam, who is Black, is also the daughter of Selena (Naomie Harris), from the first 28 Days Later, though she’s nowhere in sight.

Those questions are put on pause when Sam hears something in the distance. We can infer that this isn’t an unprecedented occurrence, but isn’t necessarily an everyday one, either. She and Jim spring into action, heading into the nearby hills with a rifle and a telescope, where from their distant vantage they spy two people, seemingly Spike and Kellie, being pursued by a hoard of the infected. “Do we help them?” Sam says. A pause. “Dad,” she says more emphatically, “do we help them?” “Of course we do,” Jim says, and the two rush off camera to the strangers’ aid. Cut to credits.

Now, like the rest of the film, this is more straightforward than 28 Years Later. Jim and his daughter are living in relative seclusion and peace, and will help Spike and Kellie escape the infected. The lingering questions — is Selena still alive? Will this action bring the infected to the family’s door? Will Samson work to help cure other infected using Kelson’s work? — are less ambiguities for this movie than deferred questions for another sequel. 28 Years Later was conceived as a trilogy from the jump; Garland has written all three, and the first two were filmed back-to-back with a greenlight on the third waiting on the box office results of the first two. They were mixed; 28 Years Later did well, but The Bone Temple was a financial disappointment. The third movie was supposedly given the go-ahead in the weeks running up to the second film’s release, but without a firm shooting date or release date, that seems to be in flux now. Maybe the movies’ Netflix success will assure a trilogy-capper in some form, whether direct to streaming or in theaters.

Thematically, though, The Bone Temple offers some hints in its closing moments. Jim’s dialogue about fascism probably isn’t just a wink at the audience; it seems likely that the next film will address the rise of nationalism over the past couple of decades, whether within a changed post-virus world, or one that, outside of Britain, looks more like our present-day situation. All of these movies are about the potential for both empathetic and monstrous behavior in humankind; Kelson’s work in The Bone Temple further drives home the idea that the victims of the rage virus aren’t really undead zombies, but humans clouded with violent hallucinations. In the film’s final moments, Jim rejects isolationism and selfishness out of hand. There’s even something moving about the way he phrases his answer to Sam’s pressing question: “Of course we do,” he says, even knowing that it could jeopardize their own presumably workable living situation to help these strangers. The implication is that he has learned from the mistakes of history, even if the broader world remains a scary question mark.

Jesse Hassenger (@rockmarooned) is a writer living in Brooklyn podcasting at www.sportsalcohol.com. He’s a regular contributor to The A.V. Club, Polygon, and The Guardian, among others.

Stream 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple on Netflix