The Temple of Bones – REVIEW – Le Shot Martini

28 years later was one of my biggest surprises of 2025, blew me away on first viewing and ended up in the top 5 of my end of year list. I was expecting a high-energy, jaw-dropping zombie movie, and I got that, but I also got a surprisingly meditative and touching story about grief and what it means to become a man in the apocalypse. It’s one of those horror films that changes your entire outlook on the genre and makes you wish a thousand curses on production houses that churn out effortless slop. And boy, let me tell you, when I found out that a following had been shot in quick succession and was released in early 2026? My throat is still recovering from all the cheering I was doing.

But with such big shoes to fill, does The Temple of Bones does he manage to find his place at her side? For once, this sequence brings good news. While Nia DeCosta abandoned much of the intensity and irrationality of the previous film, it managed to recapture much of its emotional core, bringing it to the forefront to create a much more character-driven story with huge developments for the film’s universe. Sometimes we almost forget we’re watching a zombie movie, which could would be a disappointing fact if the human elements were not so skillfully developed. There will definitely be debates over which one is better, as each will appeal to different tastes. But it’s not the conversation that really worries me; I can’t help but think about how we are potentially on the cusp of one of the greatest horror trilogies of the modern era.

In a somewhat surprising change, young drifter Spike is no longer the sole centerpiece of this story. We still see it a lot, and we’ll come back to it, but it’s very much a Dr. Ian Kelson movie. That of Ralph Fiennes an impeccable job since the thoughtful and wise doctor has been placed center stage, and the film really benefits from this. Kelson’s passion for humanity makes him a phenomenal protagonist, as his understanding of the human condition expands into new areas you might not expect. Without spoiling anything, Kelson’s approach to the apocalypse is not only refreshingly optimistic, but it also potentially leads to huge ramifications for the rules of the world that I only hope continue to be expanded upon in the next film. Not to be too hyperbolic, but Dr. Kelson is just one of those movie characters who, in my opinion, should rightly go down in history as one of the best horror movie protagonists of all time.

So even though a lot of this movie is about Kelson, we get to see more of Spike’s journey alongside him. Truth be told, I don’t think we get any notable developments in his character, but it speaks volumes about the persistence of good and innocence that the elements of the zombie-infected land work day and night to erase. But as we all know, sometimes zombies aren’t the most dangerous monsters; these are other humans. The film picks up where the other left off with Spike joining the company of the Jimmys, tracksuit-clad psychopaths led by an equally suited and psychotic Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal. Now, a lot of people have thought about the possibility of modeling a villain on one of the UK’s darkest characters, but don’t worry, the character never really goes in the direction you feared. No, actually, he’s the self-proclaimed son of Satan, which… yeah, that’s true. Jimmy Crystal is yet another standout villain performance for Jack O’Connellwho really impressed me last time as Remick in Sinners. The guy is sadistic, delusional and very funny. Having him genuinely believe he’s the Devil’s son isn’t the direction I expected for this character, but I think it’s a pretty funny move in a meta way. That being said, I wish his penchant for obsessing over his childhood interests played a bit more of a role in the character’s personality and motivations, but I’m still pretty happy with what we get.

Now, this is a bit of a shock, and it may annoy some people, but in reality, there are barely any zombies in this. It’s true, everything happened Walking death on us here. So, yeah, there’s a lot less action against the zombies because the movie puts a lot more emphasis on the characters weaving around them and waging war with each other. However, we get the return of Sampson, the well-endowed alpha zombie with a penchant for Sub Zero-ing his prey. Believe it or not, he’s actually one of the most exciting characters in this entire story, with a few scenes involving him that absolutely floored me. I won’t say much else, but Wow.

Like I said earlier, this thing is turned and ridden a lot less like a coke addict was at the controls. For the record, I love the filming and editing of this previous film. As the film moves toward a more character-driven story, it makes sense that the visual style would be scaled back a bit. That being said, this is still a beautifully shot film, with great emphasis placed on the beautiful nature landscapes and, of course, the Temple of Bones. The titular structure manages to feel both intimidating and welcoming; a magnificent haven of trust and respect that happens to be made of thousands of bones. But while I’m pretty happy with the look of this film, I wish it had taken a few more stylistic risks like the previous film. There was a reckless energy that made some really bold decisions, and sure, maybe that style isn’t suitable for this kind of story, but it still gave the film its own unique identity that I didn’t really feel as strongly here.

That being said, while it’s not as action-packed as its predecessor, this thing still has some real “holy shit” moments. Some of them completely change the structure of this world and others seem so ridiculous on paper but are actually incredible in their execution. This brings me to the climax, which I won’t go into detail about, but I have mixed feelings about it. The build to it and, ultimately, the payoffs are incredibly satisfying while still being quite dark. That being said, I feel like there was a huge emotional chain here that seemed sort of fumbled. The climax of the previous film actually made me cry, and this film elicits a similar response, but for some reason it just didn’t resonate with me as strongly as I hoped. It’s a bit disappointing, but it moves the future of this franchise forward. What exactly awaits us in the future remains a bit of a mystery, but I’m excited anyway.

In the end, I really enjoyed this, even if it didn’t have the same initial punch as 28 years later did. But The Temple of Bones it feels like a very different beast, one that may need to linger in the mind for a bit before fully absorbing you. Despite a bit of a simpler direction, this thing still nails our character expansion and delivers some impactful and incredibly entertaining moments that are hard not to love. This was definitely a real January treat, one we don’t get very often, so I’m pretty happy. Now put this third film into production, like yesterday.

RATING