The last time somebody other than Danny Boyle directed a movie in the 28 Days franchise, it resulted in the well-meaning but underwhelming 28 Weeks Later. Boyle had brought such a unique vision and style to the first film, none of which was present in the sequel. It’s a perfectly fine zombie movie, but it isn’t 28 Days Later. When Boyle announced a new trilogy in the universe, there was plenty of excitement over him returning to the director’s chair for 28 Years Later, and he delivered.

For the follow up, though, he is once again relinquishing control to another director, and it could easily have turned into a story we’ve seen before. Fortunately, while it isn’t quite perfect, Nia DaCosta’s 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is an entertaining and worthy entry in the series.

Picking up not long after the first 28 Years Later, the story follows young Spike (Alfie Williams) in the clutches of the sadistic and deranged Sir Jimmy Crystal (Jack O’Connell). Along with his cult-like followers, all also called Jimmy, Crystal tortures and kills any survivors he finds in the zombie-infested English countryside. At the same time, the isolated Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) seeks to befriend and even perhaps cure an Alpha in the nearby woods.

It’s difficult to discuss the plot of the film without talking about the Jimmys. While O’Connell is fantastic as Crystal, the character is drastically different in tone from the world he inhabits, as are his followers. While this does little to drag the overall film down, it is very strange.

Most of the film, thankfully, is carried by the other half of the story. Dr. Kelson is a wonderful and fascinating character and Fiennes is in perfect form with him. He is often alone or paired with an unresponsive screen partner, but manages to carry the narrative flawlessly all by himself. 2026 is just getting started, and this may already be a benchmark performance for the year.

Fiennes is so good, in fact, that when he and the Jimmys inevitably collide, he somehow manages to rise to their exaggerated levels of silliness while also making them feel like an actual part of the story instead of a weird distraction from it.

For her part, DaCosta does an admirable job directing. I have my quibbles about the Jimmys, but she at least keeps them entertaining if nothing else. The rest of the film really feels like a proper 28 Days movie, and I appreciate how she never changes how the whole thing is shot or presented. She has the kind of steady hand that a film like this needs if it has any shot of succeeding. As a result, it mostly does.

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple isn’t without its issues. A lesser director or world might not have been able to overcome them. Happily, this franchise has built such a rich world and DaCosta is talented enough that not only does the movie overcome its flaws, it excels anyway. The film is a blast, with phenomenal performances, great violence, and a gripping story. Maybe nothing has yet reached the heights of the original movie, but this is a franchise that keeps on surviving.