We pick up with young Spike stranded on the mainland, now entangled with the theatrical and terrifying cult led by Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal. At the same time, Dr Kelson continues his unnerving experiments with Samson, an alpha infected whose behaviour hints at something dangerously close to evolution.
DaCosta wastes no time establishing this as a different animal. The scale feels tighter, more intimate, but the tone is bolder. Alex Garland’s script leans into cult psychology, faith twisted into performance, and the uncomfortable idea that humanity may be the greater contagion. You can feel the film testing how far it can push both its characters and its audience.
Jack O’Connell is electric as Jimmy Crystal. He plays him like a rock star preacher at the end of the world, all wounded ego and manic conviction. It is a performance that could have tipped into parody, but never does. Ralph Fiennes counters him beautifully. His Kelson is patient, quietly amused, and unexpectedly tender. The scenes between Kelson and Samson have a strange warmth that lingers long after the blood has dried.
And yes, there is blood. This chapter is far more graphic, embracing the franchise’s feral roots while layering in philosophical heft. The sound design snarls, the editing snaps, and the finale delivers a jolt of pure, adrenalised cinema.