28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is currently playing in cinemas nationwide.
Having been released in cinemas last week, this infected sequel is poised to make its mark on the box office and is well worth the trip to see it on the big screen.
Rating 4.5/5
Setting the stage
Just over a year ago, 28 Years Later was a film that lived in limbo; always discussed, seemingly written but unfinished, and, most of all, in desperately high demand.
2002’s 28 Days Later innovated the genre, with director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland breathing new life into typical zombie apocalypse media in its dark, despondent interpretation of society just four weeks after the outbreak of a virus.
The sequel, in 2007, took us from 28 Days to 28 Weeks Later, in a follow-up that seemingly favoured action and drama over the complexities of its predecessor, something which is often regarded as the worst in the franchise.
When 28 Years Later (part one) was first teased, it felt as though viewers were in store for an absolute treat.
With Boyle and Garland returning to the franchise for the big comeback, expectations were confidently met.
The film came across as gritty and desolate as ever, all in a way that was reminiscent of the original while still building upon the universe and challenging norms within the genre.
This time, Garland stuck around whilst Boyle dropped out for director Nia DaCosta in a move that smashed it out of the park.
Part two (of three) in the franchise, subtitled ‘The Bone Temple’, has taken that world and somehow flipped it on its head, catching viewers off-guard with a twisted, heartfelt, gory experience that can be best described as unique – in the best way.
If you haven’t already, check out our review on part one here.
READ MORE: Film news: ‘One Battle After Another’ tops Actor Awards noms
What’s the context?
Unsurprisingly, this film picks up right after the end of an emotionally tormenting story that leaves us with Spike suddenly captured by a gang of “Jimmy’s” – a group of sadistic satanists headed by, well, Jimmy – played by the brilliant Jack O’Connell.
We also reunite with Doctor Ian Kelson (Ralph Fiennes), the man that Spike sought out in an attempt to save his mother.
He still spends his time alone in his “Bone Temple”, which serves as an effigy for all those lost in the apocalypse.
Kelson is continuing his research involving the beastly infected “Alpha” Samson, as he, once again in this instalment, uses his extensive medical knowledge to “tame” and study the nature of the infection.
Plot summary – spoilers apply from here on!
The film opens shortly after Spike is saved/captured by O’Connell’s Sir Jimmy Crystal, as we find his band of Jimmys in an abandoned swimming pool.
Before you know it, there is an intimidating test of Spike’s mettle in a fight to the death with one of the other children in the satan-worshipping gang.
Spike struggles, but ultimately outwits his opponent after being embarrassed. He stabs him before the gang watches him bleed out, all while he pleads for his life as their leader mocks him.
We also revisit Kelson, who begins to notice that Samson, the “Alpha,” is beginning to return to Kelson’s home. He takes this opportunity to experiment on Samson whilst he’s under the influence of a tranquiliser.
Building a friendship with the brutish patient seemingly brings Kelson comfort, and we even get the pleasure of seeing him dance to music on a wind-up record player in his underground digs.
Kelson’s theories on treatment prove to be correct, and Samson is seen washing himself and eating vegetation rather than flesh.
This sequence culminates in Samson speaking somewhat coherently, confirming Kelson’s suspicions.
Desperate to escape
Following a gory failure of a torture session (described by Head Jimmy as acts of “charity”), Spike finds himself desperate to escape.
When Spike is offered charity as a result of his cowardice, Kelly, a female member of the gang, points out to their leader that she has seen Satan himself (Kelson) dancing with one of his demons (Samson) and argues that perhaps it’s possible to meet with him to decide on Spike’s fate.
The head Jimmy believes Satan is his father, and so goes to Kelson alone to ask him.
Once the truth is revealed that Kelson is merely human, O’Connell’s character threatens him with his life unless he plays the role of the Devil in an attempt to keep his followers’ loyalty.
Kelson abides, rigging the temple into a hellscape of flames, serenaded entirely by heavy metal legends Iron Maiden.
The plan is a success until Kelson recognises Spike from their encounter in the previous film. Kelson challenges Head Jimmy, resulting in both Kelson’s death and Jimmy’s crucifixion, leaving him crying for his mother until a now lucid Samson arrives in anger.
Kelly and Spike finally escape the gang in the aftermath, but end up being chased by a horde of the infected.
The audience is then reintroduced to Jim from the first film, and his daughter, who sees the two fleeing in the distance and decides to help.
What went well?
The very first part of the film that deserves its flowers is the soundtrack. Kelson’s adoration for music is clear, with plenty of scenes of him dancing to Duran Duran.
A montage of Samson contains one of the best needle drops I’ve seen in a film, as Radiohead’s Everything in Its Right Place plays over footage of him slowly becoming less animalistic in his ways.
The Iron Maiden scene, as Kelson dances maniacally to their ballad The Number of the Beast also steals the show and is probably the best scene in the film.
This isn’t just for the music itself, but also for the acting performance from Ralph Fiennes, who elevates his character’s development through a stellar performance.
Amongst the best performers are, of course, the band of Jimmys and the young Alfie Williams, who show exceptional performances as young traumatised children, but their leader is the one who deserves a place on the podium beside Fiennes.
Jack O’Connell was, of course, brilliant in last year’s Sinners, continuing here with a strong display through a character who is a product of a young boy having to grow up alone in a terrifying world.
His psychotic thought process and fragile temperament come to form an antagonist who is unpredictable, terrifying and ruthless, but with a past that makes him more complex than a typical “bad guy”.
Sadistic character
It’s hard to imagine such a sadistic character being beaten as a villain for quite some time.
The writing and structure of the film are not too complicated by any means, but the simplicity of it is something that only benefits the experience of the film; at times, you wince at the gore or cringe at the insanity of the leader’s mind and thought process.
The same applies to the lighter side of the story, too, as we see Kelson unfold and relax as he finds companionship in Samson.
Watching him enjoy his music and dancing on numerous occasions is a joy to watch.
It keeps the story fresh, but still unpredictable, as the results of his research reveal plenty to those who are interested in the lore behind the infection.
That’s most certainly the standout for me in this one.
Unlike the previous film that used nature, isolation and themes of love to generate an emotional cinematic experience, this one uses themes of desperation, violence and aggression to create what becomes a more thrilling and theatrical instalment in the franchise.
All this combined makes for a very well-paced film that tells its story without feeling like a drag in any way, but still knows when to move on a fast or slow beat to keep things tidy.
Criticism
This film hits the mark plenty of times, but what are the few things it gets wrong?
First and foremost, this one isn’t really your typical zombie flick. Unlike its predecessor, this film has very little to show in terms of notable danger from the infected, choosing to focus much more on the human elements.
The issue here is that the first film did so much in terms of building upon the established world, even introducing new subgroups of infected that have evolved to the conditions over the past 28 years.
Little of that being in an instalment of this franchise, which is so highly regarded within the genre, could be seen as a disappointment, but fortunately, the human aspect still remains intriguing.
Another thing that disappointingly missed the mark for me was the lack of development on the ending of the previous film.
Last we saw, a seemingly normal baby born from an infected woman was delivered to Spike’s home village on the Lindisfarne Holy Island, presenting questions on whether the baby was immune, or more importantly, still infectious.
This was one of the stories that I was most excited to see unfold – would the village be safe? Or did Spike just sign the death warrant for everyone significant to him?
The absence of Aaron Taylor-Johnson was admittedly dampened by the quality of the characters we got instead, but it was a shame not to see his character return, even if it would have been in a smaller role.
Overall thoughts
When the first part came out, I thought it was by far the best piece of contagion media to come out in recent years, but this one has absolutely come out and smashed it out of the park.
Like previously mentioned, this film operates well in exploring the human psyche and the very real disparity between the nature of those who are dangerous and those who aren’t.
The main characters seem to drag you into their journey, all thanks to the actors playing them, who have taken a uniquely bold script and put it onto the screen beautifully.
It’s near impossible for me to knock the 2002 original off its spot on the pedestal thanks to its innovation for the time, but this one certainly sits in a comfortable second place in the franchise for me, not too far from the top.
This film will have you going from laughing to sitting on the edge of your seat in anticipation of a stressful encounter.
It will have you proverbially peeking from behind your sofa as you stare at the horrifying torture delivered to the Jimmys’ foes, but also smiling proudly as both Kelson and Samson make each other’s lives better.
This film gets a 4.5/5 for me, with it certainly being a near-perfect sequel to the franchise. It is held back slightly by expectations that were set up by part one, but it certainly gets on just fine.
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is now finally in cinemas. It’s gory, stressful, emotionally complex, and boldly cinematic.
If that sounds like you, then you should certainly go ahead and check it out.
READ NEXT: Box office news: Disney wins Hollywood Studio battle of 2025
