28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, 2026.
Directed by Nia DaCosta.
Starring Ralph Fiennes, Alfie Williams, Jack O’Connell, Chi Lewis-Parry, Erin Kellyman, Emma Laird, Sam Locke, Robert Rhodes, Ghazi Al Ruffai, Maura Bird, Connor Newall, Louis Ashbourne Serkis, and David Sterne.
SYNOPSIS:
As Spike is inducted into Jimmy Crystal’s gang on the mainland, Dr. Kelson makes a discovery that could alter the world.
An atheist and a Satanist walk into a bar could have been the pitch for 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple. Directed by Nia DaCosta (taking over from franchise creator Danny Boyle, although keeping screenwriter Alex Garland with his thematic DNA all over the script), this direct follow-up to last summer’s revival of the IP also functions as a Frankenstein riff, a sadistically violent window into religious fanaticism (one torture sequence inside a barn particularly has to come damn close to earning the film an NC-17 rating), and a continuation of a boy’s coming-of-age inside this apocalyptic hellscape distorting all manner of sanity and insanity among the dead and those infected with the Rage virus (although supporting characters do refer to them as zombies, much like most of us do while understanding that technically aren’t).
Filmed back to back from 28 Years Later (with the third installment in the strategy now officially greenit, especially considering that the quality here remains viciously thrilling and profound), Nia DaCosta and Alex Garland have taken away spike (Alfie Williams) as the center of the narrative to now focus on characters and groups individually, skillfully without the film losing any sense of clarity or focus, even if some cumulative power is lost in that no scene here touches what that film ultimately built to emotionally.
It’s also more conventionally (occasionally disappointingly so) made compared to Danny Boyle’s constant innovation with iPhone filming techniques (there is a little bit of that here), which also fits that narrative approach; one could even say this follow-up is more mainstream per se, although not necessarily since the lyrically moving Bone Temple weirdness and thought-provoking core is still here, not to mention more emotional gut punches, massive infected dong on display, and, as previously mentioned, unflinching brutality crossing the line into barbarism.
To be clear, that does not mean the infected have leveled up. Much of that violent depravity comes from Alfie’s new wanderer companions, a gang of “Jimmies” (boys and girls) led by Jack O’Connell’s psychotic standout Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal (who appeared in the epilogue of the previous film, decked out in wardrobe and jewelry resembling Jimmy Savile, which is as good enough a hint as any that this is one deranged person), the child survivor depicted in the opening of 28 Years Later, now an adult cult leader ranting and raving in the name of serving Satan while convincing his flock that he is a descendent and direct heir. Efficiently trained to kill the infected while acrobatically dodging their contaminated blood spray, their mission also appears to be exploring nearby surroundings and savagely slaughtering innocents in horrific, extended fashion, touted as Satan’s wishes.
Naturally, Spike comes to realize that he may have made a mistake. Hell, there even appears to be some dissension in the ranks as one of the Jimmies isn’t entirely convinced that St. Jimmy is Satan’s son, but perhaps felt the need to band together with someone. Again, there is quite a bit of ugliness to ponder here about the way this world now works and what people will do to survive.
As far Doctor Ian Kelson, the quietly mad scientist played once again by Ralph Fiennes, he stays within his Bone Temple enclosure (even more striking during a late night time sequence where there are torches lighting up the entrance and beyond) while continuing to experiment on Alpha infected Samson (once again played by Chi Lewis-Parry, still letting that prosthetic hang out despite what marketing might have viewers believe), via morphine sedations as seen last time. It remains unsettlingly beautiful that Dr. Kelson doesn’t perceive the infected as an enemy per se, dedicating what’s left of his life to understanding how the virus has altered them physically, emotionally, and psychologically. They also develop a deeply bizarre but moving bond.
There are now also sequences following his day-to-day existence, offering glimpses into his past life through photographs and showing shades of who he used to be, listening to old vinyl records, which itself is a visual reminder of the importance of physical media not restricted to Internet connections, especially once the world is lost. It is also likely no accident that Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal takes a more sinister approach when referencing certain media, a subtle juxtaposition that what we once consumed could also be wielded as a brainwashing tool.
While there are once again some reservations about the epilogue lead-in to the upcoming third entry, these filmmakers have earned more than enough trust. 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is a bloodbath, but one with substance, feeling, and some left-field showstopping sequences as worthy as what was tonally teased.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder
