28 Years Later: The Bone Temple – A Tale of Horror and Hope

Last year’s 28 Years Later brought one of the best modern horror franchises back to life with a vengeance. A film rivalling, or arguably surpassing, the 2002 original, 28 Days Later, it proved that it sill has life after almost 25 years. Years took the zombie tale away from the confines of civilization, and brought it to the open world, because the infected have infiltrated every facet of everyday life. Updating the rage virus epidemic through the lens of a family living in an isolated coastal community, that film ended with young Spike (Williams) setting out to experience the outside world, for better or worse. Picking up where the last film left off, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is a strong sequel that ultimately feels like filler to set up the end of a proposed 28 Years Later trilogy (or maybe the franchise as a whole). That’s not to say that new director Nia DaCosta does not impart her own touches here, reminding audiences how brutal this new world actually is. Still very hopeful in nature, she balances drama, plenty of violence, and a surprising amount of humor, as Alex Garland’s stellar script continues to push the story forward. Pushing the returning Ralph Fiennes as Dr. Kelson, and newcomer Jack O’Connell as the villainous Jimmy Crystal, the sequel amounts to a story about them, as Spike takes a backseat in a move which may be point of contention for some audiences. That being said, Fiennes and O’Connell are excellent and carry the film as ideological counterbalances inevitably set to collide.

As mentioned, a continuation of 28 Years Later, The Bone Temple finds Dr. Kelson (Fiennes) still going about his business within the titular temple where he honored the dead. Having come to terms with his life of solitude a long time ago, he went about his experiments on the infected in an attempt to perhaps find a cure for the rage virus. Those experiments led him to Samson (Chi Lewis-Parry), an alpha infected and his latest test subject. The longer his experiments went, he and Kelson would begin to strike a relationship that went further, becoming a kind of friendship based in fascination. Seemingly responding to his treatments, Kelson found himself spared from any retribution as Samson showed him a loyalty of sorts as the effects of the virus appeared counteracted. Presenting the hop that the rage virus could be cured, Samson’s arc made for some compelling drama, as that hope rubbed off on Kelson who vowed to see it and grew to care about him. Meanwhile, following the introduction of he and his crew at the end of the last film, Spike found himself aligned with Jimmy Crystal (O’Connell) and his merry gang of Jimmys. However, that relationship quickly became a nightmare. Up close and personal with their true murderous nature, they were merely indoctrinated by Jimmy, working for and performing torturous and murderous acts under the guise of some higher power, that higher power did not have the purest intentions.

Jumping back and forth between Kelson and Jimmy, only the former storyline looked to be going anywhere. There to represent both ends of the spectrum, hope and the absence of hope, the story reaffirms that the infected are not the only threat to survival as the inhumanity of the select survivors can be just as, if not more, terrifying. Trying to escape the clutches of Jimmy, Spike’s attempts were thwarted at every turn. However, a potential ally emerged in one of the Jimmys, nicknamed Ink (Erin Kellyman). Disillusioned and simply biding their time, she could see Spike’s fear and anxiety. All she needed was the right moment to attack the credibility of the so-called higher power they operated under and break the senior Jimmy’s grip on the others. From there, it was only a matter of time until that journey took them to Kelson. The first scene between he and Jimmy was easily the best part of the film, not only for Fiennes and O’Connell’s performances, but for how it strips away the layers from both characters, simmering them down to their most human level though once one’s mind is set, it is hard to change their ways. An untenable situation akin to a powder keg that could explode at any minute, the result is a tense climax where something had to give. Going in with a third film on its mind, the film certainly leaves the door open for more, bringing back a surprise character to presumably lead the way.

In the context of the franchise as a whole, The Bone Temple may feel like filler, but that’s not DaCosta, Fiennes, or O’Connell’s fault. Well shot and scored, the film doesn’t miss a beat on the technical side. As Garland dives deeper into the human element of this world and what it means to survive, it still has its fair share of compelling and horrifying moments, that’s life. Anchoring that chaos are the aforementioned Fiennes and O’Connell as Kelson and Jimmy. Fiennes is sensational as the hopeful doctor driven by his research and wanting to do right for the next generation. Getting to know him better here, simple scenes of contemplation or of him going about his business are captivating to watch. Absolutely lighting up in scenes with Lewis-Parry’s Samson, their chemistry makes for the emotional center of the film. On the other hand, O’Connell charms his way to a chilling performance as Jimmy. An undoubtedly evil character, his scene-stealing charisma makes up for that. Taking a backseat to Fiennes and O’Connell, Williams does his best to tie it all together.

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is a strong sequel that dives deeper into duality of humanity thanks to excellent performances from Ralph Fiennes and Jack O’Connell.

still courtesy of Columbia Pictures

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.