28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
28 Years Later ended on a strange note but lends itself as the perfect setup to get straight into The Bone Temple. Spike (Alfie Williams) after taking his mum on her final journey and leaving his island community to go find himself and his place, runs into a strange group of survivors clad in matching tracksuits and blonde wigs.
The “Jimmies” as we come to find out are a bizarre cult-like group run by the enigmatic Sir Jimmy Crystal (Jack O’Connell) and from the opening scene we begin to unravel their twisted world views and the brutality that comes with it. The initiation for Spike to join the cult has him face off against a current member in a battle to the death all while Crystal watches over them from a god like position.
Balancing the brutality of the Jimmies is the return of Ralph Fiennes as Dr. Ian Kelson who continues his solitary life amongst his bone temple, a shrine to the dead that have been taken by the virus for the last 28 years. He continues his medicinal work finding that he is able to calm the local alpha brute, whom he has affectionately named Samson Chi Lewis-Parry), with a concoction of medicines. Through a series of uniquely human interactions between the pair the doctor begins to understand some major revelations about the virus as he starts to give Samson back some of his humanity.
The performances of the central cast are what sets The Bone Temple apart from so many zombie movies, the previous in the series included. Ralph Fiennes takes a brilliant script and elevates it to levels not seen in horror before. He brings a depth to his character highlighting his loss and longing for a life that was, with determination to strive for a better future. All the while stepping into extremely dangerous territory for some resemblance of human interaction and companionship.
Jack O’Connell not to be outdone rises to the occasion playing the Jimmy role to perfection, you see a broken man, clearly with some issues that stem from his childhood watching his family be torn apart but I had zero compassion for him or any of the “Jimmies.” He oozes with charisma that hides the insanity well and as a true cult leader, he never seems to get his hands dirty but manages to unleash unspeakable horrors upon the world.
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple continues the series brutality with some truly frightening visuals, if the previous turned your stomach, prepare for it to be taken up a notch.
There isn’t a bad thing I can say about The Bone Temple. Nia DaCosta clearly has a love for the franchise and her spin on the direction is felt throughout. Sound design is again a core element to the tension built and once again visually it is a stunning trek through the English countryside highlighting the sparse and lonely nature of a world destroyed. Yet I cannot help but feel something is missing. I pondered on this for some time, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is a perfect addition to the franchise in the sense of its story, characters old and new and a brilliant stepping stone to the final in this trilogy. The only thing I found lacking was the sense of dread felt in previous entries. This time out the infected take a bit of a back seat, they are still there but you miss the feel of them hiding in the shadows or running into attack from off screen. The focus is on the brutality of the human mind and the lengths that some go to to make sense after the destruction of everything you’ve ever known, just to survive.
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is a powerful piece of horror cinema that allows its story and characters to do the talking in spite of some truly horrific moments. It sets up an exciting third chapter while able to stand on its own.
Available in cinemas now this one is best seen on the big screen surrounded by others if only to get drawn into some moments that are best shared with those around you.
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