28 Years Later: The Bone Temple review: A genre masterwork
‘28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’ is a riveting sequel that expertly builds on the previous narrative, elevating the story and the franchise.
There are two kinds of people in an apocalypse. One focuses on a peaceful existence. Whether they live within a community or alone, they only resort to violence when necessary. Then there are those who see the collapse of civilization as an opportunity to act savagely. Their survival of the strongest approach is often expressed in unprovoked brutality. Cruelty becomes a way of life, leaving trails of corpses in their wake. 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple features both personalities, continuing the characters’ stories from the previous film.
Following his initiation, Spike (Alfie Williams) becomes one of Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal’s (Jack O’Connell) “Fingers.” They are a ruthless gang terrorizing the countryside. They bring death to the infected and living with an indiscriminately horrifying mix of callousness and pleasure. While Spike plans his escape, the skull collector, Dr. Ian Kelson (Ralph Fiennes), continues building his memento mori. An unexpected encounter with the alpha, Samson (Chi Lewis-Parry), leads to a breakthrough in his study of the infected. But its exploration is interrupted when world’s inevitably collide. The Satan-worshipping ringleader and pragmatic doctor finally cross paths with unexpected results. In spite of their opposing ideologies, they reach an agreement. But nothing in this universe endures and every alliance can be broken.
This sequel picks up immediately after 28 Years Later ended. Spike’s saviours, The Jimmys, are mad. He’s smart enough to play along, biding his time until he can find a way to get away alive. Wearing the platinum blonde wig and leather lace-up mask is easy, but their sadism keeps him in a constant state of distress. Williams’ eyes are so expressive, audiences know exactly what he’s feeling even when they’re the only part of his face that’s visible. Throughout the picture, he exhibits a genuine mix of courage, benevolence and fear, letting the applicable emotion take control as necessary.
The picture harkens back to the cold and selfish behaviour of the soldiers in 28 Days Later, though they’ve taken the violence up a few notches. Writer Alex Garland skilfully links the scripts so they unfold in the same world, but evolve based on the virus’ phase and the characters’ development. Yet, each film feels different and deals with varying societal themes. Where 28 Years Later had a slower pace with intermittent intensity, this film is the reverse — even moments of leisure have the potential for danger. This movie also focuses on the contrast between one man’s attempts to preserve social norms and another’s determination to destroy them.
Director Nia DaCosta is no stranger to the horror genre, reimagining Candyman in 2021. Taking over the reins from Danny Boyle, she brings a fresh perspective to the series while ensuring it stays true to the franchise. Undead movies can be very grotesque, but the human-on-human carnage in this film hits harder because those inflicting the damage choose to do so. The “rage virus” creates an uncontrollable urge to kill, but a natural predilection drives The Jimmys.
There’s also a new level of absurdity in this film. The gang not only adopts Jimmy Crystal’s admiration for Satan, but his emotionally stunted love for Teletubbies. His world collapsing when he was a child also informs his choice of mentor. The inspiration for their costumes was a renowned child entertainer who was posthumously revealed to be a sex offender — however, the virus’ timing means this information didn’t come to light. In the meantime, Kelson has a Duran Duran dance party with a naked Samson, which is a bizarre sight.
Yet, the candidate for best movie moment of the year is Kelson’s inspired, music-videoesque performance to Iron Maiden’s “The Number of the Beast.” It’s a mesmerizingly powerful blend of image and sound from which audiences can’t look away. It’s so good, the theatre erupted into spontaneous applause when the spell broke.
O’Connell and Fiennes deliver distinct but commanding performances. O’Connell gives Jimmy Crystal a charming, cult leader quality that seduces viewers alongside his young charges. Yet, he contests his own appeal with his desire for power through abuse. On the other hand, Fiennes portrays an eccentric man who remains curious about the world and continues to find small pleasures amongst its desolation. Their roles are central to this narrative and their personalities never falter.
As the middle film in a trilogy, this picture builds on its predecessor while making it better. It also poses new questions about the nature of the virus that they will hopefully explore in the next sequel. This movie promises an exciting third chapter that will further connect all the stories for a potentially epic conclusion.
Director: Nia DaCosta
Starring: Jack O’Connell, Alfie Williams and Ralph Fiennes
