28 Years Later: The Bone Temple- The BRWC Review by Josiah Teal
Taking only six months for the sequel to hit theaters, 28 Years Later: Bone Temple picks up where Danny Boyle‘s return to the rage virus left off. The gang of tracksuit-wearing marauders from the previous film has adopted Spike. Meanwhile, Dr. Kelson maintains his work, preserving the skulls of those fallen to the zombie virus. Alex Garland returns to write Bone Temple, with original director Danny Boyle serving as a producer. Nia DaCosta, of Candyman (2021) fame, steps in as director, bringing a visceral touch of dread to the film alongside Boyle’s primal view of the apocalypse. With a third film awaiting a release date, Bone Temple expands on the world of the original while maintaining the intrigue for those awaiting part three.
Jimmy Crystal (Jack O’Connell) is the terrifying leader of “The Fingers”, the Power Rangers-meets-Hooligan gang from the epilogue of 28 Years Later. Young Spike (Alfie Williams), thinking he found salvation, soon realizes the horrors of Crystal’s gang as they torture fellow survivors in the name of Satan. Bone Temple interweaves Spike’s plight among humans with Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes), who befriends “Sampson” (Chi Lewis-Parry), an infected alpha. Just as Dr. Kelson begins to find hope for the infected, the two stories merge as Jimmy Crystal spreads his mortifying brand of “charity” across the English countryside. Spike and Kelson reunite in a swarm of fire, carnage, and just a little Satanism.
Bone Temple lets the characters breathe. 28 Years Later had the seemingly impossible task of recapturing the heights of the original in a post-Walking Dead world of zombie entertainment. Yet, with character introductions and establishment mostly out of the way, Bone Temple lets the audience learn. Writer Alex Garland takes his time showcasing the psyche of the unhinged Jimmy Crystal, juxtaposed with the resolve of Dr. Kelson. The film comments on grief, how the mind copes with the end of days, and most of all, how the soul deals with the sins of the world. Kelson’s relationship with Sampson captures his compulsion to heal, even when the person is long-infected. While Crystal’s gang killing the innocent conveys the enduring zombie truth: that humans are the real monsters.
Ralph Fiennes‘s Dr. Kelson is a clear highlight of Bone Temple. Fiennes plays Kelson with such balance, orchestrating the emotional nuance of a man living in a temple of skulls while keeping a warmth that draws audiences in. Fiennes has played romantic leads in cheesy rom-coms like Maid in Manhattan and earned Oscar nominations for Schindler’s List and Conclave. He brought Lord Voldemort to life in the Harry Potter franchise and played the ever-professional concierge in The Grand Budapest Hotel, a career defined by range. And Bone Temple is no exception. Ralph Fiennes captures Kelson’s earnest philosophy and expands on it with a bit of unexpected whimsy, elevating the character from the first installment.
Alfie Williams is less present in Bone Temple than in 28 Years Later. He is still fantastic as Spike. However, 28 Years Later was Spike’s journey towards self-discovery, growing up knowing only a world ravaged by the undead. Bone Temple is the continuation of that arc, but it examines Spike within the context of compounding trauma. Jack O’Connell is devilishly charismatic as the demented gang leader and further cements Spike’s traumatic present through his portrayal of Jimmy Crystal. Erin Kellyman rounds out the main cast as Jimmy Ink, giving Spike a lifeline within the gang and setting up the third installment.
Despite Danny Boyle’s absence in the director’s chair, Nia DaCosta captures the mood of 28 Years Later. Needle drops, ranging from Duran Duran to Iron Maiden, give the film a vibrant sonic palette, imprinting the humanity within the chaos and delivering a memorable climax. While the bombastic, anarchic zombie chases of Boyle are fewer, DaCosta keeps the scale of the Bone Temple and weaves the narrative with pulse-pounding suspense. The horrors remain, but DaCosta grounds Bone Temple in the anxieties of Spike and Kelson more than the fear of the living dead. These anxieties do more than expand on the foundations of the previous film; they bridge the first film to the world of Bone Temple.
Some sequels are Terminator 2 or Aliens, taking the premise of the original and raising the stakes to heights audiences never thought possible. Some are Empire Strikes Back, expanding on the universe, adding backstory for the characters. But some sequels are like Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, expanding on the original and, more importantly, preparing the characters for the journey ahead. Bone Temple serves as the steps and choices Spike needs to take from the kid in 28 Years Later to the person he will become in the next film. The film focuses on Kelson, gives hints about the future of the rage virus, and sets up the premise for the end of Spike’s story. Bone Temple stands as a sequel worthy of the original and cements 28 Years Later’s place in a post-Walking Dead, post-Train to Busan world, offering a cathartic examination of life, death, and memento mori.
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