28 Years Later: The Bone Temple - Making sense of humanity

By Ricky Gaji

Synopsis: Dr. Kelson finds himself in a shocking new relationship with consequences that could change the world as he knows it, while Spike’s encounter with Jimmy Crystal becomes a nightmare he can’t escape.

Fans of the 28 Days Later franchise are being spoiled, with the last film having just released 7 months ago in June to mixed reviews. In Bone Temple, we pick up where we left off as Spike(Alfie Williams), the young protagonist from the previous film is picked up by Sir Jimmy Crystal (Jack O’Connell) and his band of ravaging infected slaying clan to join him on a bloody rampage across the wasteland, while also following Dr. Kelson who makes a shocking discovery that can change the fate of the infected. While 28 years later explores both the small island community and its internal conflicts that arise from being surrounded by a depleted Britain, Bone Temple shows us the dark grittiness of human beings when raised in a chaotic and lawless world that’s lost all its sense of hope.

The franchise has always had protagonists we love to root for while fighting for survival in an apocalyptic nightmare, even if they may be flawed: Jim in 28 Days Later, Don and his kids in 28 Weeks, and Spike and his mother in 28 Years Later.

We get much more insight into the mysterious cult-like figure that is Sir Jimmy Crystal, the young boy from the opening sequence of the previous film, who survived and now leads his own satanist cult-like group, "The Jimmies. Jack O’Connell is absolutely terrifying in this role. We got hints that he was a bit off at the end of the previous film, but here we see he’s absolutely frightening. Very manipulative in how he perceives the current infected wasteland of the British Isles, believing it’s been a punishment on man for past actions. Scavenging across the wasteland, we see the satanic group, the Jimmies, leave a path of destruction wherever they go. The farm scene is the most shocking and depraved so far in the entire franchise to date and will leave viewers squirming in their seats.

Dr.Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) is given more focus in the plot, and a bit more of his backstory is shown. We also get the  Alpha variant, Samson's origins, and learn more about how the infection mutated and if there's a possible cure.

Having previously worked on the Candyman IP, I absolutely love that Nia DaCosta. She is able to expand upon the emotionally driven storyline of the previous film and make it her own. We get a focused character study of good vs evil, the empathic Dr. Kelson, and Sir Jimmy Crystal's worldviews clashing. Reuniting with veteran cinematographer Sean Bobbitt, they are able to capture the soulless look and feel of the British Isles. The sound design creates a sense of unease, even when the infected aren't present. Even stopping to rest or eat feels like a gamble.

I enjoyed Bone Temple; it is an improvement on Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later. Nia DaCosta was able to take a story about the infected and flip it on its head, making it explore our human nature and how dark people can be in times of peril. Bone Temple is sure to please fans of the franchise and set up the next film, which is supposed to mark the return of fan favorite Jim (Cillian Murphy).