The Gist
In order to survive Spike is forced to join a Satanic gang while Dr. Kelson learns more about the zombies themselves.
The Review
Very few films being released this year have me as excited as 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple. The original 28 Days Later is a cult classic and while 28 Weeks Later was a complete let down the sins of the past were forgotten when director Danny Boyle and screenwriter Alex Garland returned to the helm with 28 Years Later – a film that stayed true to the franchise while incorporating a modern artistic feel.
Now comes 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple a film that rightfully has fans nervous. Once again Boyle moves to the bench because the person in charge this time around is the surprising choice of Nia DaCosta. DaCosta hasn’t exactly set the world alight so far as they directed the remake of Candyman and then delved into the Marvel universe with the lukewarm received The Marvels. The saving grace with The Bone Temple seems to be the fact that once again the brilliant Alex Garland has penned the screenplay.
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple picks up straight after the events of the previous film. After his encounter with Sir Jimmy Crystal (Jack O’Connell – Sinners) Spike (Alfie Williams – 28 Years Later) is literally left fighting for his life.
It turns out that Jimmy believes that he is the son of Lucifer and has managed to convince a group of young teens that it was his father who caused the ‘plague’ to destroy the world. He has given Spike an ultimatum either be killed or successful kill one of his gang in a knife fight.
After miraculously winning the fight Alfie becomes one of Jimmy’s fingers and soon learns that the gang roams the countryside torturing people that Jimmy believes his father wants punished. And while Spike is forced to go along with it he soon learns that another of the fingers, known as Ink (Erin Kellyman – Solo: A Stars Wars Story), is beginning to doubt Sir Jimmy’s story.
In a bid to ‘prove’ his story Jimmy sets a path that will see him go up against Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes – Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows) who has managed to befriend one of the zombies, known as Samson (Chi Lewis-Parry – Gladiator II), and is now experimenting on him.
This is a film that is going to divide audiences. Some will see the deviation from that would consider the main events of this new world a waste of time while others will see the exploration of deep topics such as Satanism as a piece of creative genius from Alex Garland who once again shows why he is currently the world’s best screenwriter with a screenplay that is filled with drama, suspense and tension throughout the film.
Perhaps the biggest surprise of 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is just how much both DaCosta and Garland let the film delve into dark horror. Some of the torture scenes going into the territory that Rob Zombie made famous with films like The Devil Rejects. While some may argue that they are difficult to watch they are also an important element of why this film so different to anything else in cinemas at the moment.
The darker feel of the film also allows the cast to put in some truly memorable performances. Ralph Fiennes is in his element here – whether it be a scene where he is forced to cover himself in blood or dance erratically to Duran Duran he delivers with one of the best performances of his career. Nobody quite plays crazy like Fiennes and it is a bit of a surprise that his performance here didn’t warrant some attention during awards season.
Fiennes is also well supported by Alfie Williams and Jack O’Connell. As he did in 28 Years Later Williams once again acts well beyond his age and no matter how confronting the scenes are that he is acting in he is a true professional who has a huge career ahead of him. Then there is O’Connell who seems to relish in some of the darker sides of his character. Like Fiennes he is one of the reasons why this film will be long remembered.
The Verdict
I am still a little confused to why Nia DaCosta directed this film when I would have thought that Danny Boyle would have been perfect for the job but I am glad she did. She brings a darker element to the franchise and together with the images created by cinematographer Sean Bobbitt (12 Years A Slave) puts together a near perfect film.
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