28 Years Later: The Bone Temple Is Sometimes Poetic, But Too Often Sadistic

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Danny Boyle’s recent film, 28 Years Later, revisits the world he first created with 28 Days Later in 2002 – a strangely beautiful England overrun by zombies. The landscape features idyllic countryside alongside terrifying, fast-moving creatures driven by an insatiable hunger. This new film, along with its predecessor, was filmed simultaneously, creating a cohesive experience. 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, written by Alex Garland but directed by Nia DaCosta, offers moments that are both beautifully moving and thrillingly entertaining. However, while the film has its strengths, it doesn’t quite live up to its full potential, resulting in a somewhat uneven experience – a mix of successes and disappointments that don’t always quite gel.

Young actor Alfie Williams is back as Spike, the boy who survived a zombie outbreak with his father in the previous film. However, he was upset by his father’s emotional distance from his very sick mother. Towards the end of 28 Years Later, Spike and his mother find refuge with Dr. Ian Kelson (Ralph Fiennes), a solitary doctor who studies the infected – the zombies – and builds elaborate structures from bones to remember the victims of the ongoing zombie apocalypse. Dr. Kelson helps Spike’s mother pass away peacefully and teaches Spike how to remember her. The film ends with Spike on his own, facing danger from zombies, until he’s rescued by a strange, charismatic leader and their followers. The Bone Temple starts with Spike joining this unusual group, and unfortunately, that’s when the movie begins to struggle.

Jack O’Connell delivers a chilling performance as Jimmy Crystal, the leader of a dangerous gang. Jimmy is a disturbed man with a striking appearance – blond hair, bad teeth, and a purple velour tracksuit covered in gold chains. His followers, all teenage boys, shave their heads and wear matching blond wigs. This crew terrorizes the countryside, causing as much fear as the infected themselves. To earn his place, Spike is forced to kill another member – he barely succeeds, but is accepted as one of Jimmy’s “seven fingers.” These followers, all named Jimmy, are completely devoted to their charismatic but clearly insane leader, who claims to receive orders from Satan. Spike, though courageous, struggles with the violence and feels trapped. Only Jimmy Ink (Erin Kellyman) seems to recognize Jimmy Crystal’s madness and understands Spike’s pain.

In a remote meadow, the character Kelson (played by Fiennes) continues his strange work: cleaning bones and adding them to his ever-growing cathedral, a towering structure that resembles a ghostly version of the Emerald City. Instead of whistling, he listens to 80s music like Duran Duran while he works, a reminder of his life before the current, grim circumstances. Each evening, he retreats underground to listen to records. Kelson’s skin is orange from iodine, which he uses to protect himself from zombie infections, and he’s perpetually haunted by what he’s seen. He’s incredibly lonely, so he’s thrilled when an injured alpha zombie wanders onto his property. Kelson nurses the zombie, whom he names Samson (played with impressive physicality by Chi Lewis-Parry), back to health. The two form an unlikely bond, and Kelson discovers that zombies still hold onto fragments of their past lives. This part of the story, The Bone Temple, is particularly compelling and could even make a fantastic movie—though it might not fit neatly into typical modern horror expectations.

Jimmy Crystal and his followers in O’Connell’s film fill the role of truly disturbing villains. While the zombie violence is over-the-top and typical for the genre – think heads being torn off and eyes plucked out – the scenes involving Crystal’s gang are far more intentionally cruel and unsettling. Driven by his devotion to a figure called Old Nick, Jimmy orders his young followers to commit brutal acts, even skinning people alive. Though the director and cinematographer handle these scenes with some restraint, there’s still plenty of agonizing screams and close-ups of terrified faces. The cruelty isn’t just brief; it’s emphasized and lingered on, almost venturing into territory reminiscent of torture porn. It’s as if the filmmakers feared the movie wouldn’t be impactful enough without these intensely disturbing moments.

The film’s direction isn’t flawed – DaCosta skillfully creates and releases suspense, and the cinematography beautifully captures both peaceful landscapes and intense action. However, The Bone Temple both fulfills the potential of the first film and ultimately disappoints. While O’Connell delivers a strong performance, his character is let down by unnecessarily prolonged and brutal scenes. Instead of being captivated, I found myself wanting the story to end.

Ralph Fiennes truly carries The Bone Temple. He’s not just the star, but the emotional center of the film. His character, with his weathered face and worn clothes, feels like a man barely holding onto his sanity. He desperately seeks out any connection to the past, even something as simple as a song lyric – “Lipstick cherry all over the lens as she’s falling.” A glimpse of an old photo reveals a younger, happier Fiennes with a woman, reminding us of a carefree time before the chaos. The Bone Temple asks us to appreciate not only what we lose with time, but also to find value in those memories. In 28 Years Later, his character explained the meaning of memento mori – remembering our mortality. Here, he embodies that idea, reminding us that everything ends. But even as we fade away, things like that silly song lyric will live on, and it’s those little pieces of culture that make life feel worthwhile.

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2026-01-14 06:06