Traditionally speaking, January is not a good month for horror. Aside from occasional hits, it's the month where studios tend to drop their lesser quality material where it is then quickly forgotten. However, January doesn't traditionally have a new entry in an iconic franchise, let alone one being helmed by one of the most promising filmmakers in the genre. Enter 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, the latest in the hit zombie franchise and the first to directly follow it's predecessor, last year's 28 Years Later.
Following the event of the last film, The Bone Temple puts its focus on two central characters. The first is Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal (Jack O'Connell), the leader of a jumpsuit and blonde wig wearing group of cultists introduced at the end of the last film, doing their sinister bidding in the name of 'Old Nick'. The second is Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes), the bizarre doctor from the first film who behind his strange appearance and obsession with the dead was actually a quite tender character. It isn't clear how long past the previous film's events we are, but it's protagonist Spike (Alfie Williams) has been brought into the cult of Jimmies despite his opposition to their vulgar acts. Inevitable the two paths cross, leading to a fascinating climax that I'm not sure I expected.
While 28 Years Later was directed by the great Danny Boyle (who will also be handling the final film of this trilogy), The Bone Temple enlisted Nia DaCosta, one of the biggest up and coming filmmakers out there. DaCosta previously directed last year's Hedda, but for the sake of this film it's her work on the 2021 Candyman remake that had me excited. There are plenty of stylistic elements from the first film here, but you can also clearly see DaCosta's influence with some of the visuals of the film. Candyman had stunning shots looking up into the sky, and with this film DaCosta captures similar visuals but instead of urban towers it's pillars of bone shooting into the air. It can be hard to carve out an identity for yourself while working within the confines of a franchise, but DaCosta and cinematographer Sean Bobbitt did a great job here of crafting something that clearly fits with the other films all while still allowing their personality to shine through. With how stylistically savvy the previous film was, having that identity shine is a pretty big achievement.
Narratively I think I could have used a bit more, but the ideas being presented here are fascinating. One thing I do appreciate here is how well it follows the ending of the previous film. My biggest issue with 28 Years Later was it's abrupt and bizarre ending, but now having the context of this film I'm not as annoyed with that choice. It's clear that these two films are parts of a greater whole, hopefully culminating in a third film that will drive this home as a standout trilogy. As to which film I prefer of the two, each has different things I appreciate. I think 28 Years Later does a better job of offering a film that can stand on its own (aside from the last 2 minutes), while The Bone Temple certainly feels like a piece of a puzzle. That being said, the ideas and themes being tackled here interested me a bit more. The dynamic between Dr. Kelson and the infected is fascinating, as he seems them not as monsters like the rest of the world, but as people who can potentially be cured. Even more interesting though is Jimmy's cult, bringing out questions of blind faith and the susceptibility vulnerable people can have in dire situations.
A large part of why the cultist plotline works so well is the magnetic performance from Jack O'Connell. At first his appearance is a bit off-putting, but something about O'Connell's charisma makes him a character you can't help but be pulled to. He had a similar gravitation to him in Sinners, but his character here is so much more of a vile individual, making his charismatic approach even more impressive. Fiennes is also fascinating as Dr. Kelson, a character who appears off-putting for all different reasons but really the man who has all the heart in the story. I do wish we got a bit more of Alfie Williams as Spike, but we get a LOT more of Chi-Lewis Parry, the giant alpha of the infected whom Kelson takes a liking to. Parry's performance is largely physical, but there is something about the way he uses his eyes and physical gestures that make you start to look past seeing him as just a monster.
There are two more things I want to make note of with the film. The first is that the soundtrack is awesome, featuring needle drops that shouldn't work but damn near had me applauding (excellent use of Radiohead). The second is that no movie named The Bone Temple should be this great. Seriously, the title is a bit hilarious in my opinion, but the film itself is so damn cool. As I said before, I think 28 Years Later offers a bit more of a contained story that can be appreciated on its own, but in the context of the series as a whole, this might just be my new favourite. 4/5
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