28 Years Later: The Bone Temple Is The Best Since The Original

The latest film in the new “28 Years” trilogy has arrived with “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple”. The film picks up shortly after the events of the prior film and finds Spike (Alfie Williams), being inducted into The Jimmys under Sir Jimmy Crystal (Jack O’Connell) in a fight to the death where he has to kill and existing member to take their place or become a victim himself.

When fate places him in the gang he soon learns that their violent and sadistic crusade against the non-infected is not for him and looks to find a way to escape.

At the same time, Dr Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) finds himself with lots of time on his hands having completed his Bone Temple. As such; he devotes his attention to the infected Alpha in the area and after dosing him with his homemade sedatives, starts an uneasy friendship as he notes that in his sedated state, his “friend” is safe and opens up a line of study about possible ways to treat the infected.

Naturally in a world where Rage infected humans pose a danger on par with some of the human survivors; the various characters are due to converge and create chaos.

The movie is the best since the original film and the characters really shine. While there are some tense moments and jump scares; the film is at its core about relationships. Even the threats of the film are given ample time to show their motivations and evolve which helps them grow beyond being a typical genre baddie.

There is a scene near the end of the film that has audiences cheering and will stay with you long after the movie ends as it is a absolute gem and Tour de Force moment that will not be forgotten. There is also a very welcome cameo that sets up the planned third film perfectly.

The movie evolves beyond a story of survivors trying to exist in a world of violence and like the original; examines the danger that humans possess when the rules of society are removed and begs the question if we rather than the infected are the greatest threat to survival.

The film also has some very unexpected and welcome musical moments which underscores how the characters try to retain small moments of the past world even when they admit that they struggle to remember how things were.

Director Nia DaCosta working with an Alex Garland script has delivered a film that delivers what fans of the series expect and a strong entry that sets up the next film well.

4 stars out of 5