28 Years Later: The Bone Temple

After waiting almost 28 years for a continuing of the franchise, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple comes hot on the heels of its predecessor.

It’s an absolutely unhinged successor to the first film, providing a wild and visceral middle-chapter to a trilogy which could have a very interesting ending.

Last year’s film felt fresh and different whilst still honouring what came before.

The Bone Temple keeps us very much in that world but luxuriates in the gore, the horror and the metaphor of it all.

It’s both a positive and a negative.

The lack of a central throughline and sense of plot momentum, or set objective, leaves the opening half of the film a little scattergun and, potentially, polarising.

We split time between following the horrific gang of ‘Jimmys’ we met at the end of the last film. Whilst the ‘elephant in the room’ of their costumes and names isn’t mentioned (in a possible deliberate ‘punk’ move to encourage the American audience to do further research on the film?) they’re a nasty bunch.

Much of this is a sickening and visceral cinematic experience, largely grim and perverse.

It’s cut with scenes of Dr Kelson continuing to experiment with ‘alpha zombie’ Samson. These can be surprisingly tranquil moments in comparison and Ralph Fiennes is, again, an absolute master and joy to spend time with.

Once the two cross paths the film kicks into high gear and we get a series of brilliant scenes.

From a philosophical chat to a soon-to-be-iconic ‘dance’ sequence and an all-timer of an ending, the film throws you on a wild climactic ride and everything clicks into place.

So, it could alienate a few more ‘casual’ viewers and is deliberately nihilistic at points but, once the third film is released, this could become the ‘cult’ choice of the three.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️