TL;DR – An incredibly confronting film that made me regret eating dinner but reveals a wealth of thematic depth beneath the gore.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I paid for the Amazon Prime subscription used to watch this film.

Warning – Contains scenes that may cause distress.

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple Review Introduction

Today we’re looking at an unusual sequel. After decades of waiting for 28 Years Later, The Bone Temple arrived so quickly afterwards that some audiences may have assumed it was the same film. I tried to watch it in cinemas, but the scheduling never worked out. But now it’s out on streaming, it’s time to give it a watch.

So, to set the scene, we open in the moments after the end of 28 Years Later with Spike (Alfie Williams) having to fight for his life in front of Jimmy (Jack O’Connell) and his cult of Jimmies. Meanwhile, around the Bone Temple, Dr Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) has made some odd discoveries about Sampson (Chi Lewis-Parry) that the alpha might indeed be his friend, or more importantly, the real person might still be in there. There is a bit of assumed knowledge going into this film, as it does expect that you have watched the previous film.

Don’t Eat Your Dinner When Watching This Film.

Given I had watched 28 Years Later, I thought I came into this with the right temperament, and one slow-ish bleed out from a femoral artery quickly showed me that it may not have been a good idea to schedule my dinner at the same time. That was even before we discovered what ‘charity’ was. This is a film that consistently ramps up the gore, violence, and torture. If you don’t like blood, then this is not the movie for you; even if you are okay with it, The Bone Temple is a film that might test that.

I’m an Atheist, and you’re a Satanist.

While the blood, gore, and bones are the framework of the film that it uses to tell its narrative, they are not at the heart of what the story wants to discuss. Once you delve even a touch past the Zombie framework, you find yourself in a discussion about control, consent, power, and mental health. Where you see that play out the most is in the interplay between Jimmy and Kelson. The staunch atheist making a bargain with the satanist to cover for a cult leader’s lies. Jack O’Connell and Ralph Fiennes play off against each other so well. You may think you know where a conversation like that will go, but can I tell you that you have no idea. Everyone is manipulating ritual, even when they don’t know they are doing it.

It All Comes Together

The Bone Temple is a movie that is wading into some deep content and themes; for example, to say this film is dabbling in religious themes is putting it mildly. We have sacrifice, ritual, rebirth, redemption, damnation, and commandments to name but a few. But a film like this can only work when everyone comes together. The tonal dissonance that torpedoed the end of 28 Years Later is kept in line here with the steady hand of Nia DaCosta. She brings nuance out of the performances which could have taken the script and turned it into parody. There is a real sadness at the heart of Jack O’Connell’s performance that you can see the character desperately try and use bravado to cover for it. Ralph Fiennes leaves nothing on the table and commits in every way that makes sure his conversations with Sampson never slip into silliness.

Recommendation

In the end, do we recommend 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple? Look, the gore will be a barrier for a lot of people, and I completely understand that. However, watching these amazing actors sink their teeth deep into the subject material was well worth the watch.  

Have you watched 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple? Let us know what you thought in the comments below. If you liked 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, we would recommend Obsession to you because it too uses gore and grossness to tell a story about consent, control, and repercussions.

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Bluesky at @Tldrmovrev, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

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Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
Directed by – Nia DaCosta
Written by – Alex Garland
Based on – 28 Days Later by Alex Garland
Music by – Hildur Guðnadóttir
Cinematography by – Sean Bobbitt
Edited by – Jake Roberts
Production/Distribution Companies – Columbia Pictures & Sony Pictures
Starring – Ralph Fiennes, Jack O’Connell, Alfie Williams, Erin Kellyman, Chi Lewis-Parry, Emma Laird, Sam Locke, Robert Rhodes, Ghazi Al Ruffai, Maura Bird, Connor Newall, Louis Ashbourne Serkis, Mirren Mack, David Sterne, Elliot Benn, Maiya Eastmond, & Cillian Murphy
Rating – Australia: MA15+; Canada: 18A; Germany: 18; New Zealand: R; United Kingdom: 18; United States: R