[Movie] Revisiting 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple

My wife and I are huge fans of zombie stories, so after watching every season of The Walking Dead together, she wanted us to watch something similar. She started looking around and came across the 28 Days Later franchise. I had already seen all of them, but I gladly joined her for a rewatch, starting with 28 Days Later (2002), then 28 Weeks Later (2007), 28 Years Later (2025), and finishing up with The Bone Temple—without a doubt, my favorite of the four.

I should start by saying that this kind of content isn't for everyone. It is undeniably intense and grotesque, especially The Bone Temple. It features many scenes of explicit violence, since the plot revolves around the behavior of humans infected with the Rage virus. Add to that how society brutally corrupts itself in the midst of this crisis, bringing out the absolute worst in people under the guise of survival.

Finally, we get to the newest of the four films, The Bone Temple. Although I reviewed it a few months ago, watching it again made me realize I didn't give it the best rating back then. Maybe because its raw brutality is so shocking, I didn't focus on the technical aspects that I did manage to catch this second time around. For those unfamiliar with the franchise, the story picks up right after the end of the third movie, so I highly recommend watching that one first.

Here is a brief rundown of the plot. It follows a group of young guys dressed in tracksuits with dyed blonde hair, who follow Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal (Jack O’Connell) after he forms a Satan-worshipping cult. They believe they are dispensing justice among the Rage virus survivors, using violence as their liturgy. This cult crosses paths with Dr. Ian Kelson (Ralph Fiennes), who has built a temple out of the bones of people he has cremated after they passed away. Upon finding this shocking bone temple, the cult believes Kelson is the Evil One and attempts to worship him, but they quickly discover that nothing is quite what it seems.

What strikes me most about this movie is how well the leads develop and project their characters. Jack O’Connell captures that sick, ideological horror so perfectly that he genuinely makes you despise him. This is the second time I've seen him play a villain—the first was in Sinners, where he was also spectacular. I think he is definitely an actor to keep an eye on; he transforms into his roles seamlessly.

The other great performance comes from Ralph Fiennes as a survivor who still holds onto his moral principles, hoping to bring about change even in those who seem beyond saving. We are already used to great performances from this actor, but this time I am blown away by how he gives it his all in a film that might not seem like a big deal at first glance. He gifts us what I believe will be remembered as a truly iconic cinematic scene for a very long time.

In the scene, Dr. Kelson orchestrates a massive deception against the youths calling themselves the Jimmys. He plays the role of the Evil One, playing with fire to the rhythm of Iron Maiden. He messes with the psyche of this group of young men, driving them to ecstasy just to buy himself time to escape. I never imagined seeing Fiennes do something like this. He has always had such serious roles, even as Voldemort, but here he transforms and shows what he is truly capable of. For this scene alone, the movie is entirely worth watching.

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Rating: 80/100

Originally posted through scrobble.life/movies.