28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (English) Review {2.0/5} & Review Rating
Star Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Jack O'Connell, Alfie Williams
Director: Nia DaCosta
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple Movie Review Synopsis:
28 YEARS LATER: THE BONE TEMPLE is the story of a young chap in danger. After the events of 28 YEARS LATER, Spike (Alfie Williams) joins the gang of Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal (Jack O'Connell). Jimmy's gang members are amusingly all named 'Jimmy' and hence, Spike is also given the same name. Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal claims to be communicating with his dead father, who he has described as a Godly figure named 'Old Nick'. He tells his gang that they need to eliminate and kill more and more people as per the instructions of 'Old Nick'. Spike is shocked by the way Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal and his gang go about torturing and eliminating innocent survivors. Meanwhile, Dr Ian Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) forms an association with a savage alpha named Samson (Chi Lewis-Parry). He tranquillizes Samson, due to which the latter stops his killing spree. Kelson also drugs himself and shares his deep thoughts with Samson, with the hope that someday, Samson would recover. On the other hand, Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal and his gang cross paths with Kelson. What happens next forms the rest of the film.
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple Movie Story Review:
Alex Garland's story is underwhelming. Alex Garland's screenplay has its share of novel and amusing moments, but overall, the writing leaves a lot to be desired. The dialogues are decent.
Nia DaCosta's direction is okay. To give credit where it's due, there are certain arresting moments in the film, which she has helmed deftly. This is especially in the scene where Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal meets Kelson. The scene thereafter also makes for an interesting watch. The whole bit of Jimmy claiming to communicate with 'Old Nick' adds to the fun and chaos. The very final scene serves as a surprise to the followers of the franchise.
On the flipside, the tonality of the series changes drastically with this film. All the previous three films were violent but were not too gory. But this film gets extremely disturbing due to the amount of gore and bloodshed. Moreover, the focus is on the atrocities by Jimmy and his gang while the infected population barely get any prominence. The family of Spike is also forgotten. Lastly, the series has negligible following in India. Even 28 YEARS LATER, which was released 7 months ago, failed to work at the box office.
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple Movie Review Performances:
However, the performances are top-class. Ralph Fiennes had a supporting role in the previous part. But here, he is the lead and rocks the show. Jack O'Connell gets into the skin of his character. One can’t help but hate him and surprisingly, one is also amused by his antics when he crosses paths with Kelson. Alfie Williams has minimal dialogues and here, he’s mainly reacting to the goings-on. Nevertheless, it’s a fine performance. Chi Lewis-Parry has no dialogue and he impresses a lot. From the Jimmy gang, Erin Kellyman (Jimmy Ink) and Emma Laird (Jimmima) stand out.
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple movie music and other technical aspects:
Hildur Guðnadóttir's music adds to the tension. Sean Bobbitt's cinematography is functional. Carson McColl and Gareth Pugh's production design and Carson McColl and Gareth Pugh's costumes are realistic. Jake Roberts' editing is effective.
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple Movie Review Conclusion:
On the whole, 28 YEARS LATER: THE BONE TEMPLE packs a few striking moments and terrific performances, especially from Ralph Fiennes and Jack O’Connell. However, the underwhelming writing and excessive gore dilute the impact. The tonal shift from the earlier films feels jarring, and with limited franchise awareness in India, it’ll struggle at the box office