When “28 Years Later” showed up last year to resurrect a decades-old franchise by assembling the same creative crew responsible for the original hit “28 Days Later,” expectations were cautiously optimistic at best.
Delightfully enough, “28 Years Later” was a success and dropped us into a post-apocalyptic landscape, where we met young Spike (Alfie Williams), who was born into a close-knit community of survivors in a zombie-filled Great Britain.
Spike ventures out into the chaos and carnage of the world, looking for something beyond the warrior expectations of his father and the caregiving role for his suffering mother.
The only friendly face Spike meets out in the wild is Dr. Ian Kelson (Ralph Fiennes), an eccentric loner who has slathered himself up with iodine to protect against infection and, in his loads of free time, has created a massive memorial to civilization from the bones of the dead.
When Spike and Dr. Kelson part ways at the end of “28 Years Later,” Spike finds himself at the mercy of a gang of blond-wigged, track-suited loonies, led by the psychopathic Sir Jimmy Crystal (Jack O’Connell).
When “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple” picks up, Spike finds himself in a kill-or-be-killed initiation that he navigates his way through thanks to a little initiative and a lot of luck.
The prize for his survival is that Spike is forced to ride along with this cult of personality as they torture and murder their way across the countryside.
The Jimmys are a drag to hang out with. Fortunately, we’re still allowed to spend time with Dr. Kelson, which is where the movie is at its most lively and compelling.
Kelson develops an interest in the massive alpha zombie he’s dubbed Sampson (Chi Lewis-Parry) and the shreds of humanity that still exist under the monster he’s become.
“The Bone Temple” is the very definition of a bridge movie, as a third film in the “28 Years Later” trilogy is all but official. It exists primarily to maintain your interest in this world while setting the pieces in place for the grand finale.
Nia DaCosta takes over in the director’s chair from Danny Boyle, and while she is more of a by-the-book filmmaker than her predecessor, she does take a few big swings in tone and lands a few truly memorable set pieces. Any time you give Fiennes permission to let his freak-flag fly, good things will happen.
“The Bone Temple” does feel like a half-step back for the franchise, lacking some of the freshness and innovation these movies have been at their best.
But it completes its assignment of getting us excited for the next film while being daring and surprising enough to leave us with no idea what to expect the next time we see these characters.
“28 Years Later: The Bone Temple” is rated R for strong bloody violence, gore, graphic nudity, language throughout, and brief drug use.
