Nia DaCosta you will make Kevin Feige rue the day with this. Continuing almost directly after 28 Years Later and yet it carries virtually little of the same insane direction left from Boyle (incredibly complimentary).
- Director – Nia DaCosta
- Runtime – 109 minutes
- Certificate – 18
- Country – United Kingdom
Thank god Alex Garland and Danny Boyle gave DaCosta creative freedom. She makes this completely her own film and to be honest I think I might actually prefer this to the first. With the first being more erratic and fast paced, this is more slowed down and spends more time with the characters.
In particular Ralph Fiennes’ Dr. Ian Kelson. Easily my favourite part of the previous and here he is front and centre. Although this does mean Alfie William’s Spike does get slightly sidle lined as his performance was so powerful and his emotional moments were outstanding in the last film.
I know a lot of people loved the emotional moments from the last film and those who did, may not love this film just as much. There aren’t really any attachments this time around but to be fair there are few characters we are actually meant to care about. Saying that, there is one big emotional moment but it does not hit as hard as it did with Jodie Comer from Years.
Going back to Ralph Fiennes, he is incredible. He is truly in his element here and you can clearly tell he loves this role. The way he is able to give such comedic line deliveries while also being so sombre and emotionally intelligent is beautiful. His plot with the infectious is miraculous. I love the way that he doesn’t view them as bad or villains but rather tries to understand them – his connection to the Alpha is so earnest.
But it isn’t until the third act that he does something truly unbelievable. That act as a whole is one of the most zaniest and outlandish acts I have ever seen and I mean that in the best way possible but Fiennes completely sells it.
If he wasn’t putting in this level of performance the act would fall completely flat on its face.
Honestly all the cast are great but another who is also in his element is Jack O’Connell as Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal. He plays such a convincing satanist who idolises Jimmy Saville a bit too well. He’s the devil incarnate (literally) and yet he is so charismatic and charming it’s bewildering.
He does all these horrible acts and I can’t help myself from laughing at probably all of his line deliveries. A massive concern I had going into this was how they would handle his and the cult’s obvious apparel, and their outlandish ways of fighting but thankfully that doesn’t carry over. Weirdly this makes me appreciate the ending of Years just all the bit more. Seeing the beliefs that the group carry is interesting as it raises religious questions about what would happen if something like this occurred in real life – especially when he clashes with Kelson as they have differing views.
Following DaCosta’s own direction differing from Boyle the same can be said in terms of filming. Years was shot entirely on Iphone 15 Pro’s and while the cinematography and visual are stunning and does allow for some creative shots, I feel like it’s all for a marketing gimmick – especially when you have like 20 of the phones on a specially made rig. Here it’s shot on a digital camera and results in some gorgeous shots. In particular ones of the actual bone temple. When the camera is tilted upwards on the skull tower with a time lapse of the clouds moving – beautiful.
Thematically the film is almost the inverse of Years, where that was all about family and how that strengthens us, this is one is about evil and how kind of a lack of family can lead to that. Obviously with Jack O’Connell representing that. But again with Kelson representing the humanity that’s still left in all this chaos. The writing in these films are so delicate and has such a level of sincerity to them.
Honestly Alex Garland should be getting screenplay nominations for them but unfortunately the one award season that horror doesn’t get overlooked, he is instead.
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is an excellent sequel to an excellent first that differs in almost every aspect with its brilliant direction from DaCosta, filming, themes and characters which all still manage to perfectly fit in the overarching story that Garland and Boyle have planned.
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is now playing at the Lockworks.