Review: Ralph Fiennes provides levity in ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’

Avid horror fans are probably quite familiar with 2001’s “28 Days Later,” one of Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle’s earlier films that starred then-unknown actor Cillian Murphy, now an Oscar winner himself. There’s not much to the plot: a virus breaks out in the U.K. turning those infected into rage-filled zombies. Six years later came “28 Weeks Later,” telling a completely different story but based on the same pandemic and notably featuring a cast of more then-unknowns like Jeremy Renner, Rose Byrne and Idris Elba (Boyle didn’t direct, but served as executive producer).

The franchise laid dormant for 18 years until last summer’s “28 Years Later,” bringing Boyle back into the director’s chair with Murphy serving as an executive producer. It was quite a departure from the first two films as it veered more towards artsy than scary.

Which brings us to “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple.”

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While it wouldn’t hurt for viewers to see its three predecessors, it would be pretty helpful to at least see “28 Years Later” since the events of “The Bone Temple” take place immediately after and involve some of the same characters.

“The Bone Temple” tells two stories that ultimately collide in the third act. The first follows the adolescent Spike (Alfie Williams), who left his safe and isolated island village behind to embark on his own on the mainland — that is until he meets Sir Jimmy Crystal (Jack O’Connell), a satanist cult leader who offers him protection in exchange for loyalty. The film opens with Spike’s initiation to become one of his “Seven Fingers,” his followers who don blonde wigs and tracksuits and also take on the name Jimmy.

The test: kill another Jimmy, something the good-hearted Spike strongly hesitates to do.

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The second follows mild-mannered Ian Kelson (Ralph Fiennes), who we also meet in the previous installment. Prior to the outbreak, he was a doctor in normal society. Now, he’s secluded from human interaction and has taken on a hobby of building a fortress entirely built on skeletal remains (hence the title). When he’s not listening to Duran Duran or Iron Maiden on his record player in an underground bunker, he’s attempting to develop a cure for the virus.

His test subject is quite unexpected: a Hulk-like zombie dubbed in the previous installment as an “alpha” (played by 6’9 Chi Lewis-Parry), who Ian fondly begins calling Samson. One would think that Ian is crazy to embrace an alpha zombie for his experiment, especially since Samson can rip a head from a body like more easily than I can open a glass jar (that’s because Ian is kinda crazy. But lo and behold, he begins to make progress with the monstrous figure.

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“The Bone Temple” feels like watching two different movies. The first resembles 2008’s “The Strangers” as we follow the pack of Jimmys torment and brutally torture a group of innocent non-zombies at their farm with Spike feeling like a hostage himself. The second resembles “Young Frankenstein” as Ian and Samson form a buddy comedy dynamic as the alpha zombie slowly recalls what being human is like. And like the late greats Gene Wilder and Peter Boyle, the two of them make great dance partners!

Perhaps the most surprising thing about “The Bone Temple” is the lack of horror despite it being a horror film, which “28 Years Later” also experienced. While there’s a few jump scares and plenty of gore, we as the audience don’t necessarily feel frightened throughout the film like many of us did in “28 Days” and “28 Weeks Later.” That’s not to say that “The Bone Temple” is a bore — far from it.

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Fiennes, who has a delayed introduction in the last film, gets plenty of screen time here playing the delightful, kooky doctor, offering levity to “The Bone Temple.” O’Connell gives a lively performance as the twisted religiously-tinged homicidal maniac whose confidence and dark sense of humor entrances his impressionable young followers. Williams gives a sympathetic performance, although he shines much more in the prior film as Spike goes through a coming-of-age arc. Erin Kellyman also deserves a shout as one of Jimmy’s “Jimmys,” playing mind games with Spike (and the audience) as to whether she should be trusted.

Nia DaCosta takes over for Boyle in the director’s chair. The up-and-coming filmmaker has dabbled in horror before with her commendable “Candyman” remake, but the direction here feels like a blander version of Boyle’s vision in the previous film. Alex Garland, who wrote “28 Days” and “28 Years Later,” returned to pen “The Bone Temple” screenplay.

The Verdict:

While seven months may seem too soon to release a sequel, “The Bone Temple” is able to differentiate itself from its direct predecessor enough to justify the quick turnaround. Faithfuls of the “28” franchise will welcome the fourth chapter, but it might be difficult for this film to cater to anyone else. Nonetheless, “The Bone Temple” is an interesting chapter in this zombieverse.

★★★ — STREAM IT LATER

“28 Years Later: The Bone Temple” is rated R for strong bloody violence, gore, graphic nudity, language throughout, and brief drug use. Running time: 1 hour, 50 minutes. In theaters now.