28 Years Later: The Bone Temple Review
After a rather divisive trilogy starter and the rather disliked 28 Weeks Later, The Bone Temple took the world by storm with rave reviews. As somebody who enjoyed the first 28 Years Later film, seeing that this film had even better reviews was quite exciting! While I often have some really weird movie opinions and have controversial franchise opinions that typically go against the grain, a good review score is still a good review score: it's always promising. Did this film live up to the immense hype for me? That's what I, Brighton Nelson, will be tackling in today's Reel Ranker review.
The first major strengths of this film that I can think of are its tonal consistency and its villain. 28 Years Later was easily the least tonally consistent film of the franchise, with each of the three acts all feeling distinct. While the last act of 28 Days Later was a pretty big shift as well, Years noticeably was all over the place. Personally, I didn't mind because I enjoyed the different tones and what they brought to the film, but The Bone Temple does a much better job of staying true to the dark, frightening nature of the series' style and setting.
The other major difference that sets this film apart from the previous films in the series is that the Infected take a backseat, while the Jimmy Clan is the film's main villainous presence. They are a truly terrifying group of villains that Nia DaCosta handled far better than Boyle's baffling interpretation. While sidelining the Infected could've been handled poorly, this film still manages to balance making them terrifying and important without them being the main focus. The way this was executed was truly intelligent, making the film feel fresh amid the rest of the series.
In fact, the film used the Infected so brilliantly through the heartwarming, oddball relationship between Dr. Kelson and Samson. The idea that Kelson was able to cure his psychosis and form a bond and rehabilitate him in a way... that was fantastic. The moon scene in particular was one of the most incredible in the series, and the scene where he comes back covered in blood after ripping apart hordes of the Infected was no slouch either.
The film also managed to pull off many bizarre elements that a weaker film would've failed to achieve. Regarding the Jimmy Clan, there's a rather humorous (and quite sad) subplot in which they are convinced that Dr. Kelson is Satan. This plays out in such a fun, unique way, where Kelson puts on a whole show while listening to "The Number of the Beast" by Iron Maiden and wears devilish makeup, culminating in a dark yet immensely satisfying bit where the lead Jimmy is crucified upside down as a sacrifice that stands as a juxtaposition to Jesus Christ's. I liked how he was all about worshipping Satan up until the moment it would cause him any pain instead of somebody else, and then he completely switches to no longer being all that faithful. That part was quite interesting.
Reading this, I'm sure you're expecting a negatives section, but I don't really have anything to say: I can't think of anything to change about this film. While this isn't a 5-star horror film for me because I simply prefer other movies and premises, it executes its premise exactly as it should. It's a perfect film in that sense, it just isn't in the "one of my favorite movies of all time" category. By contrast, 28 Years Later has many more problems, but I just prefer the journey it explores, even if it isn't executed as well.
The Reel Ranker Verdict
Reel or Unreel? - Reel
The Reel Ranker Score: 76%
Letter Score: A-
Star Ranking: 4 out of 5
While I still prefer the original 28 Years Later, The Bone Temple is a far more consistent and straightforward film with better mass appeal. This film ramps up the terror with brilliant villains, an emotional story, and unforgettable setpieces that will impress and leave the audience excited (and hopeful) about the trilogy closer. Let's just hope this film's completely undeserved box office bomb doesn't lead to the third film's cancellation, or we'll be missing out on a truly brilliant horror movie trilogy.
Interested in checking out my reviews for some other recent horror projects? Check them out below!
Brighton Nelson
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