Movie Review: 28 Years Later — Bone Temple

4 stars out of 5

We had to wait 18 years for a sequel to 28 Weeks Later, so they’re really spoiling us with another installment just 7 months later. From 28 Years Later, the unstoppable Alex Garland returns as screenwriter, while director Danny Boyle sits this one out, handing the reins to Nia DaCosta. The only other movie I’ve seen by her was the godawful The Marvels, but Boyle and Garland have this British zombie world pretty well-defined so I wasn’t overly concerned.

When last we were here, our 12-year-old protagonist Spike (Alfie Williams) was rescued/captured by Sir Jimmy Crystal and his band of Droogies uh I mean Jimmies. In the previous film, young Alfie got to display a wide range of emotions; here he’s pretty much just worrried/scared. But that’s OK, Jack O’Connell as Jimmy C is ready to pick up the mantle of primary character. And he has a field day, equally adept at terrorizing others or being a comic presence.

Ralph Fiennes is also back as Dr. Felton, and he gets to have more fun this time, dancing about, and going all My Fair Lady with rehabilitating zombie Samson (Chi Lewis-Parry). We were promised the return of Cillian Murphy in this movie and he does show up, but it looks like his fan club will really have to wait for Part 3.

Bone Temple may not have the emotional heft of its predecessor, but it’s still a highly entertaining film and – make no bones about it — certainly does its job setting us up for the final chapter.