It’s hard to believe that just over six months ago, Danny Boyle returned to his roots with the hotly anticipated sequel 28 Years Later. That film was just alright, and unfortunately, the newest installment, 28 Years: The Bone Temple, doesn’t inspire a ton of additional confidence in the planned trilogy.
Nia DaCosta takes over for Boyle behind the camera this time, while Alex Garland remains the screenwriter. One of the central issues with28 Years Later was its rigid formal construction – namely the iPhone rig and several stylistic shot choices that often proved more distracting than immersive. DaCosta brings a more naturalistic visual language to The Bone Temple, favoring fluid camera movement and a stronger emphasis on performance. The increased use of close-ups allows the actors to convey greater emotion and intimacy. While her direction still embraces creative flourishes, those choices maintain engagement in ways Boyle’s frenetic style did not. Another bright spot is Ralph Fiennes. Spending more time with his character is among the film’s genuine strengths.
The most persistent frustration lies in the film’s storytelling and erratic pacing. The Bone Temple never seems to commit to a single mode, oscillating between bouts of ultra-violence, moments of earnest sincerity, and gestures toward grand thematic ideas (more on that later). Also the introduction of an entire family of sub-characters amounts to little more than narrative noise, offering no real consequence to the central protagonist. The overarching result are narrative elements that are dispersed across a clutter of characters, with some getting a generous amount of development, while others seemingly none at all. For the better part of the movie it feels as though events just unfold with little connective tissue.
More damaging is the time spent with the films thematic ideas versus others, with the most interesting of them having the least amount of explored depth. The filmmakers have indicated The Bone Temple is about the nature of evil. How evil intercepts with a false god is interesting, but not enough time is spent on that idea. The film also gestures toward an intriguing tension between faith and science but devotes only a sliver of its runtime to meaningfully exploring that idea. Finally, a major revelation about the infection itself feels rushed and unearned. Garland’s screenplay suffers from a lack of focus and disciplined idea exploration.
28 Years: The Bone Temple is another okay, not great entry in what is becoming an increasingly frustrating trilogy. Despite the considerable talent involved, the output should be better. Even with a final tease designed to entice audiences toward the next installment, the film provides little assurance that the journey ahead will be worth continuing.
