SSP Thinks Film

It would be a tough call to put 28 YEARS LATER or its immediate sequel THE BONE TEMPLE above the other as they’re such different prospects. The first film from Danny Boyle is perhaps slightly more operatic and grand in scale, but this follow-up from Nia DaCosta is a more immediate and upsetting an affair, especially in how it deals with the idea of hope. Young Spike (Alfie Williams) navigates the feral infected-infested British isles with the sinister teen gang of “Jimmys” lead by the demonic Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal (Jack O’Connell). Meanwhile, Dr Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) makes a surprising breakthrough in his study of towering alpha infected Samson (Chi Lewis-Parry). The Bone Temple is a tough watch, the scenes with the Jimmys dominated by acts of sadistic torture, but there’s a balance with more thoughtful, quietly optimistic moments with Kelson. It’s a heady cocktail which DaCosta delivers with clarity, her cast portraying humanity in all its extremes. SSP