28 Years Later: The Bone Temple * [Beware - Spoilers from page 3]

[SocksAndTheCity]

I'll admit to going in with a very heavy heart because I was so disappointed by the last one (and I've still only seen it once - I had no inclination at all to even stream it as a catch up before I went out to see this).

While I'm not going to include anything even remotely spoilery, The Bone Temple is the polar opposite; thoughtful, intelligent and interesting and a lot of fun! I love Jack O'Connell a little bit more every time I see him, it looks stunning, there is plenty of carnage and it feels like a genuine, natural evolution of the events of the first film. Ralph Fiennes acts everybody else off the screen 😀

The infected - bar Samson - aren't actually in it that much, and it's the better film for it, I think. And there's Iron Maiden 👍

Oh the Teletubbies thing makes more sense to me now if that was what he was watching when his world got turned upside down! Good catch. I should have watched the first BT again, I remember them watching telly, but not what was on.

Yes agreed, I think it was the phrasing 'that some people dealt with events by turning to religion or science' that made me dig into it a bit more, just in terms of the film itself. It's clear the Jimmy's didn't turn to it as a source of comfort with any kind of agency; they were psychologically hijacked by it and had no other choice. Much like Jimmy Crystal had no choice, he was already indoctrinated. Crystal naturally became a Satanic zealot as his trauma and religious Christian upbringing melted together as he navigated a post apocalyptic world on his own as an 8 year old boy. He eventually collected the others, and will have confidently told them that if they wanted to survive they must follow him. He really believed that shit. It was unlikely the other Jimmy's were raised with a strong scientific narrative, their caregivers would have solely been focussed on survival and have no/little clue wtf was going on. The Jimmy's would have all been terrified children in survival mode.

None of them looked over the age of 28, Jimmima looked about 18 at max, so they will have grown up with the virus their whole lives, probably watched their families/caregivers be killed by infected, and if not then tortured and killed by Crystal himself. Then given a 'choice' to believe him and be saved, or meet the same end. No brainer for them.

And then yes, once he spent time brainwashing them (as there was no counter narrative) it was easier for them to do his bidding without thought. The older ones had a slightly harder time with it, it seemed.

I think I'm just fleshing out what you meant, aren't I? Psychological stress makes us vulnerable and our minds will justify harming others if it helps us feel like we are going to survive.

We saw that through the glimpse through Samson's eyes, too.

Interesting thread 😊

I saw this yesterday and thought it was brilliant! Better than the 28 Years part 1. I feel like I need to watch it again though, after reading this thread. So much to think about and I suspect I'd see more and understand more on a 2nd viewing.

I liked how Jimmy had fixated on possibly the last normal thing he remembers (watching Teletubbies as at rhe statt of the previous film) and then further on we had the family on the train with the book about space and the picture of the moon.

I'd forgotten the group of children all in a room watching Teletubbies at at the start of 28 Days Part 1, so thank you for that reminder, which explains where Jimmy Crystal came from. The little boy on the train looking at the moon in a book - I was immediately 'ooooh, yes!'.

Does anyone else think that the family they tortured could have done a much better job at defending themselves? Jimmy and the fingers were all sat round the table eating. They were all stood behind them. The man had a pot of boiling water. He could have dumped that pan on top of Jimmy's head rather than randomly throwing it then probably had time to stab another one in the neck at a minimum. The others could have jumped in too. Surely living in that world you would make sure you are trained and able to defend yourself?

Minor gripe tho. Still loved it. Still can't stop thinking about it. Want to watch again

I didn’t like it. It was ok, but nowhere near as good as 1 and 2. It totally lost the gritty believability, the raw terror, and I thought the freeze framed action shots looked cheap. The storyline seemed to be more symbolic than anything and bits of it were frankly lost on me.

Yes. Completely. You would absolutely defend yourself to the death and fight rather than be tortured as they were whilst whimpering.

Tbh I found the whole thing daft and unbelievable. I know it's a zombie film and therefore not believable anyway but it was ridiculous

The bone temple thing is just nonsense how could he possibly have created it to that extent, and all those candles lit when they came in at the end. That end scene I just thought was really silly and performative rather than gritty and realistic.

Right, I can't find a way to edit it so I've reported my thread starter and asked for 'spoilers' to be added, since we're obviously going in with both feet now.

I think it's still important to make the distinction between this and a 'zombie film'; the infected are living people who are ill and not the risen undead, and this means they can potentially be cured, or at least have their symptoms brought under control. I know the films fit in the zombie genre (in the same way as the Resident Evil - also not zombies - films do), but in this case the difference is actually relevant to the story.

Did anybody else spot the infected person in the background making their way along the aisle towards the ticket collector on the train? It took me until the second watch 😀

Sorry @SocksAndTheCity I definitely put spoilers in my post, I didn't think 😬

Yes I saw the infected on the train, was just a quick snippet

After reading more i realsied now that samson was probably changed on that train and that was his last human memory. He now gravitates back to it in his zombie form

Poor Samson! He's quite loveable really. I hope he doesn't end up reverting to his Infected state.

I quite enjoyed this, it was never boring. But, like pps, I did find the torture scene very hard to take. It was a lot more upsetting than the Infected ripping off someone's head, although that was gruesome.

Yes I suppose Jimmy's experiences as a child caused psychosis in him maybe?

I did prefer the first film though (I mean 28 Years Later, so the 3rd really), and not just because there was less gore. It had a strange other wordly feel, and the people on the island were in an odd sort of time warp. Jodie Comer's journey as Spike's mother Isla was very poignant. The whole thing was just so different. Disappointing that Spike was relegated to a supporting character for this one, and it is a bit more like a standard horror film, though still original.

Yes I preferred the first one. I think I was lulled into this one by how interesting and palatable that one was. I loved it tbh. Really disappointed with this one.

I suppose they're very different films @Pemba and @LittleJustice - the things you liked about the first 28YL were the things that I didn't and vice versa, and I just found Jodie Comer's (and Aaron Taylor Johnson's) characters incredibly irritating 🤔. I'd have liked to have seen it as all one film.

I do think Jimmy Crystal is a complicated character @DonnyBurrito and I reckon his brain just stalled as a result of the trauma - even the 'charity' scene seems almost the sort of thing a particularly sadistic child would do out of curiosity who might previously have stuck with pulling the legs off insects, and there wasn't a trace of sexual violence which I think backs that up. I also liked the (very) dark humour when Jimmie Ink and Spike were outside ('does that sound like normal screaming?') I loved the scene where Jimmy and Dr Kelson sat by the river and talked.

I nearly fell out of my seat at 'I don't have a ticket'. One other thing I noticed watching the credits was that Samson had not one but two body doubles - Chi Lewis-Parry is 6' 8", I think? Even allowing for the hefty prosthetics, where are they finding all these giant blokes? 🤣

The Jimmies are obviously asked on Jimmy Saville. I am curious if anyone outside the UK will understand the reference.

I think the Jimmy Saville costume seemed like a funny gimmick by the producers at first, but actually given Jimmy Crystals identification with Teletubbies it makes sense that he will have seen Saville on TV (maybe reruns of Fix It or the Top of the Pops etc bits and pieces) and felt a kind of magnetism towards him. Kindred spirits.

I want more of Crystals back story! He seemed predisposed to being a sadistic psychopath, as @SocksAndTheCity pointed out him being like a kid pulling legs of insects. And we all know the kid who harms animals and defenseless beings has very likely been harmed himself. As sympathetic as Kelson was to Samson and his biological illness, he was far less interested in healing Crystal.

Thanks for the thread OP, thinking more in depth about the characters has actually eased my distress about the horrible scene that ruined it for me!

I've seen a couple of reviews from US horror fans who had no idea who Jimmy Saville was until they Googled, and a handful from those who likely still have no idea.

I don't think it really matters to be honest - it's not crucial to the plot and I wouldn't expect a Japanese filmmaker to water down cultural references to pander to British viewers in case we didn't know them. I suppose it would mean not getting the connection when horrific acts are referenced by calling them 'charity', but I don't think it would spoil the film.

Jimmy must have been eight or nine when he saw his family massacred and had to run away and fend for himself - I suppose he must have found food in shops and people's houses, but he still somehow survived (possibly alone although probably not and he likely took up with other survivors).

He told Kelson his mum and sisters would have been OK if they had come with him and hidden in the church, so he's still thinking about it now almost thirty years on, and I think he remains a childlike figure. He also clearly found a jewellers somewhere along the way (I like the thought that as well as all the gold necklaces and rings he saw a tiara and put it on just because he liked it); I agree he's a fascinating character @DonnyBurrito and I hope he'll be back in some form.

Dr Kelson was afraid of Jimmy in a way that he wasn't afraid of Samson, and I think his fear maybe overrode his doctor instincts? I suppose the whole film is showing that the infected are no longer the real threat.

Dr Kelson was afraid of Jimmy in a way that he wasn't afraid of Samson, and I think his fear maybe overrode his doctor instincts?

When he was having the long chat with Jimmy Crystal about talking to his father, Old Nick, Kelson realised (I think) that JC was actually suffering auditory hallucinations and I thought when he was preparing those tablets, they'd be for JC rather than Samson.

Its a fascinating film and I do think I need to see it again now we've discussed it here.

I went to see it today having no clue that I should’ve watched the other one first and not really remembering anything about the very first film 🤣 but I don’t think that mattered because I loved it, once I got over the initial horror. Fiennes was absolutely brilliant, the soundtrack was great and I must admit now having a bit of a weird crush on Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal. He reminds me of Sick Boy. And I loved his tracksuit.

Great film, and good thread.
I enjoyed the whole thing (the gore was almost too much for me, but not quite) and it was the icing on the cake with the last scene as I didn’t know Cillian Murphy was coming back in it. I got chills when that same music came in right at the end.
The scene with Fiennes acting as Auld Nick was just next level. So much fun to watch.
Also, just to add to the chat about people fainting/being sick in the cinema: my dad, who is very squeamish, passed out in the cinema watching The Wrestler and had to be taken out on a stretcher! My mum thought he’d had a heart attack… it was just a particularly gory scene!

Loved this so much, far more than 28YL. God love Danny Boyle but I much preferred Nia de Costa's more measured direction, setting up scenes and tableaus and allowing the audience to stay with them rather than Boyle's frenetic style. I think it let us stay with the characters and also really feel the brutality of what people can do to each other when things collapse, rather than making it more stylised. Really wish they'd let her direct the final film!

I nearly walked out at the flaying scene but glad I stayed - again, I think it showed the actual horror of societal collapse rather than just 'Zombies Gone Wild' and set up the counterpoint for Dr Ian's humanity, and what happens when they met at the end. Loved the actress playing Kelly (the Jimmy who befriends Spike), thought that was such a smart role to show that you don't have to fully buy into a cult to find yourself staying in it.

Hadn't put together until this morning that the reason Sampson gets attacked in the train was that he spoke, and therefore showed he was more human than infected. Also loved him coming out of the carriage covered in gore - reminded me of the scene in 'Serenity' where River Tam slaughters a bunch of Reavers in a locked room.

First thing I said when I came out of the cinema.There where enough of them to over power them when he threw the boiling water.
Apart from that I enjoyed the film but did have to close my eyes during some of the more gory scenes.
Cant wait for the next film.

That Serenity scene is elite! Need a rewatch, been too long...

Loved this film apart from the charity barn scene which I found stressful to watch. Agree with others the farm family could have done a lot more to protect themselves especially as they would have had years of fending off the infected and marauders