The Bone Temple picks up pretty much immediately where its predecessor left off with Williams' Spike getting acquainted with the group of blonde wig-wearing, track suit-clad individuals that saved him from a zombie swarm This group is actually a cult led by Sir Jimmy Crystal (Jack O'Connell)-who is the young boy from the beginning of Years who watches his mother, sister and several members of his village get massacred and his preacher father gleefully sacrifice himself to the undead horde. Reeling from the trauma of his youth, Jimmy believes he is the son of Satan and his followers-who he also refers to as "Jimmy"-travel around the countryside looking for survivors to inflict unspeakable torture on. The petrified Spike has to decide if he wants to risk his life trying to escape from Jimmy's gang or stand by idly while they carry out their mission of bringing "charity" to those who have been lucky enough to survive for 28 years of a zombie apocalypse.
Meanwhile, Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes)-who was also introduced in the final act-stumbles upon the alpha zombie "Samson" (Chi Lewis-Parry) in his shrine to the dead (aka The Bone Temple) and after seeing how he reacts to getting hit with a tranquilizer dart, Kelson believes the infection can be treated and begins to test out a potential cure on Samson . Eventually, Jimmy and Kelson end up crossing paths and what transpires between the two will change the lives of everyone in their orbit.
By shifting focus to Kelson and Crystal, The Bone Temple is able to explore this world through the eyes of two men that went down rapidly different paths after the outbreak caused the UK to fall. Kelson never lost any of his humanity while Crystal weaponized his grief and confusion over what happened to his family to inflict pain and lord power over people who are just looking for somebody to follow during a turbulent time. Accompanying their contrasting plights is also a fascinating, painfully relevant conversation about science vs. faith. Kelson's values can be prescribed to his belief in helping others and the powers of medicine, conversation and research as healing tools while Crystal's worldview is shaped by an insistence that God is punishing mankind for its misdeeds and the egomaniacal delusion that's he's being used as an instrument to help carry this unholy reign of terror out. The vividness of Garland's writing and DaCosta's direction allows the atmosphere to powerfully express their worldviews when the story is focused on them and once the two finally meet at the end of the second act, things get particularly interesting as the window into their souls grow more transparent.
Of course, the added bonus of all of this fascinating worldbuilding and unique explorations of well-worn themes is that this material gives a duo of sensational actors a chance to flex their muscles. Fiennes once again demonstrates the versatility that has made him so deeply respected in the industry over the past 40 years by playing a character that is completely unlike any other he's played in the past. Kelson may be an eccentric guy with an unusual love of iodine and Duran Duran, but his compassion, kindness and curiosity come from such a pure place that they couldn't even be corrupted by the collapse of a civilization that felt invincible. He's the best of humanity and one of the biggest reasons this movie manages to pack a deceptively hopeful emotional punch underneath its bleak exterior.
Of course, the added bonus of all of this fascinating worldbuilding and unique explorations of well-worn themes is that this material gives a duo of sensational actors a chance to flex their muscles. Fiennes once again demonstrates the versatility that has made him so deeply respected in the industry over the past 40 years by playing a character that is completely unlike any other he's played in the past. Kelson may be an eccentric guy with an unusual love of iodine and Duran Duran, but his compassion, kindness and curiosity come from such a pure place that they couldn't even be corrupted by the collapse of a civilization that felt invincible. He's the best of humanity and one of the biggest reasons this movie manages to pack a deceptively hopeful emotional punch underneath its bleak exterior.
Fair or not, seeing O'Connell thrive in a villain role in Sinners last year set the villain bar very high for him here. Fortunately, he didn't just clear the bar, he soared that bitch like it wasn't a challenge at all. As a cult leader, O'Connell has to harness some of the charm that he relied on to create Remmick. However, this performance goes to some much darker, more evil places than Remmick ever did and O'Connell steps into that challenge with absolutely zero fear. His ability to spew constantly evolving bullshit to his followers with ease and use faith as an excuse to carry out barbaric acts against his fellow humans is menacing without ever entering into cartoonish territory. Playing Remmick and Jimmy Crystal so close together absolutely makes O'Connell a prime target to be typecasted as an antagonist moving forward and while that wouldn't be ideal fate for an actor of his skill set, I wouldn't mind that happening as long as the performances remained this strong.
Like its predecessor, The Bone Temple ends on a note that tees up the next film perfectly. Whether we get the final chapter or not is a big question mark after The Bone Temple pretty much ate shit at the box office worldwide this past weekend. Selfishly, I want to see how this story ends but I'm not holding my breath that it will happen despite it boasting the (likely) box office-bolstering hook of having original star Cillian Murphy return as the protagonist. If we don't get to see the final film of the trilogy, I just wanted to take a moment to thank Boyle, Garland, DaCosta and their excellent team of collaborators for turning the zombie genre on its head with these bold, rewarding films.
Grade: B+
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