23/01/2026
Memento Mori...
28 years later: The Bone Temple review
One of last year’s stronger musical horrors, Sinners won’t be remembered for Michael B. Jordan playing twins, cinematography, or even its music, but for Jack O’Connell’s scene-stealing take (alongside a mix of old and new accomplices) on the Irish song-and-dance classic “Rocky Road to Dublin.”
By the same token, The Bone Temple may be recalled for Ralph Fiennes’ striking choreography set and performance to a reworking of Maiden’s “The Number of the Beast.” We’ll see; for now, back to today’s spoiler-free review.
The film opens and closes 28 years apart: it ends with young Spike (Alfie Williams) colliding with a gang led by the charismatic Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal (Jack O’Connell), and begins with young Jimmy fleeing an infected horde and abandoning his preacher father, who welcomes the end times. The gang’s blue wigs and mannerisms evoke the grotesque charisma of figures like Jimmy Savile - Crystal believes himself old Nick's(Satan) son, and his acrobatic, murderous troupe roams Britain “doing charity” by slaughtering survivors. Spike is swept into their ranks.
Nearby, Dr Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) searches for a cure while dancing to Duran Duran’s Rio; an Alpha-infected encounters him and, oddly, they form a bond. I’ll stop there: The Bone Temple sits a notch below 28 Days Later - part of a franchise that began with a quieter, more hopeful first film. Under Nia DaCosta’s direction, madness nearly consumes what remains of humanity.
Thanks largely to Dr Kelson’s arc, The Bone Temple earns a solid 4 out of 5 stars, and we hope the trilogy’s finale, with Danny Boyle directing and Cillian Murphy returning as a lead, will top it.
