Cillian Murphy's Return to '28 Days Later' Franchise is a Quiet, Grounded Affair in 'The Bone Temple'
Cillian Murphy's highly anticipated return to the hit zombie franchise that made his name over two decades ago has finally arrived, and it's not the explosive spectacle fans might have expected. Instead, director Nia DaCosta opted for a more understated approach with her latest installment, "28 Years Later: The Bone Temple".
The film picks up 25 years after the events of the last sequel, where Murphy reprised his role as Jim, the bicycle courier who miraculously survived the Rage virus outbreak in 2001. However, instead of launching into a grand, superhero-esque moment, DaCosta chose to ground the scene with a quiet, intimate portrayal of Jim living in relative isolation.
The film's climax is marked by a prolonged and escalating period of madness, featuring an ensemble cast including Ralph Fiennes' Dr Kelson, Jack O'Connell's Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal, and Chi Lewis-Parry's Alpha zombie Samson. But just when the mayhem reaches its peak, the tone shifts suddenly to Jim living in a secluded cottage with his daughter, who is studying for a history exam.
"I was like, 'ok, so that's how we shoot it,'" DaCosta reveals about the scriptwriter Alex Garland's idea of introducing Murphy back into the story. "So it's grounded. It's not this big, bombastic moment. And I think it's powerful enough just to see him." The result is a scene that has left audiences erupting into cheers in early screenings.
Murphy's return was actually signposted from the very beginning of the film through sound, as DaCosta used a clip from the original "28 Days Later" where Murphy says "Hello". This nod to the franchise's origins adds an extra layer of depth and nostalgia to the film.
Fans of the series will also note a hat tip to its origins in the big reveal later on, with DaCosta incorporating the eerie track "In a Heartbeat", composed by John Murphy for "28 Days Later".
The final act of "28 Years Later: The Bone Temple" heavily suggests that there's more to come, as the film concludes with a tantalizing hint at future developments. Thankfully, Sony has already greenlit a follow-up, with Garland back on writing duties.
As for DaCosta, it was "so much fun" making the film – although she admits it was largely a reaction to her recent work on Marvel's "The Marvels" and Ibsen's "Hedda". However, it seems that Danny Boyle has already "called dibs" on directing the next installment.
Cillian Murphy's highly anticipated return to the hit zombie franchise that made his name over two decades ago has finally arrived, and it's not the explosive spectacle fans might have expected. Instead, director Nia DaCosta opted for a more understated approach with her latest installment, "28 Years Later: The Bone Temple".
The film picks up 25 years after the events of the last sequel, where Murphy reprised his role as Jim, the bicycle courier who miraculously survived the Rage virus outbreak in 2001. However, instead of launching into a grand, superhero-esque moment, DaCosta chose to ground the scene with a quiet, intimate portrayal of Jim living in relative isolation.
The film's climax is marked by a prolonged and escalating period of madness, featuring an ensemble cast including Ralph Fiennes' Dr Kelson, Jack O'Connell's Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal, and Chi Lewis-Parry's Alpha zombie Samson. But just when the mayhem reaches its peak, the tone shifts suddenly to Jim living in a secluded cottage with his daughter, who is studying for a history exam.
"I was like, 'ok, so that's how we shoot it,'" DaCosta reveals about the scriptwriter Alex Garland's idea of introducing Murphy back into the story. "So it's grounded. It's not this big, bombastic moment. And I think it's powerful enough just to see him." The result is a scene that has left audiences erupting into cheers in early screenings.
Murphy's return was actually signposted from the very beginning of the film through sound, as DaCosta used a clip from the original "28 Days Later" where Murphy says "Hello". This nod to the franchise's origins adds an extra layer of depth and nostalgia to the film.
Fans of the series will also note a hat tip to its origins in the big reveal later on, with DaCosta incorporating the eerie track "In a Heartbeat", composed by John Murphy for "28 Days Later".
The final act of "28 Years Later: The Bone Temple" heavily suggests that there's more to come, as the film concludes with a tantalizing hint at future developments. Thankfully, Sony has already greenlit a follow-up, with Garland back on writing duties.
As for DaCosta, it was "so much fun" making the film – although she admits it was largely a reaction to her recent work on Marvel's "The Marvels" and Ibsen's "Hedda". However, it seems that Danny Boyle has already "called dibs" on directing the next installment.
. i mean, cillian murphy is great and all, but another film about a virus apocalypse? please. its just not my cup of tea anymore 
. and don't even get me started on how they're trying to rebrand it as some sort of "quiet, grounded" affair...like that's going to make a difference 
. its still gonna be a bunch of infected people running around and people shooting them 
. give me something with a little more substance, you know?
i'm not gonna lie, i kinda loved how cillian murphy was brought back into the 28 days later universe in a more low-key way 
. i mean, the zombie apocalypse is all about chaos and mayhem, but sometimes it's nice to just see people trying to live with their trauma 
. da costa did a great job of capturing that intimacy and quiet desperation, especially when jim is living with his daughter 
. what really got me was how they nodded to the original film without going overboard 
those sound effects from "in a heartbeat" are still giving me chills 
. Instead of all-out chaos, it's more of a quiet, intimate thing 
. Cillian Murphy's character living in isolation with his daughter? It's actually really beautiful 
. And I love how they incorporated that eerie track from John Murphy too 
. It's not what we're used to with this franchise, and it's kinda cool 
. Maybe it's time for them to dial back on the action and drama? 
. Another slow burn from Cillian Murphy in a zombie flick? I mean, I love him too, but what happened to the thrill of the apocalypse? The Bone Temple sounds like some mellow indie film I could watch on Netflix 
. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for a quiet, intimate moment, but in this franchise, can't we expect a little more... chaos? 
I guess 25 years after the last one, you'd think things would be a bit more intense by now 
. DaCosta totally had a different vibe in mind compared to what we were expecting from Cillian Murphy's return. I think she pulled off something really special by going for a more subdued approach, it really lets you focus on the character development and the emotional weight of Jim's journey. The way they've woven in Easter eggs like that "Hello" clip is genius 
. It's not just about giving fans what they want, but also paying homage to the original while still moving the story forward. And can we talk about how underrated Ralph Fiennes' performance is? He brings such depth to Dr Kelson! 
seriously tho, i'm not mad at dir nia da costa for not going all out on a big explosive spectacle. it feels super intimate and it makes more sense that jim would be dealing with the after effects of the rage virus in a quiet way 
it's actually kinda powerful how they're showing him just trying to live his life with this thing still lurking around him. and omg the twist at the end where he's studying for a history exam lol like we really needed that 
anyway, cant wait for the next one, hopefully danny boyle doesn't mess it up 
. I guess what really gets my goat is that people are already speculating about a sequel, as if this movie even needs one 
. Next thing you know, they'll be remaking "The Bone Temple" with some new cast and setting... 
. I love how the film slowly builds up to this intimate moment where we see Jim living in solitude, it's so powerful 
. I mean, Ralph Fiennes shows up as this crazy scientist dude, and it's like "what is happening?!" 
. But then we find out he's just Jim's dad, and it's all very grounded and weird 
.
like who wouldn't want to see him as the quietest zombie survivor ever? 
anyway, i love how they did this slow build up to get you invested in jim's life and then BAM! madness ensues 
and omg that final scene with his daughter studying for her history exam is EVERYTHING 