The Reel Rejects - Hot Damn... We Just Watched 28 YEARS LATER: THE BONE TEMPLE!! Out Of Theater Reaction

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Starting point is 00:02:10 Gee, how would you describe this movie in a nutshell? Well, I don't really remember the trailer for this movie, but I feel like I can confidently communicate without spoiling it, but by only spoiling the ending of the last one. You're probably not watching this unless you've seen the prior one. So the prior one ended off where there was that character, Jimmy, upside down, cross guy, Telatubby gang. Now we're following them right in the beginning whilst also continuing the story of Ray finds his character, hence the Bone Temple.

Starting point is 00:02:44 And so while you're exploring the story of Jimmy and his gang, I don't want to tell you what's going on there. But the movie tells you pretty much right away, upside down, cross, good hit. They're not a good group of people, all right? I'm a big culty. And there's a slice of life tale kind of going on with Ray finds his character that does sort of involve that alpha character from before. Again, I don't want to say much more. And eventually, you know, these plot lines will converge. That is how I would, that's all the same.

Starting point is 00:03:13 It's an expert shop. Because there's so much to talk about it yet, even to describe much of what happens in the movie, would probably leave you more disoriented. But yeah, just coming out of this, how do you feel? And especially compared to the previous one, and I know you introduced me to the first one. As part of the franchise as a whole, what do you think? It's an interesting experience because the first thing that pops to mind for me is it's a disgusting movie. It's really brutal. I was surprised by how, like, oh, this is like viscerally a gross experience.

Starting point is 00:03:45 It is very unsettling and uncomfortable. You know, I've seen a lot of gory movies in the past year. I've seen the terrifier movies, so have you. We've seen a lot of gross movies. But there was something that felt like more tantal. Tangibly real about this. And very maniacal and sadistic. It kind of reminded me of older West Craven movies in the sense of how much more intimate this one is.

Starting point is 00:04:08 As a last house on the leftness. And I bet it has a exact movie I thought of it. And I bet it has some clockwork orange in it too. Yeah. Like if you think about, you know, 28 days later, then 28 weeks later, and then 28 years later, all three of those movies are doing something that is very directionally camera-wise. they're trying something that's very different and unique. You would argue that 28 days, 20 years later, more so than 28 weeks.

Starting point is 00:04:32 This one is more of a traditional movie, way more than the other ones. It takes time to, like, slow down and be a lot more intimate. And with that thoughtful, right? And also explore what kind of cult mentality would form in a way that I thought was thought provoking, right? Because there's that side word with zombie tales of, okay, do we view this as like some type of scientific experiment gone wrong? Or do we view this as some type of devilism? Act of God. And instead of being like a Christian fearing God, what happens if you're someone who subscribes to the fact that the devil is doing all this? What kind of individual do you become

Starting point is 00:05:17 when you try to be a little bit more pro about that? And with that, I found a rather interesting commentary of weirdly human connection in believing science. Yeah, human connection, like science, religion, faith, like new ageism, even, and more of that sort of like fathers and sons and, you know, cycles of abuse from the past movie sprinkled in. But it's interesting because, yeah, like this is the most any of the movies have directly fed into one another. 28 years and then Bone Temple are kind of the only two you need to watch to understand this. really. But yeah, I kind of like that what this franchise has become is, yeah, something that's always visceral and always involves infected zombie outbreak, scares and stuff like that. But each one seems to have a different set of themes on its mind. And yeah, this time we're talking about

Starting point is 00:06:09 religion and mortality and the kinds of belief systems that might take hold in a completely post-society, you know, rebuilding situation. And yeah, like, it takes a minute to get going. And I feel Like each of these movies are such that you need to kind of get to the end to really see what's all happening. But by the end, after so many like, what's going on here's? I felt really kind of fulfilled by what they came up with. And I mean, what they go for is not what I was expecting necessarily. But it has all that stuff that you want still. Like, it's weird.

Starting point is 00:06:41 There were a couple moments with a crowd applauded. It's more of a crowd pleaser that I would say the last one was. And yet these movies aren't what I would describe as typical crowd pleasers at all. Well, this is the one that like any zombie story eventually evolves into when you go on for this long. They decided to go, the bad humans. Who are the humans that are past? This explores the vile nature side of some type of horrible humans that would form. So unlike the other ones where it's, you know, protagonists and then infected, there's a clear good guy in this movie.

Starting point is 00:07:14 A couple clear good guys and some clear bad guys. So that's why it's more traditional than that sense. And some interesting takes on certain obstacles and bad guy types of characters that might show up in this world that you might not expect. And especially the way it uses its infected characters, I guess you would call them, was really interesting. And continuing like the necessity to make these zombie movies instead of just calling it something else and doing something else. Yeah. I think the way they use the infection even after all this time is still thoughtful. and interesting and still plays off of the stuff

Starting point is 00:07:49 that at first might seem very disparate about the other human circumstances. But it's really beautiful to look at. The cinematography is amazing. I don't feel like Nia Costa, like she does a great job directing this movie. I think it's really well directed. And it looks great.

Starting point is 00:08:04 I don't feel like she aimed to do words like Danny Boyles. I want to do something like cinematically, totally weird, different with the cameras, because I did that with the first one. So I want to do with the third one. She doesn't set out to do that. She's setting out to tell,

Starting point is 00:08:17 a horror tale that is a strange heart to it as well. So it's not as flashy, nowhere near as stylistic. Not to say there's no style to it. There are some stylish shots, but no style that you don't feel like you already saw in the last one. Yeah, I really appreciated what she brought to this because it feels very much cut of the same cloth of, especially the previous one. It's very much in line with what Alex Garland and Danny Boyle have set up. And this is still written by Alex Garland, so it still has a very kind of British

Starting point is 00:08:47 identity and there are, I'm sure, cultural touchstones that we as Americans might not fully grasp. What did you think about Jack O'Connell? Reject Nation, thanks so much for tuning into this video because today's episode is brought to you by prize picks. I first learned about prize picks via through the misses because she's super into fantasy sports. And honestly, kind of makes sense or sponsor in real rejects. Because what we do here has always been about experiences. Not just watching something, but feeling it, being locked in, being present.

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Starting point is 00:10:32 Good to be right. I thought, I mean, he's electric to watch. It's a kind of character that you either have that, you know, it factor to play or you don't. and it's obnoxious. Yeah. And I thought, yeah, he really owned this guy who is vile and despicable, and yet you do kind of love watching to see what weird, unpredictable choice he's going to make next. And, I mean, the group that surrounds him is appropriately equally unpredictable and volatile and harsh,

Starting point is 00:11:01 but somehow amusing nonetheless. Yes, I was very pleasantly surprised by it. I kind of hated the last couple minutes of 28 years later. I know that was divisive for people Some people really got on board For how weird and wacky that shit was And almost immediately They removed the wackiness out of that

Starting point is 00:11:23 With this group And you see like John was referenced in earlier again I was like the Stanley Kubick's clockwork orange That kind of group I feel like he's one of the best villains I've seen on screen in the last few years Because his personality You understand sure

Starting point is 00:11:38 Like it but yeah He does that really hard thing where you hate him when you have to hate him. And for some reason, you find him very amusing and you find him very entertaining. He's a loser when he's got to be a loser and he's a frigging, like, a cult leader. He's got to be a cult leader.

Starting point is 00:11:52 He does every shade well while keeping that boy in there. I would love to go into like hardcore specifics. But he is mesmerizing as a performer in this movie. He's surprisingly human. Is he a guy in sinners? Yeah. Yeah, it's fucking crazy. Because the similarities between the characters.

Starting point is 00:12:11 And yet I forgot It's like halfway through like wait a minute Is that a guy in Cunters? Yeah it walks a really nice line Between this maniacal it's got to be a very fun role to play But also one that probably was emotionally taxing because there is a guy in there And I appreciate that they do have the restraint with these movies to come up with amazing looking images And gripping character types But they earn that stuff with how they characterize it, how they live in that stuff

Starting point is 00:12:40 And yeah, I thought he did a tremendous job. Actor who plays Young Spike from the previous movie is here too again, and he does a really fine job. The roles, there are so many things that carry over from the last movie, but in a completely different array of focus, which was just fascinating and it makes the world feel a little bit more alive and real. What do you think about Ray Fines? Ray Fines is absolutely, I mean, he's a veteran, he's a pro,

Starting point is 00:13:05 and a lot of this movie in his plot line is fully carried just by, him and his living in the reality of this character. And I mean, the bone temple, the motif of who he is and what purpose he serves that we discover in the last movie is already really gripping. But they make something that is like defiantly thoughtful and kind and beautiful out of his presence in what is otherwise a really harsh, nasty movie. And like you mentioned, there's stuff that involves these characters on their own. There's stuff that involves all these characters when they collide.

Starting point is 00:13:36 And I thought at the outset that this would be a movie that I might not actually enjoy to the end. I thought this would be off-putting. And yet, Ray Fines especially, is like the fulcrum point of heart somehow for all of this. Yeah, that's why it kind of reminds me of those, like, West Craven movies, because you've got two different

Starting point is 00:13:54 types of movies going on. Now, and 28 years later, they already tease what Ray Fines is doing. And there's that alpha zombie Samson, who's... I'm making sure that I'm... He's...

Starting point is 00:14:08 Along with the Big D. There's a whole thing in the 28 years later where he like blow darts him and stuff so you can see there's a connection so the movie elaborates more on that is all I'll say so you have a much different type of atmospheric more solitary film happening

Starting point is 00:14:24 whilst you're having this like following devils reject slasher thing going on and and so by the time the convergence happens that's probably one of the more impressive things about it because there are two tonally very different tales

Starting point is 00:14:39 yet it coalesces very well together because one is about science and one's about religion and it brings up that but so much more than that, what I say, it's also like very human and about choices we make and what we believe. There's a lot of different machinations of the brain

Starting point is 00:14:53 and thought and soul going on throughout it, but the way they collide happens in a very unexpected way. When it happens, like nothing ever goes, like there's plot beats that you kind of expect to happen. Like eventually these stories will collide. But how when they do collide,

Starting point is 00:15:09 is so different than you might expect. It is not at all what I thought. It's not the scenes that I thought we would get. It was a nice surprise of how to switch it up because it's very character detailed on how they handled it. Who is that actor who was in Falcon and Winter Soldier? Oh, yeah, yeah. I don't know.

Starting point is 00:15:26 She plays Carly Morgan, though. I'll try and look at it. Yeah, she's one of the main characters in here, too. Again, she's like one of those characters like, she's a little shade of every character we saw, Falcon and Winter Soldier, too. She's great, though. I think she's another excellent addition to this

Starting point is 00:15:40 where when you're part of a, that represents a different side of a cult where even though this cult is like a horrendous cult sometimes in survival ways you find yourself. And a lot of this is like not laid out. This is me kind of interpreting stuff about her. Yeah. There's things within the performance.

Starting point is 00:15:59 You're like, yeah, you know, there's, you can tell there's parts where perhaps she doesn't feel like she had a choice in this. And she might not necessarily be bad, even though sometimes she does bad thing. Like, it's a really layered, nuanced film that doesn't explore anywhere near as much territory as the prior one. Yet, I found it to be a much more uncomfortable one. Yeah, it's decept.

Starting point is 00:16:19 It's, it's quirkier than you would expect. It's weird. It's very, I was pleased to be taken by surprise so much. And, yeah, like, at the outset, it feels maybe more simple. Or, like, again, you're seeing a lot of images and places that we touched on in the last movie. But I do feel like there's a lot to kind of unpack and just let unfurl. your mind, or at least that's how I feel right now in the afterglow. Like, it seems like this might be kind of a deceptively nutritious meal in terms of what you

Starting point is 00:16:44 get to think about after. But last one was divisive. I don't know if this one was, I mean, there was a couple of people who I know didn't like the last one who were here who really liked this one a lot. And not because it is more of the zombie movie you wanted. In fact, it might be less of the zombie movie you want. Even though there's zombie stuff there. and you're watching the product of zombie world unfold.

Starting point is 00:17:11 It's not 28 days later or 28 weeks later. You know, it's way less of that. So it is a fascinating chapter to include in this saga of the 28 movies. It's kind of funny, too. That was the other part. That was surprisingly funny. It's like surprisingly funny. Yeah, it's like a little bit bonkers in some of the comedic choices that it makes.

Starting point is 00:17:31 And I appreciate that because, yeah, these movies are marked by a certain level of quirk. And the music is great, as always, the Goudnijotir does the score, but also, you know, these movies all have needle drops throughout that are very fun and interesting to note. I think they, you know, are trying to make this part of another trilogy,

Starting point is 00:17:48 and one thing that's been cool about that is like 28 years later, you know, compliments what came before, but stands on its own. This definitely segues out of that, but it has its own thing going as well, and it feels not like they had one big idea that they chopped into two or three chapters,

Starting point is 00:18:03 but potentially three unique pieces all to do with post. human society, apocalypse, outbreak, infection, and everything to do with that. So I hope this does well enough to get the sequel because I was surprised, again, to be part of a couple moments where people were clapping and cheering in a movie like this, which, you know, it begs a lot of patience to get to that stuff, but it's also rewarding of that patience. It is. It is.

Starting point is 00:18:26 There are things in it that there's like choices they make with evolution of stuff. That is where I'm kind of, I just can't talk about it because it's way too spoilery. And those are those parts where I'm like, do I like this decision or do I not like this decision? And some of these decisions are really big decisions that some of the lower stuff that they play around with. That could really alter the course of how this plays out. Like they're huge. And I'm wondering if it's like different. It's new.

Starting point is 00:18:59 But do I like it? I'm really up in the air about if I do. Like there's parts they do with scenes that I like with it. And then there's other parts. I'm like, I don't know if I really like this. edition right now. Yeah, and it's like, I want to name other movies and be like, well, it's kind of like, sort of like what they tried to do with this, but to do that would put too much illumination on it already. And part of the fun, I think, well, yeah, be seeing how you respond to that stuff because I think there are a lot of ways to approach these movies.

Starting point is 00:19:23 There are visceral, you know, trope elements that are just fun for any horror fan, but there's also stuff that's, yeah, a lot more thoughtful and into the science fiction of it all. I feel like it's more accessible for more, as compared to the last one. which I know that the execution of how that movie is handled both structurally and camera-wise was really divisive for a lot of people. This, I think, is a lot more traditional in the way you can access this. So in some ways, that might be considered a hindrance to some people because of the fact that it's not as like cinematically different. It's not all shot on iPhones or DV cameras or something like that.

Starting point is 00:20:01 But the visual just quality that they imbue it with does at least match. Yeah, matches and it carries out. It doesn't feel like I'm watching a completely different movie. And it doesn't feel like Nia da Costa is solely trying to emulate Danny Boyle either, even though there's some moments where, you know, like, that's what they're kind of going for because of how they capture intensity in certain, like, violent action moments. But yeah, I had a really good time with this one. I thought it was pretty great.

Starting point is 00:20:28 And it's really cool to get a chapter two that is very, very different to the last one. And it's one of the more unique zombie franchises out there. and yeah, I thought it was pretty great. Yeah, I like these movies increasingly. This is exactly my kind of weird, thoughtful, visceral, and otherwise. So I just hope they get to make the next one because I'm in heaven here. But what do you guys think? Leave us your thoughts on 28 years later.

Starting point is 00:20:53 The Bone Temple! Are you going to petition for Part 3? Leave us a comment and we'll catch you next time.

The Reel Rejects - Hot Damn... We Just Watched 28 YEARS LATER: THE BONE TEMPLE!! Out Of Theater Reaction

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