Most of us know that 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is the second part in a planned trilogy. So, that it ends with a surprising tease of what’s to come is to be expected. What’s less expected, however, is that final tease is by far the least interesting thing the sequel leaves on the table for the future of the franchise. So let’s talk about the film’s “surprise” ending and what it and other revelations mean moving ahead.
The big reveal, of course, is what franchise creators Alex Garland and Danny Boyle told everyone months ago: Oscar winner Cillian Murphy is back as Jim. The franchise’s first main character was last seen in 2002’s 28 Days Later, fleeing to a remote cottage to survive the outbreak. Well, now, 28 years later, he’s got a daughter and is teaching her about history. Specifically, they’re talking about European history and a famous quote from Winston Churchill: “Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” The conversation is ripe with subtext regarding the state of the world in the film and how it’s being handled. But, before they can get into it, they hear something outside. It’s Spike (Alfie Williams) and Erin Kellyman’s character being chased by zombies. And Jim and his daughter decide they’re going to help.
This is exciting for several reasons. One, we’re curious about what Jim has been doing all this time. What happened to 28 Days Later characters Selena and Hannah? Is this one of their daughters? How did he survive all the time? But also, we know that once Jim saves Spike, Spike has the knowledge of the secluded, safe island he came from. Will everyone go there? Does Jim have bigger plans? Clearly, this is the big, final merging of the story that everything has been working towards.
However, as cool as it is for Jim to be back, there’s something much bigger that none of those characters know about. The late Dr. Kelson (RIP) was, in fact, able to somehow cure the alpha zombie Samson. Kelson gave Samson some drugs, and we saw him not only return to a familiar place from his past but also seemingly become so human for a moment that other zombies attacked him. He did get bitten several times in the attack but, apparently, is okay.
We know that because in Kelson’s dying moments, Samson returns to the Bone Temple and thanks him. Yes, he speaks clearly, which was what Kelson was always working towards. However, this isn’t a cut-and-dry cure. In Samson’s final appearance, we get a brief tease of him getting ready to eat Jimmy. The assumption is that he’s sort of cured, but sort of not. He’s some kind of hybrid, which is where things get really interesting.
Is Samson going to stay human now? Does he still need to eat people to survive? Is there any way for him to go back to his previous state? And, even if can remain at least partially human, will he be able to recreate the mix of drugs Kelson gave him? We assume Kelson wrote that down somewhere.
Those are the biggest questions going into the third and final film in the 28 Years Later trilogy. It’s not what’s happening with Cillian Murphy’s or Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s characters. It’s not what Spike is going to do next. It’s this: will humanity find a way to effectively eradicate this infection? We think there has to be at least a glimmer of hope by the time the next film ends. If not, why introduce that in the first place?
What did you think about the ending of 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple? What do you think is coming next? Let us know below.
