This article contains spoilers for “28 Years Later: The Temple of Bones.”
The “28” films haven’t had a consistent villain other than the Rage Virus dating back to the zombie classic that started it all, “28 Days Later.” Humanity, generally speaking, arguably poses the greatest threat. This has never been more true than in “28 Years Later: The Temple of Bones,” with Jack O’Connell’s Jimmy Crystal serving up a truly despicable villain. But are we done with him? Maybe. Maybe not.
We met Jimmy Crystal for the first time during last year’s crazy ending to “28 Years Later.” Jimmy and his gang saved Spike (Alfie Williams) from certain death at the hands of several infected. “The Bone Temple” finds Spike after his encounter with the Jimmys, which quickly turns into an ultra-violent nightmare from which he cannot escape. Meanwhile, Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) makes a discovery about the nature of the rabies virus through his work with Samson (Chi Lewis-Parry), which changes the nature of our understanding of those infected. These stories converge in the wild third act.
Jimmy and his gang, who are inspired by the famous British character Jimmy Savileare convinced by Mr. Crystal that Kelson is actually Satan, leading to a crazy climax. In the end, Spike goes after Jimmy Crystal and the last time we see him, he is crucified upside down and attacked by the infected. But we never see him turn around and we never see him torn apart. This leaves the door open for a possible return in the upcoming third film, one way or another. What happens in “The Bone Temple” sets the stage for this character’s return.
How Jimmy Crystal Could Return in the Third Movie 28 Years Later
“28 Years Later” Showed Us That Those Infected Run Deeper Than We Previously Thoughteven capable of starting a family. What we learn from Samson in this film is that the Rage virus is like any other virus: its symptoms can be treated. Once Samson is treated by Kelson, he regains his humanity.
If we reverse engineer this idea as it relates to Jimmy, even though he’s infected, could he retain some of his hatred for Spike and Jimmy Ink (Erin Kellyman)? Could this part of his humanity reside beneath his infected skin? Given Jimmy Crystal’s claim that he is literally the son of Satan in the film, the idea of his resurrection after being crucified would be thematically relevant.
The likelihood of a more literal resurrection seems out of bounds, but in light of the insanity of this movie, it would be hard to rule it out completely. More likely, any sort of comeback storyline for Jimmy Crystal would only strengthen his God-like evil complex. What if he could become an Alpha himself and command an army of infected? It’s a scary idea.
Cillian Murphy will finally return as Jim in the upcoming ’28 Years Later’ film, which is in preparation. We saw him briefly at the end of this episode, with Spike and Jimmy Ink heading to safety. It’s possible that worlds will collide in the third installment of this trilogy, with Jim coming face to face with a zombie version of Jimmy Crystal. It’s by no means certain that director Danny Boyle and screenwriter Alex Garland will bring him back, but it wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility with everything that’s been established.
“28 Years Later: The Temple of Bones” is currently in theaters.
