Doomsday
 

Now this is why I go to the movie house. Are you like me? Do you like violence? Do you like Cannibalism? Do you love the trend of the past 15 years or so of casting a rather sexy and fit woman as the action icon in a movie that if made 20 years ago it would have been either Arnie or Sly? Well, obviously I do. There really aren't too many action hero's anymore but there are a lot of women that are more than willing to give it a shot. I say God bless them.

Now then, this film (which was an absolute blast to watch) has a lot going for it. First off of course there is Ms. Rhona Mitra if you don't know who she is, Google her. Trust me she's worth it. The rest of the cast was also quite good as well. They pulled in a couple of slouches named Hoskins and McDowell for a couple of the smaller supporting roles and one of my newer favorites from a very good T.V. series called Hustle; Adrian Lester. And really that's a good example of how you're going to make a movie that's been done a thousand times not only watchable but entertaining to boot. You also need to have a decent Director which this does, Neil Marshall also brought us the rather entertaining movie The Descent. If you like Escape From New York, Highlander and The Road Warrior then I believe you're in for a treat.


Now obviously this is just an action movie, but I say its a good one. It has some great gore (including a BBQ and who doesn't love BBQ) and terrific action sequences and also a lot of throwback type characters that I grew to love during the 80's and 90's. Here's the general synopsis of the film if you don't know anything about it.

Doomsday takes place three decades after a lethal virus called the Reaper nearly wipes out Scotland and causes the rest of the world to wall off the country. When the Reaper virus begins to emerge in England 25 years later, an elite team and their leader (Rhona Mitra) are sent to the contaminated landscape of Scotland to find a cure. However, what they don't count on is that some people in Scotland were able to survive the Reaper, and have set up their own society in the ruins of Scotland, and are determined to kill anybody who dares set foot inside of their home.

There are no "Zombies" and this flick is nothing like 28 Days Later or any other Zombie type film. I only mention that because I've already seen several people around the web labeling this as a "Zombie" movie. It isn't. Anyway I hope you go check it out if you dare because I say its still Ok to like a good action flick. Especially one that features a song from The Fine Young Cannibals and here's to hoping that like me, you crack a big smile when the song starts up.

Re: Doomsday
 

Thanks, looking forward to another Marshall film.

Re: Doomsday
 

Thanks for the review, now I definitely am going to have to catch that in theaters.

Re: Doomsday
 

I liked the movie but that was because I didn't take it seriously at all (I had a couple drinks before going, jagerbombs ftw!)... it started off good but then really started to go downhill, it became really stupid about half way through after they take the train... I just didn't buy that rest of the movie from there on

Re: Doomsday
 

Can't wait to see it when it hits the UK, I luv Neil Marshall and his movies.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

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i feel bad to say this but i cant find a good copy of this movie but i have seen bits of it i am waiting to catch a better version.. i really liked what i saw...about 30 minutes worth

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Hey Powdered Water, I just saw it, great movie (review later) but do you mind explaining the ending?

Re: Doomsday
 

I like Marshall quite a bit, so I will probably give this a go when I get a chance.

Re: Doomsday
 

Hmmm personally I think the film is garbage, watch it and spot all the scenes directly copied from 80's flicks. The computer graphic map of Britain is particularly infuriating. I'm surprised John Carpenter didn't sue.

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Sure, don't you think so too?

Re: Doomsday
 

Re: Doomsday
 

I think you took this flick far too seriously and may have missed the whole point, but to each their own.


Ok, a quick Clan of the Cave Bear 101 for you, whenever some one challenges the leader of a tribe and beats the existing leader they in turn become the leader, dig?

As for the other part... what did you think?

Re: Doomsday
 

Well they did have the video that sinclair took on a news network and he didn't seem too happy, but I didn't catch much of what he said (damn accents!)

Re: Doomsday
 

It sounds awsome just my cuppa tea, awsome will be looking out for this def!

Re: Doomsday
 

Beeing as the movie, in part, is a homage to the post-apocalytic movies of the 80's, i don't se this as a drawback. This is what sets this movie apart for the "thirteen on the dozen" action flicks of late.

The movie is in no part a master piece, but it's an entertaining enough braindead popcorn flick.

Re: Doomsday
 

Yet another film that deals with a virus that kills humanity, well, actually it's just Scotland. A wall is built around the island to contain the virus. Years later it is discovered that there are still people alive within the walls. Thinking there is a cure, a team goes back to retrieve it.

I've been fan of Marshall since Dog Soldiers. He manges to take an old and tired genre and create something new and exciting out of it. He continue this with The Descent. That film turned out to be one of the scariest films of recent years. Now Marshall has a bigger budget and a more ambitious project. Doomsday is Marshall throwback to cheesy 80's action films. So much that the film itself doesn't feel original at all. Well, it isn't, but it is sure as hell a fun entertaining ride.

Doomsday basically takes all the ingredients from campy action films and throws it in a blender. The two most obvious influences are Mad Max and Escape From New York. The lead character even has an eye patch to boot. You can call it a rip-of or a homage, either way it is a fun film. You really can't take anything seriously, you just sit back and enjoy the popcorn film as it is. If you do this, I guarantee you'll have a good time.

The lead actress, who looks almost exactly like Selena from the Underworld films, plays our heroine. Just the right amount of tough stuff needed to get through this journey. In a list of badass female heroes, Rhona Mitra's Sinclair would make the list. Along side characters like Ellen Ripley and Betrix Kiddo. The acting from the supporting characters, including one Bob Hoskins, and the lead herself are decent. The villains do a lot of screaming and looking freaky. A nod has to be given to the make-up and costume designs. Everyone looks like they are straight out of a Mad Max film, complete with custom made death vehicles and super hot tattoos. Well, at least on one female character, who gets way too little screen time.

The film manages to balance a wide variety of genre pretty well, including medieval times. While the castle and horses bit of the film is where it begins to lose some steam, it doesn't ruin the film. At first it may seem out of place, but then you realise that this is a new world that has been created an it fits nicely. The film goes between the Mad Max, medieval and virus spreading genres a few times and it may feel like you're watching completely different films, but that uniquely adds to the fun.

The film is quite gory, more so then I thought it would be. I should have expected it to be though, considering in Marshall's earlier films he has soldiers duct-taping their guts back into their stomaches. This gore adds a horror element to it. We aren't use to seeing all this blood and guts in films other then horror. It adds a another level of enjoyment to Doomsday. That' if you're into that sort of thing.

In my books, Marshall is 3/3, in terms of quality and entertainment. He's shown us he can scare us and entertain us. I had my doubts about this film, thinking the bigger budget would ruin Marshall's film-making style. I was wrong. It's Marshall's talent that makes Doomsday stick out from the other virus infected films and it's that talent that makes him a director to watch for the years to come.

I mean honestly, how many films can you see a decapitated head screaming while flying towards and hitting the camera???

Re: Doomsday
 

I LOVED this gory, lovely ride of a film! It completely surprised me. My girl picked it out at the rental place recently. I knew NOTHING about it.

I saw quite a few film influences in it, including Omega Man, Resident Evil Extinction, 28 Days and many more. To me, that only made it more fun!

It's not a perfect film but it has cult classic written all over it!