The MoFo Movie Club Discussion - Doomsday

Tools    





The People's Republic of Clogher
I'm wondering what the great MoFo populace think of Neil Marshall's films in general.

The genre in which he operates isn't one of my favourites, in fact I actively avoid most offerings from the box tentatively marked 'Horror' but I enjoy Marshall's stuff. Maybe it's because he doesn't take himself too seriously; maybe it's because he makes films look like they cost 10 times as much as they actually did - Listening to the commentary I found out that 90% of Doomsday was filmed in Cape Town, with a few gratuitous Scottish Highland shots thrown in, probably to save money. I know that Dog Soldiers was filmed in Eastern Europe and am pretty sure The Descent got made somewhere you wouldn't normally associate with a movie industry.

Maybe it's because he's just darned good at what he does and I'll put my prejudices aside for 90 minutes. I dunno.

Views? I want 'em!
__________________
"Critics are like eunuchs in a harem; they know how the Tatty 100 is done, they've seen it done every day, but they're unable to do it themselves." - Brendan Behan



I'm wondering what the great MoFo populace think of Neil Marshall's films in general.
Good topic, and perhaps a bit more interesting than the movie itself. To be honest I don't really think he's a brilliant guy or anything. I just happen to love the types of flicks he puts out. Dog Soldiers was a pleasant surprise to a genre that really hasn't had many success stories. Vampires it seems get all the girls and Werewolves are left out in the proverbial cold.

The genre in which he operates isn't one of my favourites, in fact I actively avoid most offerings from the box tentatively marked 'Horror' but I enjoy Marshall's stuff. Maybe it's because he doesn't take himself too seriously; maybe it's because he makes films look like they cost 10 times as much as they actually did - Listening to the commentary I found out that 90% of Doomsday was filmed in Cape Town, with a few gratuitous Scottish Highland shots thrown in, probably to save money. I know that Dog Soldiers was filmed in Eastern Europe and am pretty sure The Descent got made somewhere you wouldn't normally associate with a movie industry.

Maybe it's because he's just darned good at what he does and I'll put my prejudices aside for 90 minutes. I dunno.

Views? I want 'em!
Yeah, I can agree with all of that, and I'm one of those that think Doomsday is his best film to date. The idea that this time he went over some kind of invisible line by stealing to many things from several crappy 80's movies is totally laughable to me. If I wasn't so inherently lazy I could do a little research and name off probably a dozen or so movies that he ripped off in his first two endeavors as well. The difference with Marshall is he does it with style and he does it with a sense of nostalgia and (I think) respect for the films that he is stealing from. His first two flicks were pretty good. They weren't brilliant; they were as you say Tatty; Not to be taken seriously and they looked a lot better than what they actually cost. Especially Dog Soldiers. Dog Soldiers is a good example of what I'm trying to say really, he has a little line in there when one of the Soldiers exclaims: "There is no Spoon!". Anyone who has seen The Matrix has heard that exact line before. Now obviously this is not only a steal but its also very clever is it not?

There are a few things I look for when a director is stealing stuff from other guys, does he appear to love the genre and the source material or is he just a jack hat who is taking what he needs to make a sh*t movie. Its an important question because everyone does it. So I feel its a pretty good thing to know or at least think about. In Marshall's case I have thought about it and I've come to the conclusion that he not only loves the 80's genre he is ripping off but he is also paying a heavy tribute to it. Good for him. Sadly not everyone gets that, I think I do though and I can't wait for his next flick.
__________________
We are both the source of the problem and the solution, yet we do not see ourselves in this light...



The People's Republic of Clogher
I think there are parallels to this in Danny Boyle's Sunshine.

Ok, I think Sunshine is an immeasurably better film but DB himself said that there was no way he could make a movie with that particular subject matter and not tread on the toes of some established classics. He chose not to be coy about his reference points and I think a great film resulted.

I think a big plus point for Doomsday is that it doesn't try to be post modern and clever about the approach to its influences. I suspect it was more a case of "Hey, those punks in Mad Max were brilliant - lets have them in our movie!"

Not every director can pull this off.



I love how united we are all are in meh-ness for this film. Seems everyone admits it's kinda fun, and kind of a mess, and the ratings range from around
to around
depending on how much the insanity amused us.



Well, since this got bumped think i'll chime in since missed this one at the start.

To start with, i think the reason many Brits have a distaste for this film was that Neil Marshall showed a lot of promise with fresh and original horror films. Dog Soldiers is one of my favourite films, with frantic action and horror and splicing of humour. It's probably most fun since Evil Dead 2. Then Descent was a highly polished nerve-racking horror with a brilliant oozing atmosphere. His ascent into a Brit horror auteur seemed quite natural so it was disappointing when he gives us an un-original mish-mash film that comes off as a fan boy director trying to combine all his films into one more for a personal result then for audiences pleasure.

As for the film, it's enjoyable as Marshall has a load of talent for directing but it's the uneasy juxtapositions of multiple cult films that let it down. It's almost episodic in how it jumps from the scene to another without much logic united each reference point. The medieval bit was when i lost hope for it and then in the road race when those crapped up cars managed to keep up with her sports car, you what? The casts performances were uniformly good although it seemed like many were phoning them in. There was obviously a lot of love put into the film but what could have been a good post-modern b-movie was hampered by Marshall having one hand in his pants most the time. With a little more thought, they could have easily incorporated smaller nods to the films instead of overblown in your face homage. I recently watched Waxwork 2 which is similar in that it something of a bricolage, only it avoids subtlety and just has fun repeated classic scenarios. I think, while Doomsday doesn't really hide it's borrowings from other films, it doesn't use them in an intelligent way or have enough fun with them past building up a narrative.
__________________




The People's Republic of Clogher
There was obviously a lot of love put into the film but what could have been a good post-modern b-movie was hampered by Marshall having one hand in his pants most the time.
Quite possibly the post of the year.



Welcome to the human race...
Considering how active he was in the last few Movie Club discussions, I would love to hear Rufnek's opinions on Doomsday. Granted, post-apocalyptic Scotland is a far cry from his preferred genre of "American period piece" (which is a description that can be applied to the last few movies in the club, now that I think about it...).

I'm being serious - Rufnek, watch Doomsday. Give us a really fresh perspective.
__________________
I really just want you all angry and confused the whole time.
Iro's Top 100 Movies v3.0



Lost in never never land
I actually liked this film quite well. I thought it was a good homage to a lot of the cult classic films. I do agree, it might be his weakest film, but it was still a strong offering and I liked it a lot. Films that pay homage are very interesting in my opinion, and this one just goes a little bit crazy from point to point in everything that it brings together, but it was still a very good time.
__________________
"As I was walking up the stair,
I met a man who wasn't there.
He wasn't there again today,
I wish, I wish he'd go away."
-From Identity



I thought it was okay. Definitly liked the chick and the dude from A Clockwork Orange.It also reminded me of Mad Max.Maybe they should have put Mel Gibson in it to make it a better movie,maybe it would have resurrected his career also!!!!!!Probaly not!!!!!!



\m/ Fade To Black \m/
This film was ok it wasnt awesome but I liked the idea of if there is a problem build a massive wall around it lol
__________________
~In the event of a Zombie Uprising, remember to sever the head or destroy the brain!~



The People's Republic of Clogher
I hope everyone's not too stuffed on mince pies and 3 day old turkey to participate but there'll be a new Movie Club poll coming in the next couple of days.



not a great film , and to be honest everyone thought it was going to be the UK version of mad max. How could it ever be ffs we only started doing zombie flicks with 28 days later.



Will your system be alright, when you dream of home tonight?
not a great film , and to be honest everyone thought it was going to be the UK version of mad max. How could it ever be ffs we only started doing zombie flicks with 28 days later.
wha? There were tons of zombie films before 28 Days Later...
__________________
I used to be addicted to crystal meth, now I'm just addicted to Breaking Bad.
Originally Posted by Yoda
If I were buying a laser gun I'd definitely take the XF-3800 before I took the "Pew Pew Pew Fun Gun."



The People's Republic of Clogher
Well, there were those 100s of Hammer Horror films (and more introspective stuff like Quatermass) but probably no Zombie films per se, unless I've missed some.

We didn't need celluloid zombies over here anyway - Thatcher saw to it that there were 4 million unemployed souls in Britain...

New poll up very soon, by the way. I just need to run some things by my Sargent Major.



Registered User
i loved doomsday for its action and rhona mitra who is second to Milla Jovovich in the category for best horror heroine



Registered User
Great film. Never get bored of watching it and i think it will definatly go on to be a cult classic. Also you've got to love the sound track. Who cares if it shares comparisons to other films, i dont. Personally i watch movies for entertainment, so if its a popcorn film so much the better, just leave your brain at the door and watch it for what it is. An apocalyptic road movie with a twist.