"Doomsday"

Seen on: March 16, 2008

The players: Director: Neil Marshall, Writer: Neil Marshall, Cast: Rhona Mitra, Bob Hoskins, Malcolm McDowell, Sean Pertwee

Facts of interest: George Miller’s “Mad Max 2” and John Carpenter’s “Escape from New York” are direct influences to this film. Director Neil Marshall even names two of his characters Miller and Carpenter.

The plot: After a deadly virus infects Scotland, the government is forced to block it off with a giant wall. Almost 30 years later, the mysterious virus suddenly emerges in England, prompting the prime minister to send an elite team of soldiers and doctors back to Scotland to find a cure.

Our quick thoughts: If you have ever owned a copy of “Escape from New York,” George A. Romero’s “Knightriders,” or Walter Hill’s “The Warriors,” then this is definitely your kind of movie. Packed with intense action and gore from start to finish, “Doomsday” keeps all cylinders going for 105 minutes. In the role of one-eyed femme fatale, lead actress Rhona Mitra delivers quite a convincing performance. I’m not really sure why Bob Hoskins or Malcolm McDowell would opt for this kind of movie, but their collective presence adds just about enough juice to the fun.

Neil Marshall throws us a screwball by going a little over the top after directing the brilliantly structured “The Descent.” But while “The Descent” was engrossing because of the wonderfully built tension and fear, “Doomsday” plays more like a thrash metal album. The survivors in Scotland, for instance, range from leather-clad punk cannibals to knights in full armor. The style and pace of the film also bring to mind Marshall’s “Dog Soldiers.”

Overall, the film is all about style. The dialogue is quite campy, several attempts at humor fall flat and the choices of killings throughout the film are questionable. The main story line about the virus vanishes early on in the movie, only to be resurrected at the end. Anyone looking for a serious film should definitely look elsewhere.

Freaky quote: “If you’re hungry, here is a piece of your friend.”- Craig Conway

The final word: “Doomsday” screens like an authentic early ‘80s action film, so it could gain a cult following. Too bad the film runs low on depth and high on explosive action. The set designs and action sequences are compelling enough to keep viewers entertained, but some scenes eventually verge on rip-off. I suggest you wait for this one to hit the DVD shelves.