Doomsday (Unrated Full Screen
Edition) starring Rhona Mitra, Bob
Hoskins, Alexander Siddig, Caryn
Peterson, Adeola Ariyo
Not Original But Great Anyway
Loud, violent, and proudly derivative, the post-apocalyptic action-thriller
Doomsday is the latest from UK cult director Neil Marshall, who impressed
horror fans with his previous efforts, Dog Soldiers and The Descent. Both
pictures established Mar shall as a director with a knack for reinventing
well-worn genre pictures, but here, he seems more interested in stitching
together favorite scenes and elements from established horror and
science-fiction films. Escape from New York is the main source for
Doomsday, though there are plenty of nods to The Road Warrior and its
multitude of Italian-made carbon copies, as well as the zombie/plague
subgenre; the lovely but impassive Rhona Mitra is the Snake Plissken-
esque loner sent by police (represented by Bob Hoskins) to infiltrate
Scotland, which has descended into anarchy following a viral outbreak.
The disease has surfaced in London (now a walled city), and Mitra is
dispatched to find a scientist who may possess a cure. Marshalls vision of
Scotland in ruins brings together the punk/modern primitive costume
design of George Millers Mad Max trilogy with some eclectic homegrown
elements (knights on horseback defending a gang leaders castle), and
while these touches are novel, the picture as a whole should ring o verly
familiar to any viewer whos spent time in the exploitation trenches during
the past 25 years. Younger and less discerning audience members will
undoubtedly enjoy the plentiful violence and gore, as well as the unbridled
performances of the supporting cast, especially stuntwoman/actress Lee-
Ann Liebenberg as the heavily tattooed Viper. --Paul Gaita
Beyond Doomsday on DVD
More from Universal Studios
Doomsday on Blu-ray
More from Director Neil Marshall
Stills from Doomsday (Click for larger image)
Personal Review: Doomsday (Unrated Full Screen Edition)
starring Rhona Mitra, Bob Hoskins, Alexander Siddig, Caryn
Peterson, Adeola Ariyo
The plot is simple. Scotland has been walled off and forgotten for 20 years
due to some horrible disease (28 Days Later) London finds fresh infections
(Dawn of the Living Dead) A remnant of Scottish Survivors now live in a
tribal (Braveheart, the Warriors) scavenging (Mad Max)wasteland. A tough
female (Alien) is recruited by her fatherly dept of security boss and a
cynical white-collar beaurocrat (Rambo) to lead a team of special forces
(Predator) and scientists (the Thing)hoping to find a cure(Outbreak)or die
trying(James Bond) Throw in every time travel and Camelot movie since
the 70's for good measure. The strange thing is that all of it works
beautifully. Tarantino is far less diverse in what he steals. The violence
here has a point and purpose, twi sted as it can be. I don't understand all
the hate this movie receives. It's all harmless fun.
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