Doomsday (2008)

A futuristic action thriller where a team of people work to prevent a disaster threatening the future of the human race.

Director:

Neil Marshall

Writer:

Neil Marshall

Stars:

Rhona Mitra, Bob Hoskins, Alexander Siddig

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Caryn Peterson	...	Vagrant Girl
Adeola Ariyo	...	Nurse
Emma Cleasby	...	Katherine Sinclair
Christine Tomlinson	...	Young Eden Sinclair
Vernon Willemse	...	David / Gimp
Paul Hyett	...	Hot Dog Victim
Daniel Read	...	Sergeant #1
Karl Thaning	...	Pilot
Stephen Hughes	...	Soldier #1 / Johnson
Jason Cope	...	Wall Guard
Ryan Kruger	...	Soldier
Nathan Wheatley	...	Patient 'X'
Cecil Carter	...	DDS Assault Trooper
Jeremy Crutchley	...	Richter
Rhona Mitra	...	Eden Sinclair

Storyline

A lethal virus spreads throughout Scotland, infecting millions and killing hundreds of thousands. To contain the threat, acting authorities brutally quarantine the country as it succumbs to fear and chaos. The quarantine is successful. Three decades later, the Reaper virus violently resurfaces in London. An elite group of specialists, including Eden Sinclair, is urgently dispatched into Scotland to retrieve a cure by any means necessary. Shut off from the rest of the world, the unit must battle through a landscape that has become a waking nightmare.

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Plot Keywords:

virus | wall | quarantine | britain | contagion | 

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Taglines:

The End Is Nigh.

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Genres:

Action | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong bloody violence, language and some sexual content/nudity

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [Japan]

Country:

UK USA South Africa Germany

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 March 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

Sudnji dan

Filming Locations:

Scotland, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$30,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$4,926,565, 16 March 2008, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$10,955,425, 6 April 2008

Company Credits

Production Co:

Rogue Pictures, Intrepid Pictures, Crystal Sky Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min (uncut)

Sound Mix:

DTS-ES Dolby Digital EX

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Since some of the filming took place in South Africa, the registration numbers on the helicopters read "ZS-...". While the helicopter used to pick Eden at the end of the movie wears this registration visibly on its tail, the helicopter on which Eden flies from London to the quarantine zone discretely wears it on its belly while showing a fictive number on its sides.

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Goofs

In the top secret satellite photos we see only few lonely people but when the crew arrives at the city they encounter hordes and hordes of "punks". However, the satellite photos are said to be from 3 years previous, the gangs may not have been as prominent as they are at the time period in the film.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Kane: Like so many epidemics before, the loss of so many lives began with a single microscopic organism. It's human nature to seek even the smallest comfort in reason, or logic for events as catastrophic as these. But a virus doesn't choose a time or place. It doesn't hate or even care. It just happens.

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Alternate Versions

German DVD release is heavily censored for violence. Approximately six minutes of footage were removed to secure a "Not under 18" rating from the FSK.

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Connections

References The Warriors (1979)

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Soundtracks

Dog Eat Dog
Written by Adam Ant and Marco Pirroni
Performed by Adam and the Ants
Courtesy of Epic Records and Sony BMG Music Entertainment (UK) Ltd.
by arrangement with Sony BMG Music Entertainment

User Reviews

A fun but deliberately dumb movie with nothing original

Like Greg Mclean, director of "Wolf Creek" and another great white hope for the horror genre, Neil Marshall followed a very promising horror flick with a deliberately trashy project. Where Mclean directed his attention to a murderous crocodile, Marshall took a bow to two of his favorite movies, "Escape From New York" and "Mad Max". "Doomsday" is not just influenced by those two movies, it's practically a mash-up with the female heroine from "Underworld" thrown-in. So, the first thing you should forget about when you pop in this movie is originality. Marshall makes no excuses for paying homage to his heroes George Miller and John Carpenter (hell, he even named two characters in this movie after them).

Like "Escape From New York" and "Mad Max", "Doomsday" demands a lot of suspension of disbelief to be enjoyable. However, maybe sci-fi flicks could get away with more stupidity in the 80's or maybe Marshall's movie is just extra dumb. Sometimes it seems like the director wasn't even trying to fill plot holes or avoid laughable action scenes. If you're looking out for mistakes in "Doomsday", you'll find plenty to complain about.

So, no, this isn't the high profile follow up one would have wished for after the dense, claustrophobic "The Descent". On the other hand, "Doomsday" doesn't fail to entertain. It's fast paced and charmingly old fashioned. Who else dares to come up with a post-apocalyptic world in which punks and knights rule the country in this day and age? Marshall's love for the project is somehow transmitted to the viewer and actually gives you a very pleasant feeling.

If you're able and willing to turn off your brain, "Doomsday" can be a very entertaining, old-fashioned action movie. It may not be a masterpiece or even a good movie, but it can definitely be seen as a fun little interlude by a director that must not be written off just yet.