Doomsday

A lethal virus has hit the UK (we just can't get a break, can we?) and the Government has taken the drastic measures of quarantining the infected by shutting off Scotland and part of the North of England and simply leaving it to die. In terms of those outside of the quarantine zone the measures are successful – or at least it appears this way for several decades, until the virus again manifests itself in a major city. With evidence of survivors inside the quarantine zone, the authorities realise that some form of cure must have been found and dispatch a military unit led by Major Eden Sinclair, to retrieve it.

I can totally understand the bad reviews for this film and why generally it was not that well received but I think a lot of professional critics forgot that all Neil Marshall was doing was what plenty of Hollywood blockbusters have been doing for quite some time – eschewing logic in favour of pace, action and spectacle. This is what Doomsday essentially comes down to – a hope that the film will be sufficiently action-packed and entertaining that the majority of viewers will overlook or simply not care about the sheer disregard for logic or content. Those that like this film will generally have been won over by this approach, while those that do not will no doubt pick the film up for the very things that it deliberately omits as part of this gamble. This is not me praising or the attacking the film - this is just me observing it for what it seems to be.

It certainly is not a sci-fi rooted in reality, even if that is what the rather dry and serious opening section suggests it is going to be. It doesn't suddenly become something different though, it is a gradual drift into action silliness that starts with moments like Aliens, crosses into Mad Max 2, then into a world of swords and castles then finally into Mad Max 3: Beyond Thunderdome. The uneven tone is a problem and it does make for a strange film that never seems sure of what it is or what it is trying to do. The main thing it appears to be going for is sheer entertainment value and, in this regard, Marshall gets close to his target but just not close enough. At times it is wonderfully silly with great action sequences that throw everything at the screen except logic. These scenes do entertain and do prevent one worrying too much about the logic of a Bentley flying down a highway in a Scottish wasteland (for example) but the film generally doesn't manage to do this across the entire film.

The swords/castle section is part of this problem, as this feels too dry and out of place to really work. Another factor is the violence. OK, I'm not a gore fan at the best of times but I'm not totally against it either. Here there are plenty of gory effects but they do rather detract from the entertainment value of the film by being a bit off-putting in just how graphic and frequent they are. This aspect is also part of the product that contributes to the uneven tone and content. The cast also struggle a little with the uneven tone but mostly they do good work – albeit fairing best when the film gets into "balls-out action" stuff in the latter stages. Mitra deserves a lot of credit for her turn and it is a shame that Doomsday will not boost her career as much as she deserves. It is not that she delivers a great character, but that, as an action heroine she does all that is required by being sexy, strong, dark, fearless and attractive, and in doing it she drives the film and makes it work in a way that it may not have done without her. Alongside her the rest of the cast do not have as much to offer but are all OK. Hoskins, Lester, O'Hara, Pertwee, McDowell and others all do what is required of them – good enough but not great.

Doomsday is a strange film, which wears the reasons for its relative failure all over its running time. It is uneven, illogical and rather silly, with Marshall's gamble just not paying off sufficiently. Having said that though, the film does at times hit the spot with large action sequences and great pace/energy/style and there is enough to entertain if you are in the mood and willing to forgive it its weaknesses.

This thunderous picture begins in Great Britain, 2007 . A deadly virus spreads causing hundreds of thousands infecting . The government evacuates people and builds an impregnable wall along with the Wall of Adriano, impeding the access . London, 2035 recent time, the reaper virus breaks out again. Then , various authorities, P.M (Alexander Siddig) and Canaris(David O'Hara)decide to send a specialists team. Nelson(Bob Hoskins) assigns the dangerous mission to Major Eden (Rhona Mitra). She along with a crack group (Adrian Lester, Sean Petwee, among others)are urgently dispatched into quarantined Scotland to meet Doctor Kane (Malcolm McDowell)who allegedly has a cure. In the near-future Glascow city, they'll have to fight against cutthroats, a band of depraved crazies thirsty for blood and survive some battles to-the-death.

This exciting movie is packed with noisy action, unbelievable car stunts, tension, thrills, chills, and lots of blood and gore, including throating-slit ,beheading, impaling and cannibalism. The story is a blend of classic Sci-Fi movies as ¨Escape from N.Y.¨, ¨27 Days/Weeks later¨ and of course ¨Mad Max¨, taking parts here and there. Thrilling musical score fitting to action by Tyler Bates. Colorful cinematography reflecting splendidly the Scotland outdoors in which resides the Doctor Kane and where he has built a medieval world. The motion picture is well directed by Neal Marshall (Descent, Dog soldiers) but with no originally because he has copied previous films. This remarkable action film appeal to science fiction buffs

A deadly virus of unknown origin has spread rapidly through Glasgow, Scotland, killing its victims rapidly. The British government has built a 12 foot steel wall the whole length of the Scottish/English Border in super quick time, so that nobody can get in or out and so the Scots can rot away to their hearts content. 20 years later in London and there is another outbreak and so the government is forced to act, they know that there are still survivors beyond the wall and so they send a crack team of experts in, to find out if they possibly have immunity and to find the mysterious Dr Kane a scientist they believe might have been working on a cure. The leader of this expedition is Maj. Eden Sinclair, a one eyed woman who as a child had been saved by soldiers at the last moment before the wall closed for the last time. her motives are to see her family home and perhaps find her mother.

Like all films by Neil Marshall this latest effort came with a great air of expectancy, so does it deliver?…well it does and it doesn't. Its an apocalyptic tale along the lines of 28 days Later, but it soon spreads its wings and delves into many genres and plucks with its plagiaristic fingers ideas at will from many films. The overall feel of the film is a hotch potch of ideas, one gets the notion that Marshall doesn't have an original idea of his own at all. What is it about the future, that when all law and order has gone and people are struggling to live, find food and drink, some shelter not to mention avoiding a deadly virus etc…rational thoughts desert them and the first thing they want to do is build a car or a hotrod motorcycle with skulls on it?….well I'll tell you why, because they need transport to the local Cyber Punk Hair Salon, where they all queue for hours with photographs of their favourite member of Sigue Sigue Sputnik and discuss the merits of Adam Ant's Kings of the Wild Frontier, where they also tell the stylist "I want a Mohican like that...oh and could I have it in bright pink please? damn all out of bright pink, How about luminous aquamarine or cerise? Not only that, but they also live in Glasgow, I don't know if any of you have been to Glasgow, I have many times and its Effing freezing, so why do they all the men go around bear chested and all the ladies wear leather bikinis or less? Maybe its because they are at war with the devilish Dr Kane, who lives in a big Castle, where all the men wear suits of armour and all the ladies have wee lace bonnets and dress like old hags? One thing about a deadly virus it always gives people bad dress sense.

Marshall has made his own bed here and must take responsibility for a lack of imagination, I believe he has stated he wanted this one to be "for the fans", so they could "guess the films he was homaging", but it can't take away from the fact that he has single handedly stolen ideas from Mad Max, Escape from New York, 28 days later, Ivanhoe, Gladiator, Indiana Jones and a host of other genre films. So enough of the good things and on to the bad, oh I mean good, Well the film wastes no time in getting going and it goes along at a fair old pace, so fast you don't always have time to turn your eyes to heaven and tut. The special effects are really good, as are the fight scenes and the driving/chase scenes, the acting is a little stilted though, (ooops I'm back on the negatives again...oh well) the dialogue doesn't fare much better. From my comments you might think I hated this film....I didn't, I don't know why but somehow against my better judgement, I actually enjoyed it, its escapism and fantasy on another level, its not great by any means but if you want a mindless entertainment for a couple of hours, this one fit's the bill. 6/10

OK, I'm not claiming its good but it is serious fun. It is basically a mix of the Mad Max films in Scotland but also throw in some scenes from 28 Days Later, Resident Evil, LOTR and Braveheart.

If you can imagine that then you'll have a pretty good idea what to expect - no, I didn't think you could.

It does just massively rip off all the above but as I said, I'm not claiming its good, just a lot of fun.

Added bonus is the great music choices which just add to the fun - "Good Tning" by FYC when the main lunatic introduces himself to the crowd and "Two Tribes" by Frankie Goes To Hollywood for the big car chase.

Not gonna win an Oscar but a hell of a ride.

If you enjoyed 28 Days Later, Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome and Gladiator, this might be the film for you. Writer and Director Neil Marshall (Dog Soldiers, The Descent) an obvious student of genre movies, has managed to smoothly craft together a cinematic Frankenstein's monster of sci-fi action clichés. Gratuitous blood geysers? Check. Insane, post-apocalyptic punks? Check. Buff, beautiful, uber-bad-ass heroine that can kill without a moment's hesitation but still possesses superior morals to those that command her? Check. Ego-maniacal bad guy played by Malcolm McDowell? Check. Ticking clock to doomsday? Check. Marshall has skillfully engineered what is truly an homage to the genre movie and an action buffet for moviegoers with appropriate kitsch and over-the-topness without lowering himself to the realm of spoof. If you're looking for high cinema don't look here, but if you're looking for excitement, humor and an overall really good time, Doomsday will certainly fit the bill.