Movie Review: Doomsday

Doomsday (2008)

Dir. Neil Marshall

Following on from the success of Dog Soldiers and The Descent, Neil Marshall’s third feature is a more buffed-up, explosive affair. A concoction derived from Aliens, The Warriors, Mad Max and Escape from New York, the action dizzyingly swifts from a diseased-ridden futuristic London, to apocalyptic Scotland and then it's quickly off to the Medieval Highlands for some swordplay. Oh yeah, and then there's a mad car chase involving a brand-spankin' new Bentley. And a slightly modified bus.

Aesthetically, Doomsday is rich and multi-layered; it's interesting to see the many visions of a Dystopian society, particularly in direct contrast with each other. But this doesn't make for a smooth narrative -- the plot is jarring, and the rapid shift in settings (especially when it's in the same bloody Country!) leaves behind boulder-sized plot holes -- why the need to resort to cannibalism when there are so many bloody cows around?!

The plot in question concerns the deadly Reaper virus. Years ago, it lay waste to Scotland; with the threat running rampant, the simplest idea was to wall off the entire Country, keeping the 'infected' at bay with giant machine guns surrounding the perimeter -- an idea illustrated by horrible bunny death! Thirty years later, and the Reaper virus begins to creep back, striking in an overcrowded London. Through the use of satellite imagery, the Government learns that there are survivors in the grimy Scottish cities, meaning that there must also be a cure. Led by Major Eden Sinclair (Rhona Mitra), a team of soldiers and scientists are sent beyond the wall, hoping to track down Dr Kane (Malcolm McDowell), who may or may not have the cure.

After the Aliens style battle, where our heroes battle angry Glaswegians, it all goes a bit Mad Max when the leader, Sol (and son of Dr Kane) captures our team, treating them to a primitive can-can, complete with pole dancers before making with the cannibalism. The make-up of the marauders here is intriguing, if a tad unoriginal. They jump around, looking like a snarling, venomous version of that teenage-drama show, The Tribe. The big showdown exists in the slightly Lord of the Rings-esque Highlands and cultivates in a marvellous, if stupid car chase down a deserted motorway.

In terms of acting, Bob Hoskins and Malcolm McDowell add a touch of class to the fray. However, the burden lies on Rhona Mitra's shoulders as tough-as-old-boots Eden Sinclair. To put it mildly, she's no Linda Hamilton -- Mitra may be able to snarl out the odd swear word, and cart around a badass weapon, but she lacks charisma and remains ineffectual. The rest of the cast aren't much better, and ultimately, unlike the characters which populate the films Doomsday pays homage to, we don't really care about them.

Although Doomsday is an 80's homage/science fiction/fantasy hybrid, there's no shortage of gore -- heads are blown off, bodies are ran over, people are cooked alive -- blood is strewn across the screen in bucketfuls, even splattering against the camera in one particular fight with a solder and a Knight. Pretty soon our team's mission deteriorates into nothing but a primal game of survival. And that's just fine. The plot at this point is unimportant -- Doomsday may be inconsistent gobbledygook, but it's enjoyable gobbledygook. Just remember to leave your brain behind, and enjoy the bumpy ride.