Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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33 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Adrenaline fuelled nonsense which is rather entertaining, 13 Jun 2008
An outbreak of the reaper virus in 2008 causes a pandemic in Britain, in an attempt to quell the disease from rapidly spiralling out of control the government quarantine the hot zone located in Scotland leaving the infected to meet their fate. many years later the virus resurfaces in London desperate to find a cure the government send a special ops team into the site of original infection where signs of life have been uncovered, upon arrival the team become tangled up with two warring tribes. pursued the team attempt to locate a cure and get out without getting cooked.
Neil Marshall's follow up film while entertaining ends up falling short of the mark the Descent was a tense serious claustrophobic horror which was eerily effective an Dog soldiers struck a perfect balance between horror and dark humour, which doomsday fails to master as quite as well.
The film at time fails to find its own identity clear connections can be seen between such films as 28 days later, Mad max, Escape from new york etc. because of this the film jumps around going different directions and at times cant seem to decide what it wants to be.
Regardless of this what makes the film so entertaining is its ludicrously over the top actions set pieces which when they kick into gear they are a visceral gory treat for action fans, directed an edited well these scenes are adrenaline fuelled and plentiful in supply the movie boils down to disposable action flick this will satisfy the needs of any action junkie and is well worth a look but don't expect any more than throwaway entertainment.
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12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great fun!, 12 Sep 2008
I dare you to try and fit Doomsday into a specific genre.
Basically, the world has gone to pot. Doomsday tells the story of a group of 'freedom-fighters', who cross 'the wall' to try and retrieve a cure for the deadly infection that's come back after wiping out half the planet 25 years ago.
After directing claustrophobic, low-budget horror films such as Dog Soldiers and The Descent, Neil Marshal has suddenly gone for an epic, apocalyptic 'action' film... And you know what? It works.
After a slow start, the action kicks in... And doesn't stop! The final hour of Doomsday is an amazing, non-stop thrill ride: There's scene after scene after scene of action, violence, horror, chases, gore, music and most of all: Awesomeness! The incredible 10 minute car chase sequence at the end is one of the most exhilarating I've ever seen, and is worth the ticket price alone!
The reason why I've only given Doomsday 4 stars is because it doesn't flow. The story feels very clunky- which can sometimes result in it being disengaging and even quite confusing. All the different bits are good, but as a film as a whole, Doomsday doesn't quite work. Also, I didn't really think that Rhona Mitra was a strong enough lead to carry the film on her own.
Anyway, even though Doomsday doesn't quite live up to the trailer's epic promise, there's still loads to enjoy here. Neil Marshal has swapped high-class tension and shocks for high-budget chases and shoot-em-ups, and surprisingly, it makes for a great night in.
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18 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Fine Salute to the Golden Dawn of Video Rental, 24 Jul 2008
With Dog Soldiers Neil Marshall created a first - a British writer/director having a damned good crack at the US horror/thriller pick 'em off, Predator style movie, complete with great cheesy one-liners from the cast and done with a very British identity kept well intact. Those who didn't get it, on the whole I think, missed the point.
With Doomsday, Marshall's third feature length movie, I think people are in danger of missing the point again. After the brilliant, and far more serious, psychological horror The Descent, Neil Marshall has returned to the tone of DS, complete with the great one liners and a bit more money in the budget. When I watched this at the cinema I had a big grin on my face for most of the movie and just at the point when I feared that it may become a bit too much of a Mad Max/Escape from New York pastiche, the storyline shifted enough to put it into a different place and give Doomsday its own identity. The cast perform with exactly the right tone for the film - and yes I do include Bob Hoskins' slightly hammy deliveries - I think you can be sure that both the Director and the actors knew exactly what they were trying to achieve.
At the end of the day Doomsday is a slick modern take on a genre that harkens back to the days when your local video shop was keeping the Evil Dead and Driller Killer under the counter while out front the shelves were filled with titles like Deathrace 2000, Rollerball, and Hawk the Slayer. None of them Oscar contenders, but by God they were some entertaining B-Movies. Well, Doomsday would have happily sat out front (taking pride of place) with those films, if it were not for some fantastic little BBFC-bating gore moments that would have probably kept it out the back of the shop, to be rented out on the quiet. It also contains arguably the most outrageous chase sequences ever seen in a British film.
So, is this an Oscar contender? No.
Is this a movie of subtle storylines and performances and worthy artistic endeavor? No.
Is it a post apocalyptic roller-coaster ride of a movie to watch with your mates and a couple of beers while you are all entertained by some great lines, black humour and 'Oooh, that's gotta hurt!!!' action, well people yes it is.
You can lay on the sofa all day tomorrow and watch Citizen Kane or Lawrence of Arabia , tonight watch Doomsday.
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