Review of Doomsday (2008) by Lindsay G — 27 Oct 2010

In the end I didn't think that this was that bad at all. At the very least Marshall has to be given props for just getting out there and making British films as ambitious as this one is. I mean he does go all fucking out. Now I know there's not a stitch of originality here - but I don't think that Marshall would deny that. Basically he just wanted to make one of 'those' movies, and that's exactly what he did - And at times he actually did it pretty well. The bits with the cyber punks are pulled off nicely and that on the road climax is pretty fucking cool - the movie also has a nice 'Let's just do it' attitude to the violence - as in 'We're making one of these movies, so let's fucking do it properly.'.

It ain't all great though. The script is basically a mess. The set up and the idea is good, but the execution is not. The whole business about there being two waring factions within the Infected Zone is never delved into and is basically just an excuse to include the both Cyber Punks and Medieval Knights in the same world. And while the idea of a completely cut off society, under the rule of one loan nut adopting and developing this culture is a nice one - it doesn't really work. In fact this section is where the whole thing really starts to come off the rails. Marshal would have done better to just keep it simple and let go of that side of things.

It's also sometimes difficult to swallow some particularly American style speak, which is right at home in this type of setting, when it's coming from distinctly British mouths.

Not great but I think it deserves a better wrap than it gets.