Review of Doomsday Book (2012) by Jonny X — 26 Apr 2013

Wildly uneven.

The three short films are only connected in the sense that they share a vague apocolyptic theme. The first is a zombie film that is, while decently inventive, spends a majority of the time building itself up as a romantic comedy (most the comedy falls flat) before devolving into pseudo-science that is utterly illogical. I don't need for zombies to make perfect sense, but so much time is spent on a build up that is quite simply ludicris.

The second film has the best idea and plays off like I Robot meets Blade Runner, yet honing in on the philosophical aspect. This short would be perfect, yet the lack of budget really brings the piece down. The robot is entirely a physical effect and at time is simply unconvincing. I wish they had the budget to throw some cg into the mix. The ending is not unexpected but it sure is shocking.

The last short is hilarious. Plain hilarious.

I recommend Doomsday book with reservations. Great ideas meet uneven delivery.