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Doomsday
It's
true. Doomsday was not screened for the critics,
which 9 times out of 10 means that the filmmakers know the
critics will just tear it apart. But that's "normal"
critics. It's not a movie for the normal masses... this
is a movie for: Fanboys!
Let's get this part out of the way now: the biggest complaint
anyone can level against Doomsday (other than gratuitous
violence, but screw those pantywaists) is that the movie
is derivative. And it most certainly is. I counted about
five other movies that Doomsday blatantly rips
elements from -- 28 Days Later, Aliens, Road Warrrior,
Escape from New York, and Cutthroat Island.
Okay, maybe not that last one, but there's probably a half
dozen more that I can't even name. The point is, Marshall
steals from movies that most Fanboys love, and it makes
for a very entertaining time.
Doomsday is the kind of movie Escape from LA
should have been, but wasn't. For that matter, it was grittier
than Thunderdome, and more fun than any Alien
movie since Aliens. So, I don't think Fanboys have
much to complain about in regards to this film. It's right
up their alley.
Rhona Mitra is hot and more than capable in the role of
Eden Sinclair, the leader of the band of troops sent into
quarantined and walled off Manhattan (played here by Scotland)
to retrieve a cure to the Rage virus (known by its local
handle "Reaper Virus"). Craig Conway plays Sol
(probably the son of Road Warrior's Lord Humungus
with a little Wez thrown in for good measure). I didn't
think I was gonna like this character from the trailers,
but he grew on me. Adrian Lester plays Norton, a military
sergeant (and the obvious ancestor of Aliens' Sergeant
Apone). He even utters lines by Apone.
It got to be fun to try and name the movies that are referenced.
Maybe Neil Marshall thinks it's homage or pastiche, but
if you can look past it all, it's highly enjoyable. The
action starts early and never lets up. The characters, while
cardboard thin in some cases, are still engaging enough
to keep you involved. The editing in some fights is a little
chaotic, but Fanboys are a hearty lot and will manage to
follow without much trouble.
Fans of Marshall's earlier films (Dog Soldiers
and Descent) will still be able to see his style
and sense of direction (especially his penchant for explosive
viscera). Fans of genre filmmaking should catapult themselves
into theaters to see Doomsday. It's what they've
been waiting for since the late 80's.
Hail
the return of Jack
Reda to Fanboy Planet. He was an early contributor before
moving to the East Coast, where he works as a filmmaker,
comedian, writer and paranormal investigator. You may recognize
Jack for his recurring role as an arch-villain in Defenders
of Stan. He just couldn't stand that none of us had gone
to see this film.
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