Susan Granger’s review of “Doomsday” (Universal Pictures)
There must be people who are drawn to action-packed, post-apocalyptic fantasies – because there are so many and, remarkably, most of them seem to make money. So here goes….
In the 2008 prologue, a pandemic threatens to annihilate the human race. It begins in Scotland and, within days of detection, the virulent Reaper virus infects millions. The United Kingdom declares the entire country a “hot zone” and quarantines the populace with a 21st century version of Hadrian’s Wall – with reinforced, steel ramparts and remote sentry guns.
Skip ahead to 2035 and the Reaper re-appears – only, this time, it’s in London. And the Brits discover that, miraculously, there are survivors in Glasgow. Somehow, they must have developed a cure. The Prime Minister (Alexander Siddig of “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine”) summons the Security Chief (Bob Hoskins), who recruits Major Eden Sinclair (Rhona Mitra), a sexy eye-patch wearing Scot who was evacuated as a wee lass. She and her armed soldiers are to go into the “hot zone” to find a Dr. Kane (Malcolm McDowell) who was working on a counteragent. What they discover are crazed cannibals in a gruesome, graphic medieval netherworld straight out of “Mad Max.”
Writer/director Neil Marshall (“The Descent,” “Dog Soldiers”) shamelessly rips off elements from “28 Days Later,” “Escape from New York,” “The Road Warrior,” “Resident Evil,” and “I Am Legend,” among others, giving you the eerie feeling that you’ve seen all this mayhem before. No doubt that’s why it was not screened for critics before its initial release. It’s also revealing that – in the production credits – the stuntmen and women outnumber the actors.
On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Doomsday” is a disgusting, gore-filled 2 – with a conclusion that leaves the door ajar for a sequel.
