# Doomsday - Theatrical Review



## Owen Bartley (Oct 18, 2006)

This was one that I saw on a whim, and because it happened to fit perfectly into our schedule the other night. I really didn't know much about it, and based on the little bit of premise I had heard, I was kind of expecting something like 28 Days Later, which I liked a lot.

Indeed, it does start out similarly, with the Reaper Virus breaking out in Scotland in April 2008. The virus doesn't turn people into zombified crazed killers, but it does make them all nasty and highly contagious. The British government decides they can't control the spread of the virus, so Scotland gets quarantined, and they build a wall separating it from the rest of the country. The sea around it is mined, and the air above is declared a no fly zone, and anyone left inside is on their own.

Flash ahead 25 years and England isn't in great shape. The rest of the world frowned on their solution to the Reaper Virus, and London is now overcrowded and the economy sucks. In one of the slums, police discover an outbreak of the Reaper Virus, and the Prime Minister is forced to look for a cure. He and his creepy second in command get Bob Hoskins to pull his best agent (orphaned-by-the-virus Rhona Mitra) to lead a team into the quarantined zone, where we learn that government satellites have seen people walking around.

Without spoiling anything, needless to say things are pretty messed up in there. Some people were immune to the virus and have survived all this time, but have reverted into 
*Spoiler* 



two rival factions, one a Mad Max type of punk crazies, and another, operating out of a Scottish castle, who live in a medieval style


. Here is where the movie gets weird. It goes from a 28 Days Later type movie to a combination of a bunch others (we picked out 
*Spoiler* 



Mad Max, Timeline, LOtR, Robin Hood, and a Bullit-ish car chase


.

Overall the movie was entertaining, and maybe it was the switching styles that kept me interested (albeit a little confused). The director certainly wasn't afraid of using a few cliches, and definitely enjoyed spurting blood and explosions. If you want something fun, and don't feel like poking holes or picking threads, this was a decent movie.


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## nova (Apr 30, 2006)

Hey Owen, 
Thanks for the review. I don't recall hearing anything about this movie, no trailers or anything. Sounds like it would be a decent popcorn flick?


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## Owen Bartley (Oct 18, 2006)

Yeah, that's exactly what it was, Mark. I really hadn't heard anything about it either, which I guess is a great way to not be disappointed. It sure surprised me at least, and kept me interested with all the randomness.


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