Doomsday - The perfect storm of nonsense

Paying `homage' to other films can be touch and go at the best of times. Sometimes it ends up looking like a film's just blatantly copied another (most likely superior) movie and you get nothing new.

However, with `Doomsday' you can never be entirely sure which homage you're watching. We join the action a few decades in the future where Scotland has been quarantined due to a virus wiping out the population (possibly down to an infected deep-fried Mars bad - we don't know). However, when the virus resurfaces in London, an elite squad is send north of the border to try and find a cure.

Yes, it's a B-movie, but it's a damn fine one. When the team assembles, we get extreme shades of the Colonial Marines from Aliens (see some `borrowed dialogue' even), then we move on to Escape From New York (even down to the fact that the central character has only one eye) and Mad Max 2 when it comes to fighting the enemies. Finally, give it a 28 Days Later feel with the vibe and musical score and you have one hell of a violent mess of a film.

With this many elements in the mix, it's never going to sit together perfectly, but then I doubt the film-makers ever intended it to be perfect. It has its faults and there are plot-holes aplenty if you're in the mood to pick holes in it. However, I watch Doomsday purely to be entertained. I'm not looking for high-quality drama or a watertight script.

It's severely tongue-in-cheek, even bordering on daft at some stages. And good on it. It can never hope to compete with the serious Hollywood action blockbusters, so it carves out its own niche in the market by copying other films in a `knowing' way.

For everyone who loves this film (like me) there will be someone who absolutely hates it. And I can understand where they're coming from. If you're expecting some high-quality, Hollywood action, then you may be disappointed. To get maximum enjoyment from Doomsday, put your brain on hold, grab the biggest bucket of popcorn, place your tongue firmly in your cheek and enjoy the crazy ride.
A true guilty pleasure film if ever there was one.

8/10 The Force is definitely strong with this one