Doomsday [Blu-ray]

Director: Neil Marshall, Alexander Siddig, Bob Hoskins, David O'Hara, Malcolm McDowell, Rhona Mitra, Benedict Carver, Steven Paul

Overview

Three decades after a major country is quarantined in hopes of containing a lethal and highly contagious virus nicknamed "Reaper," signs that the super-bug has resurfaced in a major city prompt desperate specialists to race back into the infected zone to find a cure in director Neil Marshall's (The Descent) miasmic speculative sci-fi thriller. Few could have foreseen the terror that the microorganism known as "Reaper" would unleash upon the unsuspecting population, and when terrified authorities quarantined the entire country in hopes of saving the human race, the streets immediately descended into chaos. Thirty years later, the inhabitants of planet Earth think that they've seen the last of the merciless killer disease, but they couldn't be more wrong. When "Reaper" reappears more powerful than ever in a major city, an elite group of professionals led by Eden Sinclair (Rhona Mitra) are forced to travel back into the sealed-off country where the virus first broke out in order to create a cure and save humankind from certain doom. Now, as the rest of the world anxiously awaits word of their ultimate fate, Eden and her brave team are about to find out that there is indeed a hell, and they are about to journey directly into its black, envenomed heart. Also in the cast are Bob Hoskins and Malcolm McDowell, as well as a host of veterans from Marshall's past productions, including Sean Pertwee, MyAnna Buring, Craig Conway, and Nora-Jane Noone.

Product Details

Release Date:	07/29/2008
UPC:	0025195040426
Original Release:	2008
Rating:	NR
Source:	UNIVERSAL STUDIOS
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	3:42:00
Sales rank:	30,701

Special Features

Reaper virus files; Tech specs; Pciture in picture

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Rhona Mitra	Eden Sinclair
Bob Hoskins	Bill Nelson
Adrian Lester	Sgt. Norton
Alexander Siddig	John Hatcher
Malcolm McDowell	Kane
David O'Hara	Actor
Craig Conway	Sol
Tahira Herold	Actor
Lee-Anne Liebenberg	Actor
Darren Morfitt	Actor
Emma Cleasby	Actor
Christine Tomlinson	Actor
Tom Fairfoot	Actor
Vernon Willemse	Actor
Paul Hyett	Actor
Daniel Read	Actor
Karl Thaning	Actor
Stephen Hughes	Actor
Jason Cope	Actor
Ryan Kruger	Actor
Nathan Wheatley	Actor
Cecil Carter	Actor
Jeremy Crutchley	Actor
Eloise Cupido	Actor
Lily Anderson	Actor
Az Abrahams	Actor
Cokey Falkow	Actor
John Carson	Actor
Nathalie Boltt	Actor
Susan Danford	Actor
Rick Warden	Actor
Nora-Jane Noone	Actor
Les Simpson	Actor,Carpenter
Chris Robson	Actor
MyAnna Buring	Cally
Porteus Xandau Steenkamp	Actor
Axelle Carolyn Marshall	Actor
Benedict Carver	Actor
Martin Compston	Actor
Cal Macaninch	Actor
Martin Ball	Actor
Sean Pertwee	Dr. Talbot
Liebenberg. Leanne	Viper
Tyler Bates	Composer

Technical Credits

Neil Marshall

Neil Marshall	Screenwriter
Benedict Carver	Producer
Cordell McQueen	Stunts
Hal Couzens	Special Effects
Jeremy Zimmerman	Casting
Steven Paul	Producer
Marc D. Evans	Executive Producer
Trevor Macy	Executive Producer
Jeff Abberley	Executive Producer
Julia Blackman	Executive Producer
Carole Sheridan	Producer
Kevin Adcock	Special Effects
Rory Atkinson	Stunts
Peter McAleese	Executive Producer
Derek Mansvelt	Sound/Sound Designer
Matthew Collinge	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

Manly cult cinema gets cooked up in a casserole of ultra-violent goodness in Doomsday, a revved-up, pedal-to-the-metal flick that's sure to strike a bull's eye into the hearts of early-'80s action enthusiasts everywhere. Take one part Escape From New York, one part Vestron Video medieval romp, and a heavy dose of The Road Warrior, and that's Doomsday in a post-apocalyptic piecrust. While to some, the recipe might stink of ridiculous rehash, it's that exact reason that'll drive others to eventually hoist this sucker onto their shelves right next to The Bronx Warriors or Raiders of Atlantis -- satisfied in knowing that they're not alone in their love for tough characters doing tough stuff in tough, time-is-of-the-essence situations. That's not to say that the picture is without its flaws -- far from it. After the stunning achievement of The Descent, many would have expected something superiorly different from what director Neil Marshall delivers here. Akin to a kid playing in a sandbox, the filmmaker toys with many of his favorite genre milestones and mashes them together with the grace of a technically proficient gorilla. The result is a highly entertaining -- yet slightly sloppy -- ride through big-screen future motor mayhem as channeled through 1981's sensibilities. Whether it's Doomsday's John Carpenter-infused introduction or the George Miller bullets-on-the-blacktop chase that serves as the finale, there's little doubt that the movie's gonzo gas tank runs best when it's ceremoniously recycling such high-grade film fuel of days gone by. Unfortunately, for all its dismemberments, retro music cues, and the like, the rest of the flick can't help but feel a bit hollow. While the talent in front of the camera is undeniable (thanks to the likes of Bob Hoskins and Malcolm McDowell), there really is not enough substance to make any of the characters truly iconic. By the time the audience is made to buy a dramatic character death leading into the third act, the moment feels artificial, begging the question as to whether it's purposeful schlock (à la Grindhouse) or just hastily thrown together (à la the Resident Evil series). While that great geek debate might live on years down the road, there's one thing that's for sure -- despite any flak it might deservedly get, Doomsday is one hellacious hoot of a great time that will successfully play time and again to the devotees of blood, bullets, and Mohawks out there in film land.