Fractal Films: Doomsday
Neil Marshall is one of the most interesting British directors currently working, though I suspect he’s sometimes dismissed because of his focus on genre work. As a horror director, there aren’t many people as original or inventive as him.
Both Dog Soldiers and The Descent are brilliant in their own ways. The former is full of snappy dialogue, a great chemistry between the characters, and is gruesomely hilarious, while there’s very little to laugh about amongst the grueling claustrophobia of the latter. In comparison to, say, Edgar Wright, another Brit with a distinctive signature style, while both make fast-paced work Wright’s tend to be more “Pop” (for want of a better word) while Marshall is darker.
As distinctive as Marshall is, his third film once again takes a different tack again to its predecessors. From a buddy-soldier flick to an out-and-out horror, to the Mad Max/Death Race/Escape From New York 80s action-dystopia of Doomsday. And that’s probably what makes the film a little less interesting than his other ones.
The films was seriously entertaining, don’t get me wrong, but it really was a rollercoaster ride that didn’t really stick with me after I left the cinema, unlike the impression his other films have had. And that’s a problem caused by talent, really: I’d say Outpost is probably on par with Doomsday in the entertainment stakes, but it’s not like I had particularly high expectations for the Nazi Zombie Ghosts so it’s easier to be pleasantly surprised.
Doomsday takes all of its cues from other action films, and because of this doesn’t really bring anything of its own to the table. There’s a car chase from Mad Max 2, a troop carrier from Aliens, even medieval combat reminiscent of Excalibur (or, if I were being ungenerous, First Knight). That said, considering the current industry trend of watering down films like Die Hard (Die Hard, for fuck’s sake) so the kiddies can fork over their cash without seeing violence or hearing nasty words, it’s a fucking relief to see a film for grown-ups (though I use the phrase broadly) where nothing is toned down. Not toned down at all.
While I’m on the subject, I’ve got a real problem with the neutering of action movies. I know there’s an economic reason for doing it, but it even takes away the fun of getting into a film you’re too young for for an entire generation. Watching Robocop when you were ten was an essential part of growing up, and it never did me any damage. Although that may depend on how you class the kind of person who writes about it years later on the internet.
Going back to the matter at hand, I’ve seen a couple of reviews that talk about the plot-holes in the film. I didn’t catch any myself, but then I was a little too wrapped up in it to engage the critical bits of my brain too much. I can see why your attention would wander if it wasn’t your kind of thing, though. And Marshall really should get some credit for having such a strong female protagonist in a role that’s usually marked Boys Only, and on a subjective level it was nice to see [SPOILER] Darren Morfitt’s character survive after Spoon, his character in Dog Soldiers, got dispatched last time around. Albeit with just about the best exit line in movie history (to werewolf: “I hope I give you the shits“).
All in all, a fantastic action movie but not much else, with a script that doesn’t quite hold together: a bit of a shame considering the quality of the rest of the director’s work.
