George Miller’sMad Maxfilms irrevocably changed the way pop culture views the end of all things. The brutal Australian wasteland teeming with armed maniacs and absurd vehicles extended into every tone and medium.Borderlandsisn’t set on a ruined Earth, but Pandora is as ecologically devastated and socially chaotic as the average stop onFury Road. The desperation and overwhelming violence push the mind past misery and into nihilistic glee, which is the perfect mindset in which to enjoy Neil Marshall’sDoomsday.
Neil Marshall is a fascinating filmmaker with a bizarre path to success. His debut feature,Dog Soldiers, is the platonic ideal of a cult hit. He followedup withThe Descent, one of the most unique and enjoyable horror experiences of the 2000s. Unfortunately, his other film projects are less impressive, with several messy attempts likeCenturionandHellboy(2019) staining his record. He sometimes slid onto the small screen to direct some of the finest episodes of shows likeGame of Thrones(“Blackwater”) andHannibal(“The Great Red Dragon.") Fans must wait and see whether his next project,Compulsion, could be a return to form.
March 14th, 2008
Rotten Tomatoes Score
50% from 76 reviews
Doomsdayopens in 2008 whena plague called the Reaper Virus escapes containment and devastates Scotland. The British government constructs a 30-foot wall to quarantine the nation and prevent the seemingly incurable virus from spreading. After 27 years, people in London begin showing signs of infection, prompting Prime Minister John Hatcher to assemble a crack military team to slip into Scotland seeking a cure. Major Eden Sinclair leads Sergeant Norton, virologists Dr. Stirling and Dr. Talbot, and several unnamed soldiersto find legendary scientistMarcus Kane. Sinclair quietly seeks her missing mother, who she believes could still be alive in Glasgow.
Sinclair and her team enter Glasgow and immediately facewaves of angry cannibals. The survivors butcher most of the unnamed soldiers, allowing Sinclair, Norton, Stirling, and Talbot to escape. A second gang attacks, taking the team hostage. The cannibals ritually murder Talbot as Sol, their leader, outlines his plan to use Sinclair as a bargaining chip to open the wall and invade England. Sinclair, Norton, and Stirling escape with help from Cally, a fellow prisoner. Cally explains that she and Sol are Marcus Kane’s children, and Sol’s marauders overthrew the Scottish government to establish a new state opposing Kane. Prime Minister Hatcher catches the Reaper Virus from an assassin, allowing Michael Canaris, his advisor, to quarantine him and take over. While leadership changes in London, Sinclair and her team are dragged awayby old-fashioned soldiers, and they’ll have to fight for survival in the abandoned land.
Set in a nightmarish wasteland inspired byMad Max
Set on a hostile alien planet inspired partially byMad Max
Most of the antagonists are masked maniacs shouting about their love of violence.
The film is wall-to-wall with overwhelming violence.
The game is wall-to-wall with overwhelming violence.
The main villain is a sinister politician hiding his evil intent.
The main villain is a sinister CEO hiding his evil intent.
Neil Marshall helpfully outlined his tremendous list of influences in interviews. He borrowed from everything to makeDoomsday.Doomsdaypacks in references toThe Omega ManandChildren of Menand every post-apocalyptic feature in between. Its most notableinfluence isMad Max, which drips off every element.Borderlandsis no stranger to similar movie callbacks. The game is even less restrained, blurting lines fromSilent Night, Deadly Night 2next to a gun named after Veruca Salt. The two works are similar because they borrow from comparable sources. Their approach to ceaseless violence comfortably fits together. Part of the reasonBorderlandsis a beloved franchise whileDoomsdayhas a mixed reception is experiencing comedically heightened violence works better than watching it.
How doesDoomsdayend?
Sinclair, Norton, Stirling, and Cally are captured by armored warriors who drag them to meet Kane. Kane has become an anti-science dictator ruling a chunk of Scotland with an iron fist. Kane explains there is no cure, but some are naturally immuneto the Reaper Virus. He sentences Sinclair and her team to death by gladiatorial combat. Sinclair faces his executioner, Telamon. Sinclair wins the brawl and leads her group to escape. Kane’s knights kill Norton, but Sinclair, Stirling, and Cally find a Bentley in a hidden forest bunker. They kill Sol and several of his cannibals in a high-speed chase.
Sinclair contacts Canaris and arranges a meeting. When he arrives by helicopter, she explains that Stirling could fabricate a cure using Cally’s blood. Canaris refuses, revealing his plan tolet the Reaper Viruswipe out the lower classes. Sinclair records Canaris' fascist policy solutions, letting her commanding officer release the audio to the public. Canaris' fate is left unclear. Sinclair stays in Glasgow, where she finds her mother died during the plague outbreak. She uses Sol’s severed head to establish herself as the new leader of the cannibal hordes, choosing a new home in the quarantine zone over her old life.
Doomsdayis not a great movie. It’s most comparable toaResident Evilfilm, even as it packs constantMad Maxreferences. It’s a perfect 2000s time capsule, just likeBorderlands. Fans of the game will love watching Rhona Mitra shoot, stab, and bludgeon her way through a grotesque side story that feels pulled out of a Psycho Krieg spin-off.
