Doomsday

I confess I didn't immediately like Doomsday when I saw it in the theater. But the more I thought about it, the more I discussed it with my friend, the more it grew on me. Perhaps that isn't how one should approach a review of a movie but oh well. Overall with a film like this you expect mindless action fun and sure enough you get mindless action fun. If that is all you need hear then set forth to the theater and gobble up the popcorn like candy. For the sophisticated (read: snob) who can't be satisfied with "its just fun" I'll try to elaborate why it is a worthy ride.

The film has a rousing rave scene in which a group of dystopic attractive juvenile anthropophages roast alive a victim all while listening to the Fine Young Cannibals. Get it? If you don't find that perversely funny then I suppose this movie isn't for you. This film is full of homage and I'm not talking about subtle homage either. There are almost direct intertextuality with Escape From New York (hero Rhona Mitra wears an eyepatch at movie's open), Aliens (as soldiers gear up, a rough and tough commander utters a line with echoes of a line by Apone from Aliens) and Road Warrior (to which the final action sequence owes just about everything).

But the movie actually offers more than these direct parrots. As we see two types of dystopic society. The innevitable and recognizable post-civilization inner city gang which has decked itself out in punk paraphernalia, tatoos and mohawks is of course directly recalling some of the above mentioned films. But we also get a retro Medieval society based in an abandoned castle where the warriors wear suits of armor and make use of maces, spears and swords. And this too has a novelty. A post-apocalyptic society that has not degenerated into Warlord managed anarchy but into primitive old fashioned civilization maintained by noble lies about the outside world.

Tie this in with the malevolent government trying to control the masses and the quickly degenerating notion of keeping things real and one suspects that this is not just an exercise in popcorn fluff but actually a real satire of action films. The fact that it is done with incredible style is all the more to its credit. It plays with the tropes of action movie post-apocalyptic thrillers and never takes itself too seriously. And despite my initial reservations I myself had a certain pleased grin on my face in the final scene of the movie.