DoomsdayMovie Reviews

So-so
Avg. Critic Score: 51 out of 100 Mixed or average reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
16 Iffy for 16+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 75
    Boston Globe | Wesley Morris

    Marshall reveals himself to be a terrific showman of chaos and comic savagery. This is Baz Luhrmann's "Mad Max." Read full review

  • 75
    Philadelphia Inquirer | David Hiltbrand

    One caveat: The film has more blood-splatter than a dozen zombie movies. If you can handle that, Doomsday's drunken mash-up of futuristic and feudal is surprisingly satisfying. Read full review

  • 70
    Variety | Dennis Harvey

    Neil Marshall's flair for visceral action more than compensates for his script's lack of conceptual novelty in Doomsday. Principally South Africa-shot tale of a post-apocalyptic Great Britain cobbles together large chunks of "Escape From New York," "The Road Warrior," "28 Days Later" and "Resident Evil," but those with a taste for revved-up, splattery fantasy thrills won't be complaining. Read full review

  • 63
    TV Guide | Ken Fox

    Marshall delivers what he promises and Mitri makes for a cool, kick-arse heroine in the Ellen Ripley mold. Read full review

  • 50
    Austin Chronicle | Marc Savlov

    Marshall, like his characters, does not mess around: Good people do bad things to not-entirely bad people while the Man (in this case No. 10 Downing St.) seeks ways to screw everyone. Read full review

  • 50
    The Hollywood Reporter | Frank Scheck

    Mitra, clad in the requisite tight, sexy outfits, conveys a suitable toughness but little in the way of personality, while such distinguished British actors as Bob Hoskins and Adrian Lester dutifully show up to collect their paychecks. Read full review

  • 50
    Film Threat | Stina Chyn

    As a guilty pleasure, it’s spectacularly entertaining Read full review

  • 50
    Entertainment Weekly |

    Marshall cribs whole sections from other movies (Aliens and The Road Warrior, most blatantly) so baldly that you have to wonder how he'd like it if someone ripped off "The Descent" this egregiously. Read full review

  • 50
    ReelViews | James Berardinelli

    Doomsday tries to cram so much into its limited 105 minutes that aspects end up feeling rushed and confused (especially the political situation in England) and the ending is perfunctory. Read full review

  • 40
    Empire |

    Marshall's film is crammed full of good ideas but doesn't have the cohesion to pull them all together. Less effective than "Dog Soldiers," never mind "The Descent." Read full review

View more reviews for Doomsday on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says Iffy for 16+ Violent action flick paints a grim, bloody future.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that this post-apocalyptic action-horror movie is brimming with bloody, splatty, graphic violence. Weapons include guns, swords, arrows, knives, and grenades, and brutal images include suicide by gun, decapitation, stabbing, torture, shooting, fighting, cannibalism, car chases, and crashes. A woman's naked breasts are visible during a shooting; other scenes feature pole dancing and cleavage-revealing outfits. Language includes lots of "f--k"s, plus other profanity. The heroine smokes cigarettes.
  • Families can talk about the kinds of things that post-apocalyptic movies often have in common. How does Hollywood tend to signal a civilization in decline? What other movies does this one remind you of? What sets it apart? Is it significant that the main character is a woman? How does Eden see the world differently from her male adversaries? How does her traumatic past shape her attitude toward authority and morality?
The good stuff
  • message true0 Positive messages: The main female character is surly but moralistic; the prime minister's assistant is power-hungry and cruel; punked-out tribe in Glasgow is furious and cannibalistic; one young soldier wants to protect a young woman.
What to watch for
  • violence false5 Violence: Ongoing graphic, bloody violence. Armed military personnel with guns abuse panicking crowds. Injuries/deaths (including a graphic suicide) from gunshots, trampling, beating, and barbed wire. Many gory images: child's eye bloody from gunshot; smashed, mangled cow and person; decapitation (shown on screen, via grisly prosthetics); stabbing; shooting; cut throat (spurting blood). The infected appear covered in gooey skin and blisters. Combat scenes (in which streets are strewn with skulls and skeletons) feature vehicles crashing, guns, arrows, fighting, swords, and explosions from grenades. Torture scenes include hot poker branding, whipping, punching, and biting. Gladiator-style arena fight features kicking, hitting, knifing, an axe to a head. A cannibalism scene shows a man burned/charred alive; scenes in which the raging crowd gnaws at the meat are grotesque. A rabbit blows up on screen.
  • sex false3 Sexy stuff: Various cleavage shots. A naked woman's breasts are visible when she's in the bathtub during a raid. Sol kisses his girlfriend lasciviously; he tries to kiss Eden, who bites his lip. Pole dancers wear fishnets, bikini tops, and bikini-style bottoms (their rears appear in close-ups). A masochist appears in black vinyl suit, begging to be hurt.
  • language false5 Language: Frequent use of "f--k" (sometimes with "mother-"), plus other language: "s--t," "bastard," "hell," "damn," "bollocks," "balls," "ass," "bitch."
  • consumerism false0 Consumerism: Not an issue
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false3 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Repeated cigarette smoking main characters.
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

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Dave White

5.0

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