Doomsday (2008) was Neil Marshall’s follow-up effort after the 2005 surprise summer hit, The Descent, which wowed critics and fans alike. This movie, however, lacked the creepiness and the character development of The Descent. It seemed like Doomsday aimed to be like 28 Days Later with the horsepower of an action movie. As a result, it tripped over its feet before getting out of the gate. This movie is set in 2035, some 25 years after a massive epidemic has wiped out 99% of Scotland. The UK had built a wall that has effectively quarantined the remaining 1%. However, when the infection has made its way back into London and, through satellite images, the government learns that there are, in fact, survivors still living within the walls. A one-eyed special team operative named Edin (Rhona Mitra – Shooter, The number 23) is sent behind the wall to find the cure that keeps all of these people alive.
Category Archives: Action
Total Recall (1990)
Seeing this movie for the first time 20 years after its release and after hearing friend after friend say to me, “You still haven’t seen Total Recall? I can’t believe that. You’ve got to see it. It’s a classic”, I expected much, much more during my viewing. To think that Terminator 2: Judgment Day was released just a year later diminishes the value of Total Recall. Whether just or unjust, I couldn’t help but compare Total Recall to the theater experience of Terminator 2: Judgment Day in 1991. While Terminator 2 had cutting-edge special effects, edge-of-your-seat action, and decent acting, Total Recall felt cheesy, worn, and clumsy. Additionally, the acting was atrocious.
Predators (2010)
My oh my, Adrien Brody, what has become of your career? Since winning the Best Actor Academy Award in 2002 for his role as Wladyslaw Szpilman in The Pianist, Brody’s career has been hit or miss. His successes were The Village (2004), the under-appreciated The Jacket (2005), and the blockbuster remake King Kong (2002). Brody has also had starring roles in such box office failures as Hollywoodland (2006 – $14.3 million box office revenue), The Darjeeling Limited (2007 – $11.7 million), Cadillac Man (2008 $8.1 million), and The Brothers Bloom (2008 – $3.5 million). In 2010, Brody had five movies set for release. Two of those films have been completed but have since been shelved. A third (The Experiment) went straight to DVD. A fourth (Splice) made just $17 million at the box office. The fifth, Predators, grossed $52 million but would have earned that money regardless of Brody’s presence.
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)
Aside from having perhaps the worst movie title in the history of movies, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World is a stunning film and one that can be appreciated by anyone willing to give it its due diligence. Jack Aubrey (Russell Crowe – Gladiator, Cinderella Man) is the captain of the HMS Enterprise. This British ship protected the Pacific Ocean from Napoleon’s French forces, who sought to invade England. As directed by the Queen of England herself, his job is to intercept any attacking vessel from the French fleet.
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Takers (2010)
Takers, John Luessenhop’s first attempt at a big-budget movie, falls flat on its face before it ever gets going. Takers is an entirely unoriginal, formulaic, good guys versus bad guys movie. It’s one of those movies where the trailer tells a better story than the actual film. With a cast that includes Matt Dillon (There’s Something About Mary, Wild Things), Idris Elba (HBO’s The Wire, Obsessed), Paul Walker (Joy Ride, Running Scared), T.I. (American Gangster, ATL), Hayden Christensen (Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, Jumper), and Jay Hernandez (Friday Night Lights, Hostel), among others, I thought that at least I’d be entertained with the acting. Heck, the R&B singer Chris Brown was even in this movie.