An epidemic of a lethal virus has spread in modern day Scotland, sending the United Kingdom into a crisis state. Everyone is racing to get out before they become infected or stuck. Unfortunately this is the case for many people, including Eden Sinclair's (played by Rhona Mitra) mother.
30 year later the quarantine still holds and the rest of the world believes that everyone locked inside has died from either becoming infected or starving to death. But they receive an unlikely challenge to their belief: infected people were able to get through the guarded barriers and more survivors have been discovered via satellite. Believing that the survivors have a cure to the virus, the UK government quickly assembles a team of soldiers to go into the area to retrieve it. Once inside, they discover how the survivors have descended into animals in near literal sense.
Director Neil Marshal directed Doomsday (2008) who also drected the cult hits Dog Soldiers (2002) and The Descent (2006) misses the point with this film. It's too much like a remake of Mad Max (1979) and Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome (1986) with a female lead and a slightly different setting. There are direct rip-offs of these films in the film. Particularly the part where Eden, is taken to a medieval-like arena and is forces to joust with a supposed knight. It is a direct rip-off of Thunderdome. I don't know if this is a homage to these films, but if one wanted to watch these films they would instead of wasting their money either renting or buying Doomsday.
Acting wise, Rhona Mitra did a descent job. When I first saw the trailer for Doomsday, I actually thought it was Kate Beckinsdale because they look so much a like in terms of their hairstyles. For Beckinsdale sported a similar look in the Underworld films. This also poses a question as to whether or not Marshal wanted Beckinsdale instead of Mitra for the lead role. Bob Hopskins, known for his Academy Award nominated performance in Who Frame Roger Rabbit, also has a small role as a boss/mentor of Mitra's character. He wasn't used much at all, which is disappointing because he is a great actor. This film also starred Malcolm McDowell as the great scientist in which Mitra's crew has been searching for. Now turned evil king-like (much like Tina Turner in Thunderdome) he has turned his back on modern society and returned to the Medieval times where he now rules from an ancient castle. But like Hopskins, he is quite underused in the film.
I personally lost interest in the film. I only finished the film because it reminded me of the Mad Max films. Marshal should only stick to making horror films. But should you be interested in this film or ones like it, I recommend the Mad Max Trilogy, Underworld and Dog Soldiers.