Despite its B-level campiness, Doomsday is a top-notch feminist horror/sci-fi gorefest. I haven't had this much fun watching a bloody flick since... well, since Director/Writer Neil Marshall's last flick, The Descent. (If you like gory movies - but still want it to have a feminist twist - be sure to check it out.)
For starters, Doomsday stars the fabulous Rhona Mitra as an ass-kicking military Major named Eden Sinclair. She is a bad-ass, chain-smoking military leader who pulls off the role with a haughty - but not whiny - vibe, managing to be beautiful without being sexualized. To top it all off, her character comes complete with a delightfully campy fake eyeball that she can take out, roll down a hallway, and make recordings of her surroundings with. It is awe-freakin'-some - in the way that only a campy, B-level sci-fi flick can be.
In addition to the blood and gore - which is so over the top that it comes off as hilarious rather than disturbing - there are several laugh-worthy moments throughout the film, not the least of which is a scene in which a decapitated head screams while sailing through the air. Marshall is, in a few words, the Tarantino of sci-fi horror, and - in a way - the Joss Whedon of the gore genre. This is not to say that his heroines are necessarily overtly witty or even girly - but it is very clear that he respects gender boundaries and doesn't use a gory movie as an excuse to demoralize women or to create a form of 16-year old boy torture porn. It is quite evident that he loves his craft and - in Tarantino fashion - Doomsday provides a very obvious outlet for Marshall to explore and pay tribute to classic apocalyptic films such as the Mad Max trilogy.
Overall, what impressed me the most about Doomsday was its lead character. Rhona Mitra's stint as Major Sinclair solidly established herself as one of my favorite female protagonists of all time. She was strong and smart, capable and honorable: the perfect heroine. And - most astonishingly - her character wasn't sexed up. She wasn't about tits and ass; she was about kicking ass and taking names. She wore a modest haircut, sensible clothes and shoes, and small stud earrings. And the only part of her body that was shown off was exactly what you'd see if a man had been cast for the role: muscles. (Damn, she's built!) And this is precisely what brings me to the point that Doomsday could easily be considered a feminist movie: at any one point in the film, the lead character could have been of either gender - male or female - with the exact. same. result.
How's that for gender equity?
Okay, so I'm not pretending that Doomsday is a miraculous movie. The plot - which revolves around a virus that kills off most of the population of Scotland and leaves behind some truly psycho human beings - has more than a few holes. But this isn't a movie that is meant to be intellectual; it is a film that must be seen for one reason and one reason only: pure, raw entertainment value. Doomsday isn't for the faint-hearted; if you have trouble watching heads chopped off, bunnies being blown up, rampant cannibalism, and f-bombs a-flying, then this isn't the film for you. Then again, if you're capable of going into the film with your eyes wide open, your brain turned off, and your sense of humor ready to go - then then you'll love Doomsday... camp and all.
Doomsday starring Rhona Mitra. Now in theaters. Tickets available online at Fandango.com.
Carly Hope Finseth spends much of her time pondering what she wants to be when she grows up. She alternates between days filled with cozy socks, hot tea, and meditative reflection - and others, which are loaded with caffeine fixes, grueling commutes, and one fire to put out after another. When she’s not sifting through e-mails, dropping her cell phone, or sticking another reminder Post-It on her desk, Carly also somehow finds the time to write and reflect on important (and the occasional not-so-important) feminist issues.
I saw the film last night, and I thought it was a pretty poor show. What alarmed me was that a slip of a girl could beat up fully grown men dressed in armour etc. Of course, in real life girls are at a serious disadvantage when confronted by agressive men.
Films like this give impressionable young girls a false sense that they can throw a few girly punches and high kicks to defeat a man. Problem is that it doesn't happen. I've been involved in martial arts for years - even a lady black belt will have a hard time with a novice male fighter. It all looks acrobatic and dance like, but the fact remains that men are, on average, much bigger and stronger than women. Size matters! This sort of feminism nonsense is likely to land 'girl power' twenty-somethings into a lot of trouble if they are presented with a choice to either run to safety or fight. You'll never see a female lion attack an alpha male lion, because animals live in the real world and they have a grip on reality.
Let's just accept that men and women complement each other: men are breadwinners and protectors and women are mothers and homemakers. What's wrong with that? It's beautiful.
My curse is my gift. My nightmares, deep sensitivity, and emotional instability gives the best (and most uncomfortable) inspirations I could ever have. For me, art is passion - and visions are the mirror, which show my feelings and connect me with the rest of the world. Read More...
Despite its B-level campiness, Doomsday is a top-notch feminist horror/sci-fi gorefest. I haven't had this much fun watching a bloody flick since... well, since Director/Writer Neil Marshall's last flick, The Descent. (If you like gory movies - but still want it to have a feminist twist - be sure to check it out.) 
Overall, what impressed me the most about Doomsday was its lead character. Rhona Mitra's stint as Major Sinclair solidly established herself as one of my favorite female protagonists of all time. She was strong and smart, capable and honorable: the perfect heroine. And - most astonishingly - her character wasn't sexed up. She wasn't about tits and ass; she was about kicking ass and taking names. She wore a modest haircut, sensible clothes and shoes, and small stud earrings. And the only part of her body that was shown off was exactly what you'd see if a man had been cast for the role: muscles. (Damn, she's built!) And this is precisely what brings me to the point that Doomsday could easily be considered a feminist movie: at any one point in the film, the lead character could have been of either gender - male or female - with the exact. same. result. 
Carly Hope Finseth spends much of her time pondering what she wants to be when she grows up. She alternates between days filled with cozy socks, hot tea, and meditative reflection - and others, which are loaded with caffeine fixes, grueling commutes, and one fire to put out after another. When she’s not sifting through e-mails, dropping her cell phone, or sticking another reminder Post-It on her desk, Carly also somehow finds the time to write and reflect on important (and the occasional not-so-important) feminist issues.
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