THE DANMAN CAN

There are many aspects of  Neil Marshall 's  The Descent (2005) that I love—the premise, the top notch all-female cast, the cinematography (though some of the camerawork is not my speed), the production design, the creatures, the effects, the gore. But the film (which I've seen three times now) has never quite grabbed me the way I wish it would. It's a very good, straightforward, tightly paced, claustrophobic, and somber horror thriller but not quite a classic for this viewer.  Neil Marshall Feature Films Ranked

Doomsday   (2008) wears its influences proudly on its sleeve and writer/director  Neil Marshall  is perfectly okay with that. It's an intentional mashup/homage but in the best sense (the way the Italians did so often in the '80s), effortlessly swinging from genre to genre, as good exploitation films do. Doomsday  cribs liberally from three cult classics from 1981— Escape From New York  ( review ),  Mad Max 2   ( review) ,   and  Excalibur ,   and throws in a bit of  28 Days Later   (2002) ( review ),  Aliens   (1986) ( review ) and   The Warriors   (1979) ( review ) for good measure. It would be a better film if the characterization weren't so thin, the tropes so heavy, and the action/editing so quick-cut. I wish the production design, costumes, and vehicles had more time to shine. And yet I always have a good time with this movie, which never seems to take itself too seriously. It's loud, it's gory, it...

Doomsday (2008) wears its influences proudly on its sleeve and writer/director  Neil Marshall  is perfectly okay with that. It's an intentional mashup/homage, but in the best sense (the way the Italians did so often in the '80s), effortlessly swinging from genre to genre, as good exploitation films do. Doomsday cribs liberally from three cult classics from 1981— Escape From New York  ( review ),  Mad Max 2   ( review) ,   and  Excalibur ,   and throws in a bit of  28 Days Later   (2002) ( review ),  Aliens   (1986) ( review ) and   The Warriors   (1979) ( review ) for good measure. It would be a better film if the characterization weren't so thin, the tropes so heavy, and the action/editing so quick-cut. I wish the production design, costumes, and vehicles had more time to shine. And yet I always have a good time with this movie, which never seems to take itself too seriously. It's loud, it's gory, it's fun...

When I first saw Dog Soldiers (2002), when it was released on DVD, I loved it. Neil Marshall 's debut felt like a shot in the arm for those that appreciated the low budget quality of the early films of Sam Raimi and Peter Jackson . Also, I was 22 at the time, so I fit the prime demographic that a film like that is aimed at—rabid young male gorehounds. Unlike those aforementioned directors' debuts,  The Evil Dead (1981) ( review ) and Bad Taste (1987), respectively, DS  hasn't aged quite as well. Dog Soldiers  has a certain frenetic energy that is admirable, particularly on that first viewing. But now that I've seen it probably a half dozen times, I just find the dizzying camerawork and the number of cuts tiresome and particularly fatiguing on my eyes. There is plenty of bloodletting and I enjoy the practical, handmade aspect of the f/x. Obvious callouts to the  The Howling (1981) ( review ) and  An   American Werewolf In London (1981) ( review...

ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK  meets 28 DAYS LATER   meets ALIENS   meets   THE WARRIORS   meets EXCALIBUR   meets   MAD MAX 2 . A total mashup/rip-off, but in the best sense (the way the Italians did it in the '80s), effortlessly swinging from genre to genre. 100% good/bad fun. Neil Marshall Feature Films Ranked