Doomsday: Best John Carpenter movie ever made... not made by John Carpenter

[The Fake Shemp]

The score, the title/credits font, the camerawork, the premise, etc.  It's like a giant homage to John Carpenter (and George Miller, to a lesser degree).  If I wasn't so sure that Neil Marshall was talented, I'd probably say this is just him aping Carpenter.  But with his previous films in context, this stands as a Tarantino-esque smorgasbord of 70s/80s genre films.

If I wasn't sure, I might even think Carpenter scored the film.

But this is as close as anyone has ever gotten to nailing Carpenter 80s genre filmmaking.

[Diunx]

I love this movie, will probably watch it again tonight thanks to this thread.

[The Fake Shemp]

I find it totally fitting that the film received a Carpenter-esque welcome at theaters - poor box office performance, mixed to negative reviews and polarizing opinions.  I imagine that children will discover this ten years from now thanks to the advent of streaming Netflix on their iPhones and Neil Marshall will be regarded as a cult classic director.

[Great Rumbler]

I love John Carpenter movies, but Doomsday just annoyed me.

[The Fake Shemp]

I'm not sure how you can love John Carpenter movies and be annoyed by Doomsday.  If Carpenter were to slap his name on the boxart and take credit for shooting it, nobody would be none the wiser.

[Great Rumbler]

John Carpenter's movies at least have some coherence and most of the good ones have Kurt Russel.

[Eric P]

loved doomsday

made no sense but it didn't matter

[The Fake Shemp]

loved doomsday

made no sense but it didn't matter

Ding!

In retrospect, few of Carpenter's films were tight, logical scripts.  Did Big Trouble in Little China really make all that much sense?  I'm not arguing that Doomsday is superior to anything from Carpenter's 80s filmography, but rather that its comparable.  Movie rocks, haters owned.

[Eric P]

i was so sold the moment they get to the castle and the guy is giving a speech about how they're all doomed yadda yadda but to his right is the sign which reads "gift shoppe" which makes the whole thing just absolutely hilarious

[Great Rumbler]

loved doomsday

made no sense but it didn't matter

Ding!

In retrospect, few of Carpenter's films were tight, logical scripts.  Did Big Trouble in Little China really make all that much sense?  I'm not arguing that Doomsday is superior to anything from Carpenter's 80s filmography, but rather that its comparable.  Movie rocks, haters owned.

My problem with Doomsday wasn't that it was kind of silly or that it didn't take anything all that seriously, but how it merrily skipped from one homage or genre to the next with a one-note hero that couldn't deliver a line more than one sentence long.

It was like 80's Action Movie, but all it did was make me want to rewatch all those classics instead.

[The Fake Shemp]

i was so sold the moment they get to the castle and the guy is giving a speech about how they're all doomed yadda yadda but to his right is the sign which reads "gift shoppe" which makes the whole thing just absolutely hilarious

I died at that part.  Or the emergency exit sign at the end of the sequence.

[GilloD]

i was so sold the moment they get to the castle and the guy is giving a speech about how they're all doomed yadda yadda but to his right is the sign which reads "gift shoppe" which makes the whole thing just absolutely hilarious

The circus was the scene that really made the film work.

[The Fake Shemp]

It was like 80's Action Movie, but all it did was make me want to rewatch all those classics instead.

The biggest part of your problem and obstacle to fan service nirvana is that you view those films as sacred cows.  Just enjoy it.  I fucking love everything Carpenter churned out in the 80s and I will passionately argue that each one should get an Oscar for Most Awesome Film Ever, but none of them will end up the in the classic section anytime soon.

[Eric P]

i was so sold the moment they get to the castle and the guy is giving a speech about how they're all doomed yadda yadda but to his right is the sign which reads "gift shoppe" which makes the whole thing just absolutely hilarious

The circus was the scene that really made the film work.

what was the song?

i recall it being hilariously inappropriate

[The Fake Shemp]

That scene was awesome.  The movie went from genre to genre, like the filmmaking equivalent of Waxwork II.  All it needed ninjas and Bruce Campbell to make it completely perfect.

[Tauntaun]

I've been meaning to watch this movie for FOREVA nukka, maybe I'll on demand it tonight and paint some Blood Ravens. 

[Great Rumbler]

It was like 80's Action Movie, but all it did was make me want to rewatch all those classics instead.

The biggest part of your problem and obstacle to fan service nirvana is that you view those films as sacred cows.  Just enjoy it.

I tried, but it felt like the director had ADD and kept getting distracted every ten minutes by something shiny and new. It was less a coherent movie and more of a parade of "Hey, remember when something like this happened in this other movie? It was really sweet! Remember?" with no real hook to it all other than "Because it was cool in those other movies".

Road Warrior is Road Warrior and Escape from New York is Escape from New York. Doomsday has no idea what it's supposed to be.