Directed Neil Marshall (The Descent, Dog Soldiers) is a post-apocalyptic movie in the Science Fiction / Thriller genres and sports a pretty good cast and plotline, but will the meld of previous film influences subvert the premise?

The story starts brightly (or indeed darkly in terms of the material) as a virus known as ‘The Reaper’ takes hold in Scotland and ravages the population. In order to deal with this, the authorities build a wall, no indication of times are given, suffice to say it is built just below Newcastle, a veritable new Hadrian’s Wall, ensuring the Jawdees get their just deserts. We then pick up the tale some 25 years later, when the virus resurfaces in London, since the last resort would be to have to quarantine the capital. It emerges that Satellite images show the resurgence of people on the streets of Scotland, so a crack team is assembled and dispatched to discover how they survived and if a cure for ‘Reaper’ exists. At this point we seem to have a switch of influences, because we now see a landscape and visuals ‘borrowed’ directly from ‘Mad Max’ and ‘Escape from New York’, with the same surreal punked out look and feel. The team are greeted by feuding bands of medieval like tribes, who have not only reverted in terms of their characteristics, but also become cannibalistic and given to violence at a whim. I found some of the grimaces and facial gurning reminicient of The Prodigy’s ‘Firestarter’ video – amusing if probably unintentional. Bob Hoskins as the fatherly Security chief, Malcolm McDowell as ‘Kane’ and the delectable Rhona Mitre as Major Eden Sinclair are the main players, and fill out the parts as well as could be expected, but no more than that.

The dialogue in this is poor to middling, the plot is believable to an extent in terms of the virus, but is riddled with holes and contradictions. A virus that can be stopped by a wall? Said wall stretching from coast to coast, appears as from nowhere when needed? A team that cannot be flown in because they are keeping a low profile, but have only 46 hours to complete the job? But then again, all movies have some element of suspension of disbelief so this is not much different in that respect. The action scenes are its real strength, and the lack of restraint with a bit of gore does it no harm at all, the fact that many scenes seem to have been lifted from other films (as above) means that you feel you are revisiting the action in places though, rather than it being fresh.

7/10, Imaginative, but a little rehashed, stilted in places and a little overblown in others, it still passes the time quite nicely, this is not Neil Marshall’s finest hour, but not too bad on the whole. One for a night in when the good lady is out, and the testosterone and blood lust take a hold.