Borderlands Players Should Check Out This Post-Apocalyptic Sci-Fi Thriller

George Miller's Mad Max films irrevocably changed the way pop culture views the end of all things. The brutal Australian wasteland teeming with armed maniacs and absurd vehicles extended into every tone and medium. Borderlands isn't set on a ruined Earth, but Pandora is as ecologically devastated and socially chaotic as the average stop on Fury Road. The desperation and overwhelming violence push the mind past misery and into nihilistic glee, which is the perfect mindset in which to enjoy Neil Marshall's Doomsday.

Neil Marshall is a fascinating filmmaker with a bizarre path to success. His debut feature, Dog Soldiers, is the platonic ideal of a cult hit. He followed up with The Descent, one of the most unique and enjoyable horror experiences of the 2000s. Unfortunately, his other film projects are less impressive, with several messy attempts like Centurion and Hellboy (2019) staining his record. He sometimes slid onto the small screen to direct some of the finest episodes of shows like Game of Thrones ("Blackwater") and Hannibal ("The Great Red Dragon.") Fans must wait and see whether his next project, Compulsion, could be a return to form.

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What is Doomsday about?

Director	Neil Marshall
Writer	Neil Marshall
Cast	Rhona Mitra, Malcolm McDowell, Bob Hoskins, Adrian Lester
Release Date	March 14th, 2008
Rotten Tomatoes Score	50% from 76 reviews

Doomsdayopens in 2008 when a plague called the Reaper Virus escapes containment and devastates Scotland. The British government constructs a 30-foot wall to quarantine the nation and prevent the seemingly incurable virus from spreading. After 27 years, people in London begin showing signs of infection, prompting Prime Minister John Hatcher to assemble a crack military team to slip into Scotland seeking a cure. Major Eden Sinclair leads Sergeant Norton, virologists Dr. Stirling and Dr. Talbot, and several unnamed soldiers to find legendary scientist Marcus Kane. Sinclair quietly seeks her missing mother, who she believes could still be alive in Glasgow.

Sinclair and her team enter Glasgow and immediately face waves of angry cannibals. The survivors butcher most of the unnamed soldiers, allowing Sinclair, Norton, Stirling, and Talbot to escape. A second gang attacks, taking the team hostage. The cannibals ritually murder Talbot as Sol, their leader, outlines his plan to use Sinclair as a bargaining chip to open the wall and invade England. Sinclair, Norton, and Stirling escape with help from Cally, a fellow prisoner. Cally explains that she and Sol are Marcus Kane's children, and Sol's marauders overthrew the Scottish government to establish a new state opposing Kane. Prime Minister Hatcher catches the Reaper Virus from an assassin, allowing Michael Canaris, his advisor, to quarantine him and take over. While leadership changes in London, Sinclair and her team are dragged away by old-fashioned soldiers, and they'll have to fight for survival in the abandoned land.

How is Doomsday like Borderlands?

Doomsday	Borderlands
Set in a nightmarish wasteland inspired by Mad Max	Set on a hostile alien planet inspired partially by Mad Max
Most of the antagonists are masked maniacs shouting about their love of violence.	Most of the antagonists are masked maniacs shouting about their love of violence.
The tone consistently shifts.	The tone consistently shifts.
The film is wall-to-wall with overwhelming violence.	The game is wall-to-wall with overwhelming violence.
The main villain is a sinister politician hiding his evil intent.	The main villain is a sinister CEO hiding his evil intent.

Neil Marshall helpfully outlined his tremendous list of influences in interviews. He borrowed from everything to make Doomsday. Doomsday packs in references to The Omega Man and Children of Men and every post-apocalyptic feature in between. Its most notable influence is Mad Max, which drips off every element. Borderlands is no stranger to similar movie callbacks. The game is even less restrained, blurting lines from Silent Night, Deadly Night 2 next to a gun named after Veruca Salt. The two works are similar because they borrow from comparable sources. Their approach to ceaseless violence comfortably fits together. Part of the reason Borderlands is a beloved franchise while Doomsday has a mixed reception is experiencing comedically heightened violence works better than watching it.

How does Doomsday end?

Sinclair, Norton, Stirling, and Cally are captured by armored warriors who drag them to meet Kane. Kane has become an anti-science dictator ruling a chunk of Scotland with an iron fist. Kane explains there is no cure, but some are naturally immune to the Reaper Virus. He sentences Sinclair and her team to death by gladiatorial combat. Sinclair faces his executioner, Telamon. Sinclair wins the brawl and leads her group to escape. Kane's knights kill Norton, but Sinclair, Stirling, and Cally find a Bentley in a hidden forest bunker. They kill Sol and several of his cannibals in a high-speed chase.

Sinclair contacts Canaris and arranges a meeting. When he arrives by helicopter, she explains that Stirling could fabricate a cure using Cally's blood. Canaris refuses, revealing his plan to let the Reaper Virus wipe out the lower classes. Sinclair records Canaris' fascist policy solutions, letting her commanding officer release the audio to the public. Canaris' fate is left unclear. Sinclair stays in Glasgow, where she finds her mother died during the plague outbreak. She uses Sol's severed head to establish herself as the new leader of the cannibal hordes, choosing a new home in the quarantine zone over her old life.

Doomsday is not a great movie. It's most comparable to a Resident Evil film, even as it packs constant Mad Max references. It's a perfect 2000s time capsule, just like Borderlands. Fans of the game will love watching Rhona Mitra shoot, stab, and bludgeon her way through a grotesque side story that feels pulled out of a Psycho Krieg spin-off.