Have you ever seen "Escape from New York?" Well, so have I, but now I've seen it again, albeit with setting, protagonist, nationality, quality, and title altered. This time it's called "Doomsday," but the similarities to that 1981 cult action flick are so numerous that even the captions explaining the date are identical.

Like "Escape from New York," "Doomsday" sends a tough-as-nails anti-hero travel inside a quarantined area to retrieve something of great importance. In 1981 it was Kurt Russell as Snake Plissken. In 2007 it's Rhona Mitra as Eden Sinclair.

Plissken was retrieving the president of the U.S., while Sinclair is searching for a cure to a plague that has caused Scotland to be walled off from the rest of Britain. The plague causes quick and hideous death, or it turns people into zombies (the film itself seems as unsure of this as we are).

While both films portrayed shattered cities infested with vicious rag-clad hoodlums, "Doomsday" takes it a step further and throws in medieval knights on horseback. Plissken had an eye-patch, while Sinclair has a computerized glass eye. And they both have a hard time finding a cigarette.

Mitra gets the job done as Sinclair, but there is very little to endear us to her character. Bob Hoskins and Malcolm McDowell have small supporting roles as a government stooge and the leader of the overblown medieval-themed society, but neither part is written well enough to allow the actors to flourish.

Writer/director Neil Marshall, who directed the critically revered 2006 horror film "The Descent," gets the action part right, with the fight and chase scenes striking a balance between kinetic energy and wince-inducing gore. But there's a glum attitude draped over the endeavor. The killing parts are exhilarating and fun, but little else.

To Marshall's credit, the film feels shorter than it actually is, although a fair amount of time is spent developing characters and places that hold no interest and offer little payoff. "Doomsday" feels like it suffered massive cuts in the editing room, countless script revisions, or both.

Already lacking originality, "Doomsday" also misses out on the irreverent wit of its spiritual predecessor. Note to filmmakers: If you're going to copy something, make sure you include the best part.

James can be reached at jfrazier57@gmail.com

'Doomsday'

Starring: Rhona Mitra, Bob Hoskins, Malcolm McDowell

Director: Neil Marshall

Run time: 1 hour, 45 minutes

Rated: R, for strong bloody violence, language and some sexual content/nudity

Now playing at: Crossroads

2.5 out of 5 stars