Heavyweight casting and an intelligent script do nothing to dispel the atmosphere of lethargy surrounding this production, which often threatens to be stodgy and dull but somehow retains interest despite this. An adaptation of a popular BBC TV series at the time, this follows the typical plot of having an outsider arrive at a mysterious village where the villagers are rude, unwelcoming, and hide an unwholesome secret. Except this time the plot is grounded in scientific realism and the 'monsters' aren't really monsters at all – just unfortunate townsfolk who have become diseased by some toxic fish off the bay.The film has generally good production values all round, and handling the directorial chores is the steady and solid Peter Sasdy. The script is literate and the mystery unfolds at just the right pace. It's just a shame that all the building menace never has a pay-off; there is little or no action in this movie, unless you count a man having a fight with a dog at one point. Ian Bannen makes for a campaigning, slightly stuffy lead, whilst Judy Geeson has nothing to do except tag along on some scenes; a Scully to Bannen's Mulder she is not. The cast is packed out with interesting British character actors, ranging from Percy Herbert to Shelagh Fraser, as well as John Paul and there are two big-name cameos from a tired George Sanders and also Geoffrey Keen as a couple of bigwigs. DOOMWATCH isn't bad, just a bit bland; UK viewers may have fun spotting the familiar faces and second-guessing the plotting, but it doesn't add up to that much in the end.

I bought this on DVD and was expecting to sit back and watch a British classic.But far from it. It was below average stuff and the story never really got passed some toxic material being dumped and people infected.I also think Ian Bannen was miscast. It's hard to see him as a right thinking doctor, when he displays this rather weird persona, particularly when he raises his voice.Who can forget him in Fright (1971)...I think if a different actor had been cast, such as Ian Ogilvy, who I believe was making a lot of horror appearances during this time, then the film might have been slightly better.Having that said, the story was weak, and there were limited action and scares - if none at all.Only a 4/10 from me.

An environmentalist group ( a la early 70s ) somewhat sensationally named "Doomwatch" takes an interest in some peculiar goings-on on a small island near the UK. As a disclaimer, we never saw the BBC series so we don't have any previous notions to compare this film against but, having said that, the film is an enjoyable, cautionary tale about pollution and official stonewalling. Some people have lamented over the film's obviously modest - read: small - budget, but in our opinion this does not handicap the effort. If anything, it serves to highlight what can be achieved by the use of good writing, good acting, and good directing. Though not a horror film per se, its moody atmosphere and imaginative makeup does blur the line between suspense and horror quite effectively, and does actually manage to make you care about the people in it, most notably the character of Dr. Shaw. It's been pointed out that this film does bear a certain resemblance to "The Wicker Man", but in our opinion this has been overstated; yes, in both films an investigating official is stranded on a small island with lots of local strangeness, but that's about the only common ground between the two. Both are enjoyable, but for totally different reasons. Bottom line: while "Doomwatch" may not be a great film, it is a pretty good one. Try it.

Doomwatch – the movie – comes forth as a spin-off from a TV-series with the same name. I only saw 3 episodes of that series and then they took it off the cable here in my country. Too few viewers, apparently… That always happens to decent series. So I was pretty enthusiast about catching the long feature film when the BBC programmed it recently. Yet, after two viewings, I must say I liked the 3 episodes a lot better. The plot offers too few aspects to fill a complete film with and tends to get boring quite easily. In fact, it would have been perfectly accurate if this were a 50 minutes episode as well. No offense to the people on this site here but the plot synopsis, as described on the film's main page, is rather misleading. It says: `The waters surrounding an island become contaminated by chemical dumping, and people who eat fish caught in those waters become cannibalistic mutants'. Judging by this two-line summary, horror fans might prepare themselves to see a good old-fashioned 70's shlock-and-sleaze film, with adorably cheap make-up effects and awful production values. Fans of this type of cinema will feel cheated because `Doomwatch' is more of a theoretical intelligent film, loaded with environmental messages and criticism towards society. This isn't necessarily a negative aspect, but it could have used a bit more action and entertainment value, if you ask me. I like story-driven horror, but there should have been at least a bit of excitement. The film has more than enough horror potential, though. The substance is perfect for it, while cast and crew are experienced in the field as well. Directed by Peter Sasdy, who previously made some of Hammer's best vampire films like `Countess Dracula' and `Taste the Blood of Dracula', and starring George Sanders, who's one of my personal favorite actors since `Village of the Damned' and `Psychomania'. Altogether, Doomwatch is worth a look if you're in a semi-clever mood…but don't think about seeing it when you're having a few friends over with beer and pizza.