Doom (2005)

In the not-so-distant future, a portal has been discovered leading from Earth to Mars, where the government operates a research base to examine the ruins of a lost civilization; scientists are studying it, conducting experiments they perhaps shouldn't be, and trying find out what happened. Answer: nothing good. Something has gone wrong at a remote scientific research station on Mars. All research has ceased. Communication has failed. And the messages that do get through are less than comforting. It's a level 5 quarantine and the only souls allowed in or out are the Rapid Response Tactical Squad - hardened Space Marines armed to the teeth with enough firepower to neutralize the enemy... or so they think.

I give Doom a solid 75%.

You will either love this movie, or hate this movie. You cannot be lukewarm about it if you have seen it.

Now I know many people will roll their eyes at that rating. But I am a gamer and I loved this movie. I would rate it higher if for no other reason than I love the game. However in an attempt to keep some objectivity I have given it a healthy rating that I believe to be fair.

What this move is really about is an adaptation of the classic video game Doom to the big screen. So I will dispense with any further explanation of the plot except to point out the differences.

The most major difference is that the monsters in the game come from hell. But in the movie they come from DNA altered humans. I don't find this too much of a problem as it still made for some pretty ugly monsters. The next significant difference is the inclusion of the "ark" which allows teleportation from Earth to Mars and back. There was teleportation in the game, but it was different. And I guess the only other significant difference was that there really is a plot line running in the movie where the game's plot was simply "shoot to kill, and survive".

I think The Rock did a fine performance as the marine sargeant. I think that as he gets further roles, he could become the next Arnie. He delivered a solid performance and was believable and well suited to the part. Kudos to the casting of The Rock.

The two main characters Reaper and Samantha being brother and sister was a cool twist that really made sense in the end. I think the best characters (in terms of casting and acting) were Reaper (Karl Urban), Sarge (The Rock), Goat (Ben Daniels), and Duke (Razaaq Adoti).

One of the outstanding things done in this movie was the attention to the gamer. There are several minutes of first person perspective where the main character is running through the facility shooting zombies and monsters just like in the game. This was what I came for. It was awesome.

The one thing I wish there had been more of was the BFG3000. We gamers all know and love the BFG (in its many forms), and I really wanted to see more of this weapon. When it was fired, it did not disappoint.

I will probably buy this movie when it comes out on DVD simply because I liked the game. I have great respect for the film makers that sacrificed box office numbers to retain the game look and feel. Thanks guys.

My favorite quotes from the movie:

Sarge: You gonna shoot me?
John Grimm: Was thinking about it
Sarge: How much you got left?
John Grimm: [looks at gun] About half a clip, you?
Sarge: [points BFG] One round

John Grimm: [approaching a mangled Scientist] Sir, are you okay?
[scientist turns to face him and bites the head off of a live rat]
John Grimm: Okay...